Dark Parables: The Swan Princess and The Dire Tree Collector's Edition is rated 3.7 out of 5 by 70 .

Rated 5 out of 5 by pcpat923 from A GAME WITHIN A GAME! HURRAY BLUE TEA GAMES! Gamers who are familiar with previous Blue Tea Games such as "The Exiled Prince" and "The Curse of Briar Rose" are probably a lot like myself--always looking forward to another Dark Parables addition. Although the magic of those older games cannot be recaptured, The Swan Princess has been presented with much more challenging hidden object scenes, puzzles, morphing items (Parables), collectibles (Acorns) and a very lengthy gaming experience. As difficult as the collectibles were to find, my obsessive compulsive disorder kicked in and I found all 39/39 as well as the Parables. Of course, replaying all the HOP's with 100% accuracy under a minute is another must to acquire the highest achievement, at least in my OCD book. It's really about the love of Blue Tea Games Developers who presented gamers with their exquisite works of art big, bold and beautiful. Blue Tea wasn't afraid of bringing brilliance to the pc gaming world. I actually at first turned up my nose at their games due to the fragmented hidden object puzzles! Just goes to show, what do I know. Either the Collector's or the Standard is highly recommended. Of course, if you prefer enjoying every last second of Blue Tea Games, the Collector's Edition is a must have in your BFG gaming collection. Enjoy! -Mama Mia-

Rated 5 out of 5 by mikesilverman from AN AMAZING VISUAL JOURNEY - GROUND BREAKING QUALITY I am continually amazed by the progress of game producers in areas such as these "hidden-object" adventures. Each time that I think the pinnacle of art and animation has been reached for this genre , a game like The Swan Princess and The Dire Tree comes along and blows that idea out of the water. EIPIX ENTERTAINMENT and their fleet of animators and artists have created something extraordinary here, I would even say it is ground-breaking in the depth of its quality. The living breathing settings you will encounter, richly painted and crafted with animated movement makes every scene an experience of WOW! The gameplay is perfect. As you move from scene to scene you feel like you are walking through a fantasy world and the puzzles are beautifully crafted but not aggressively difficult. One of the most difficult things for a game producer in this genre of "hidden-object" casual games is to strike exactly the right balance between challenge and enjoyment without sacrificing either. The hidden object scenes are breathtakingly beautiful and not overly difficult to complete. The same thing can be said of the puzzles, they entertaining to play but not frustrating to complete. If you like fantasy quests you will love this game.

Rated 5 out of 5 by kcoh61 from DARK PARABLES is Back!! Better then EVER!! Absolutely Wonderful!!..After the last few Parable games, I was really getting worried. But, alas!...I'm glad the devs read all our reviews and came back with a bigger/better Parable but with the old, beautiful scripted scenes we all love. The graphics/quality/sound...Superb!. Thank You Eipix and BF......(I'll try never to doubt you again:) ! This one is a desktop keeper.......

