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Azada: Ancient Magic game

VERDICT: Excellent

Score Explanation:

A superior game, one of the very best in its category.

9.0
out of 10

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Azada Ancient Magic Review

Pros
  • A ton of unique and mind-bending puzzles to take on
  • Unlock new parts of the story as you solve puzzles
  • Hints and the ability to skip puzzles if you get stuck
  • Race against the clock in Adventure mode or play without a timer in Relaxed mode
  • Explore the books of a magical library chock full of classic fairy tale characters
Cons
  • Some puzzles can still be very challenging even with the help available
  • Some players may not like the mix of puzzles, or certain types of puzzles

Azada Ancient Magic Review

Azada Ancient Magic is a thrilling puzzle game in which you must solve a huge variety of puzzles to unlock the story and unravel the mystery of the evil forces inhabiting books in a magical library. Along the way, you'll be able to make use of hints to solve puzzles or skip them entirely. There are two modes that let you race against the clock as you compete puzzles (like in the original Azada), or complete puzzles at your own pace with no time limit. Puzzles are located in books in the library that are packed full of characters from classic fairy tales and stories. This game has everything a puzzle fan could want.

Puzzle Connect With the Character and Theme of the Book You Explore

Puzzles in Azada Ancient Magic are a bit different from those in the original Azada game, and are contained in various books throughout the library you play in. Each book contains a character and theme (like Dracula, Headless Horseman, etc.) that plays out in the puzzle. Your goal is to free the character in each book by solving the puzzles and locating a card with their picture on it. You've got to flip through several pages of each book, finding various clues and items you can use on different pages to move characters and eventually find their card.

Occasionally, you'll come across other types of puzzles that you'll need to beat as part of the book (like matching symbols to start machinery on one page). You'll complete books, collect cards, and face off against even more puzzle types as you analyze the cards and try to track the source of the evil in the library. While all these different puzzles means that the game won't feel all that repetitive, some players might not like dealing with a bunch of different puzzles. It may also mean that you come across puzzle types that you don't enjoy or aren't good at.

2 Different Game Modes - Timed and Untimed

One big improvement for the game over the first Azada game is that addition of modes. There are two modes of play in this game: Adventure mode and Relaxed mode. The Adventure mode is the normal play, where you must complete a set of books within a certain time frame. As you complete these sets of books, more time is added for you to use. This extra time allows to spend more time on puzzles, make more mistakes, or use more hints. The Relaxed mode removes the time completely, so you can play at your own pace as you work on puzzles.

Puzzles Vary Greatly In Difficulty

The level of difficulty in the game can range from fairly easy to very difficult, depending on the mode of play and your skill. There are no difficulty options, but you can use hints for some puzzles that give you your next move. However, these hints come at a steep cost to make sure you only use them when you really need them. Each hint costs 3 or more minutes of the time given to complete set of books, which is fairly large.

There is also an option to completely skip puzzles, but has a limited number of uses. You can earn more uses, but only after completing more books. If you have trouble with these options, you can choose to play the Relaxed mode and work on books and puzzles without having to worry about time.

Story Progresses As You Solve Puzzles

Not only does the game bring a variety of puzzles and great gameplay, but there is also a story included that plays out as you complete more books. You freed Titus from the painting he was trapped in in the original Azada, and now he has teleported you to a magical library. Characters in the various books have come to life and gained sentience on their own. Titus believes an evil force is behind the strange occurrences in the library, and it's up to you to unravel the mystery and cause.

As you progress through the game, you'll unlock more of the story. This gives you a goal to work towards as you work on puzzles. In addition to the story, the game also has great graphics and sounds. Everything looks excellent, from the rooms to puzzles. The audio provides good background music without becoming distracting or a nuisance as you complete puzzles. The story, visuals, and sound make a puzzle game that was already very good even better.

Conclusion - An Excellent Story and Strong Puzzles Make This a Hit

Overall, Azada Ancient is an excellent puzzle game that has a huge variety of puzzles certain to include something for everyone. You'll face everything from putting together pieces of a shredded picture to matching various symbols. You unlock parts of the story as you progress through the game and complete puzzles. Hints are available to help you through the toughest puzzle challenges. Even if you aren't a fan of puzzle games, this game can provide hours of entertainment and is well worth playing.

- Review by Brandon on Jul 16, 2010

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Video Game Video

Watch various gameplay features such as the search for hidden object puzzles and a variety of mini-games.

Video Screenshots

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Azada: Ancient Magic - Screen 1 Azada: Ancient Magic - Screen 2 Azada: Ancient Magic - Screen 3