Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan

My Playtime: 4.1h (100% achievement, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (~16 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.
Intro
Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan is the second installment of the Grim Legends trilogy, a hidden object title made by Artifex Mundi. It has both puzzles and hidden object scenes, mainly the one where you have to find objects based on the given images.
Pros:
- Various puzzles and hidden object scenes
- Difficulty select
- Skip and hint button for those who need help completing the game
Cons:
- Unable to return to some places that you have visited
Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
Should you buy this game?
Yes.
It's an enjoyable hidden object game. If you enjoy Artifex Mundi games or hidden object games in general, buy this at a sale.
In-Depth Review
Visuals
Characters were made realistic, but you can see that they are just 2D art that is animated. The animation looks odd, although it's quite acceptable for games like this, especially with the low minimum requirement it needs to run. Lastly, the background looks great as any other games with the same publisher—each area was drawn in a way that made the places look mysterious and eye-catching.
Story
The story is the weak part of the game. Most of the lore was told through the use of golden feathers which will tell what happened before the events in the game, which in turn will reveal who the final boss is. Sadly, the other dialogues apart from that are just there for the sake of it; characters will suddenly come and pretend as if you both know each other, telling you what to do. Other characters that you meet before even come to you and act as if they know everything that you know. It makes the story loses its impact.
The Game
Gameplay
The gameplay is comprised of two parts: a point-and-click part and the puzzle/hidden object part. The point-and-click part is simple; you just need to figure out how to progress using the objects you can find on the screen. Some might lead you to the puzzles or hidden object section, giving you an extra item for you. Most of the objects are self-explanatory, although it can be hard to figure out where you can use them, especially since sometimes you need to return to the previous screens to use them.
The puzzles are varied, although they can give some difficulties to some people. I especially hate the one where you need to rotate a piece of picture to line up the whole image since they can't seem to line up properly. There are a lot of these puzzles, especially in the bonus content, and I didn't feel like doing them. Luckily, you can always skip them as long as you don't mind not getting all of the achievements.
The hidden object scenes are mostly in the form of you having to find objects based on the images given. Sometimes, the standard one where you are given a list of objects is also available. I had trouble when the game asked me to find a flower with the flower name—I didn't know the flower and had to look it up online before I could manage to find it. Some objects also can blend very well with the environment, making them hard to find.
Length and Difficulty
I finished the game in 2.6h, and then continued the bonus content in 0.6h, totaling 3.2h. The rest of my playtime was spent redoing the game to get the achievement that I missed.
The game isn't difficult since there is a hint option. Minigames can also be skipped if you find it hard. However, you won't get some achievements if you do that.
Conclusion
Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan is just another hidden object game by Artifex Mundi. The story might be weak, but the gameplay is solid. You'll get exactly what you'd expect from a hidden object game. Both puzzles and hidden object parts can be challenging, but it's still targeted to casual players. If you enjoy hidden object games, buy this one on a sale.

A stereotypical Casual Hidden Object Point & Click Adventure game.
Not exactly thought-provoking. Only take a few hours to fully complete.
Mostly a bit of leisurely wholesome fun that doesn't take itself too seriously.

A nice story like all other games from this company, although it was kinda predictable.
The puzzles are generally enjoyable, although they might feel repetitive if you've played the first game in the series. Most puzzles are on the easier side, with only a few being really hard for some reason . Despite this, they were fun and made sense taking into account the story moment.
It's clear that the developers have made improvements from the first game in the collection. The graphics and overall game seam to have been polished into a more enhanced version, comparing to the first game of this collection.
Must admit it did feel like a more depressing story than the first one, maybe not so family friendly as other games.
Overall, "Grim Legends 2" is a good game, as any from this company.

This isn't really a sequel to the first game... it's just different story told in a similar way. Maybe a little less dark, and more fairy-tale, but still fun in the same kind of way.

Basically, if you liked the first one, you'll like this one... puzzles and graphics are similar.

A fun HOG, but don't expect a captivating plot or eye-popping graphics. While the story is alright the pacing is all over the place and the dialog will have you constantly asking: "Who talks like that?" The scenes are beautiful and the music provides great ambiance without being overly obnoxious. However the animations are very clunky giving all the human characters a very uncanny valley effect. The puzzles are fun and challenging enough without being too frustrating. So if your looking for a game that forces you to focus yet also lets you turn off your brain, you could do a lot worse.
Just take it for what it is. A cheep puzzle game that can make you feel clever while you relax for awhile.

Another great game in the Grim Legends series. I've enjoyed all 3 games! :D Love the twist on the traditional fairy tale story, with fun mini games, great HOPs, and tricky bits in between to stump you! I'm really glad I played the first run through on Expert, it was fun trying to figure out where to go next sometimes when it wasn't obvious! Fun grabbing all the achievements after the first playthough too. 10/10!

Fun HOG, although the first one is better. The overall design and graphics of 'Song of the Dark Swan' is inferior, the plot is not bad but the pacing is a bit weird, I did not connect with it as much. The animations are very clunky too. The puzzles are still fun, not too difficult, I'd say on the same level as the first one. I'd recommend it on sale.