Rated 5 out of 5 by pennmom36 from Remember When Dark Parables Was An Epic Series? Once Upon A Time......when I first discovered my love for HOPA's, I discovered an epic series. This series was called, Dark Parables, and I became hooked, purchasing one DP after another. The stories were creative, taking well know fairytales and twisting the plot ever so gently to draw you in hook, line, and sinker. But my favorite feature was the Morphing Objects which to be honest with you I didn't know they even existed until I was a couple of chapters in on Curse of Briar Rose, the first DP game I played.You know why? Because the developers were geniuses! Dark Parables were non-linear games, Morphing Objects didn't Morph until they were eventually triggered by by an action you did in an entirely different scene. These Morphs were challenging to say the least and often times you had to travel to a scene several times, and then had to be patient to spot the Morphs because they morphed slowly. Dark Parables were also masters at blending fragments within their Hidden Object Scenes (FROGS) as well, which is a feature that didn't suit everyone's taste, but nevertheless, that's what made this series adored by many. I also loved the familiar sounds and music that was in all DP games until recently. Have the new producers scraped all the features because they don't want to become stereotypical, or is it just too much work when the easier route can skim by on the shirttail of it's predecessors? I'm certainly not bashing the devs, to the contrary, Swan Princess is a really good game, I just think the devs don't think we little guys will notice or care what's missing. Do me a favor, however, and give Curse Briar Rose, the Exiled Prince or even The Rise of The Snow Queen a try and you'll see what I mean, those were the good ole days. I know after reading all that, that it sounds like I think this is a horrible game. I don't think that at all, I enjoyed playing this game, I just don't think it holds a candle to the original Dark Parable games. If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It! I'm going to pretend it's just a fairytale and that maybe, just maybe, Epix will consider bringing back the non-linear Morphing Objects, I can live with the rest. The graphics are beautiful as usual, it even seems to be less glittery that the last couple of DP games, which is good thing. There are 39 Hidden Acorn Signs and they are blended into the scenery very nicely, even better, the cursor doesn't change to a hand to alert you by simply scanning over the scene. At least they haven't taken away the Dark Parable Collections, and those fragments are well hidden too. Once you have collected all Parable fragments you get to read about short tales such as Up rise of the Swan, Forbidden Idol, The First Tree, A Dark Dream, and the Jewel of Repose. This twisted tale is about the magical kingdom of Dire Island where the Magic Seed that allows the goddess Flora to regenerate the Dire tree of life, has been stolen. The Swan guards are sworn to protect the goddess at all cost, and some of the guards have the ability to transform into beautiful swans. The Black Swan was a high ranking guard who is responsible for the theft, even though her intentions may have been for all the right reasons, she might not have known that the Kingdom would begin to crumble. The Hidden Object Scenes are all the same, but that's a good thing! These are actually FROGS, where you search the scene for several fragments that are cleverly hidden among other objects. There are three different groups of fragments that will join together to make a single inventory item such as an elaborate key or emblem that will help you progress in the game. There are also a few Zoom Zone FROG's as well with just a handful of fragments to locate. The Mini Games are also clever, below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo, (more to come on the SE once I finish the game): 1) Use the looking glass to find the path to the Dire Tree by selecting landmarks along the way as shown on the outside of the stone. 2) Find and place items within a play that are out of place as a story unfolds. 3) Swap pie shaped puzzle pieces to create an image. 4) Connect all the squares with the number of connections indicated by dots without intersecting connections and in the same direction. 5) Match symbols by searching for partially hidden symbols with shown. 6) Set up the boards so that every ball will fall to the correct place on the bottom that matches its color and shape and then test your configuration. This Collector's Edition has 12 Achievements, 6 Concept Art pictures, 8 Wallpapers, 9 Music Soundtracks, 22 replayable Mini Game puzzles, 16 replayable FROG's, 39 Hidden Acorn Signs, Hidden Parables (The Swan Princess and A Fable of Two Hearts), Souvenirs, 17 Videos, a built in Strategy Guide, NO MORPHING OBJECTS, and a Bonus Chapter, enjoy!

Rated 5 out of 5 by skullfun from Dark Parables 11 Swan Princess and the Dire Tree more like Blue Tea again!!! This edition of Dark Parables made me fall in love with the series all over again. Since Dark Parables is such an iconic series, I was a little worried at first that Eipix would not be able to do the game justice. Defying my concerns, this 11th Dark Parables game remained along the same line as the previous installments in terms of quality, if not, even better. You play the role of Guardian Fairytale Detective in a quest for Ancient Tablets located in the underground Swan archives before her Wickedness beats you to it. The Wicked Swan Princess is determined to destroy the Goddess of Floralia who reins supreme in this Enchanted land. The Swan Princess needs the power of the Dire Tree to carry out her evil plans, but you have pledged your life to the Goddess to protect her and the Dire Tree until the final hour. During your quest you receive help from Black Swan and Ross Red, essential characters to the story line plot. Black Swan even stills the seed to activate the Dire Tree which wasn't the right thing to do, but you learn her intentions were honest and she proves herself worthy to join with you to defeat the Swan Princess. With regards to graphics and style.... The graphics in The Swan Princess and The Dire Tree are no Blue Tea, but it is stunning and colorful enough for me to appreciate. I am glad that Eipix decided to remain some of the franchise's signature sound effects and music, as they always work well with the series. Despite knowing that the art team at Eipix is one of the very best in the industry, the artwork style of Blue Tea Games is EXTREMELY UNIQUE and incredibly difficult to imitate. It is clear from what we saw that Eipix put in a tremendous amount of effort in the attempt to recreate the same artwork style, in which the team did surprisingly well to some extent. This time the gameplay has significantly improved in this sequel. Games from Blue Tea were slightly predictable lately; but with Eipix, everything has been spiced up with creativity. The main gameplay is still largely based on collecting pendants, orbs and other fantasy items - still, we found the tasks to be much more interactive and innovative. The puzzles are entertaining, but not always original and a few of them are repeated 3-4 times. And finally, good news for all the fans out there, Dark Parables 11 is still filled with gorgeous Fragmented Hidden Objects Scenes. In the Collector's Edition they included a pretty heavy bonus content; something that has never been done by Blue Tea before. As for the length, the main game lasted roughly 4 hours for me - the bonus chapter is very solid, featured some breathtaking scenes, and has a 45 minute length. Long-time fans of the series might still be somewhat disappointed by the switch in developers; nonetheless, Eipix created Dark Parables: The Swan Princess and the Dire Tree with such perfection and care that it impressed me all the same. I hope this series continues to be successful, this can't be the end of an awesome HOPA Legacy!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 by themom101 from Only You Bring Back the Magic Seed and Save the Kingdom The other reviews have given you much of the info about the workings and layout of the game so I won't rehash those. The Dark Parable games is one of the few series that I consider a "must have" from the moment the CE is released. It's also one of the very few series in which I will invest in the CE version, often going directly "buy" instead of playing the Demo. I own all of the previous games in this series and have replayed them all several times. My fingers were getting itchy in anticipation of new one being released. When I saw this one available, I jumped right in and purchased it without a second thought. In the past, I have rarely regretted that choice with one of the Dark Parable games. But, after this one, I'm going to have to rethink my strategy. It has already been mentioned that the graphics of this one is lacking the beauty and details of the earlier ones. They're not bad, they're just not up to the standard that was set with the first one. Yes, they do cross over into "cartoonish" at times. In fact, one of the early mini-games was extremely cartoonish and disappointing. In the earlier games, the SE versions offered the morphing beyond objects. Then as the series progressed they were available only in the CE versions. The objects didn't jump out and wave a flag at you, but they also didn't require a magnifying glass to locate. Both versions of the games included pieces of different parables to be located that added an extra element of enjoyment. In the past, the parable pieces were much like an inventory item in that they were a specific shape and object. This game somehow got off the beaten path and got lost. The collectibles are not the morphing type, they are tiny leaves and acorns that blend into the background so much that I did have to dig that magnifying glass out. In contrast to the earlier games, the parable pieces in this one are the morphing type and are just one instinctive piece of three that make up the picture. Always loved the FROG scenes that were beautifully and artfully detailed with the sections tucked into the display neatly but identifiable. This is another area that sees a digression of the series. The sections of the item are flat, muddied pieces that lack the detailing to which we have become accustomed. I rated this one a low 5 star in the hopes that it will prove my first impressions wrong and develop into a game worthy of the Dark Parable title. In the past, I would have said "It's a new Dark Parable, go for it, you'll love it". Instead, I recommend that you play the Demo before deciding. Overall, I think the developer needs to go back and play the earlier installments in the series enough times to become inspired to go back to the drawing board and restore reputation of the Dark Parable series. I'm headed back to play further into this one with fingers crossed hoping that brilliance breaks thru the clouds.

Rated 5 out of 5 by SkyeGray from Nice Collaboration! Welcome back, Blue Tea. I am so glad Blue Tea is back in the game. Their original DP games were exquisite from beginning to end. And their stories were quirky and odd. This game lacks the complete beauty of the former DP, and the odd little stories - but you can't have everything. The HOPs are beautiful, the music is pretty - and the gameplay sounds are back from the old games. We even hear Ruth's voice narrating. It feels much truer to the games I loved than the last DP game that came out. I didn't even notice that Blue Tea was back on the credits until I logged in a second time. But I did notice immediately that some of the old magic was back. Good game, thanks guys.

Rated 5 out of 5 by 808Special_K from Outstanding! Another winner! I'll keep it short. Fantasy games aren't for everyone so I don't think stars should be denied just because a game isn't your preferred Genre. Having said that, this game is absolutely beautiful and if you are a fan of Fantasy games this one is for you! Colorfully exquisite, the HOG games are not too easy but not impossible either. The story line may not be completely new to many of us but it doesn't take away from the great graphics, puzzles and HOG scenes of this game. I am a fan of Fantasy games but my 5 stars are being given for the overall quality of this adventure and the obvious hard work put into it. Bravo!

Rated 5 out of 5 by Daxadillion from White Swan versus Black Swan. Who will win? Well I don't know as I haven't finished the game yet but I think I know which one it will be. I am not going to spoil it for anyone by describing the game play but I will list the Extras. 8 chapters in the main game and 2 in the bonus, so I reckon it's going to be a fairly long game. Replay of the Puzzles and HOS, and so far the HOS have been fragmented ones. Parables - There are 21 and I think I've missed a lot of them Collectibles are 39 acorns, and for me some of them were hard to find in the darker scenes. Souvenirs - they are as always at the end of the Bonus Chapter. That's it as I am off to play again. I'm happy, happy, happy today - thank you devs for the birthday present.