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The Princess walks out under the moonlight. Her face gleams with anguish and regret. She must find the Water of Life before the Blood Moon rises. |
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| —Siegfried, Portrait of the Stained Princess | ||
Portrait of the Stained Princess is the sixteenth installment in the Dark Parables franchise. It takes place in Spain. As the Fairytale Detective, we must investigate the disappearance of an art apprentice and his connection to the 300-year-old cursed portrait in the ruins of the Cisneros kingdom.
The game is based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling and the Catalan folktale The Water of Life with elements of the Spanish Estadea and The Children of Lir.
To read reviews or play the game for yourself, click here: Collector's Edition ~ Steam ~ Microsoft Store for Windows 10
Briefing[]
Welcome to Spain, Detective! Your task is to locate a missing man.
About a month ago, two art apprentices snuck into some old castle ruins. Only one of them has returned, and he's still shaken up from it.
They discovered the legendary painting "Princess with a Duckling" hidden in the castle ruins. Suddenly, the princess stepped out from the portrait, capturing the missing apprentice.
Since then, strange things have been reported around the castle. Specifically, traces of spilled paint were found to have been spreading from the ruins to the surrounding area. Other people and even animals have gone missing as well.
One witness even saw a lady wandering around with a duckling in her arms. He described her as a phantom made of paint.
According to our resources, the painting "Princess with a Duckling" is cursed. It was modeled after the princess of a lost kingdom, Cisneros, who went missing three-hundred years ago.
This wandering lady may be the missing princess. Either way, she is a key suspect in this mysterious case. Good luck, Detective!
Plot[]
WARNING: This section contains massive spoilers! (So read at your own risk!)
The game started during the middle of the night when two art apprentices snuck into the castle of Cisneros. Making their way to the Great Hall, they uncovered the portrait of a woman holding a duckling. Just as one of the apprentices was about to reach out, the woman started to come to life! The other apprentice ran in fear, seeing the woman step out of the painting.
A month later, we are dispatched to Spain as the Fairytale Detective to find one of the missing apprentices when a man suddenly jumped out from the clearing. We stopped our horse and dismounted (the horse doesn't leave us anymore, hurrah!)
We learn that the man is one of the apprentices who've called us and we begin to find a way into the castle. Once we found the entrance, Benno gave us Siegfried's diary before leaving. We found a Secret Passage, and inside was a duckling, who cutely waddled away from us.
Following the duckling, we had to open the door to the Great Hall. While searching around the castle, we would find many paintings, some that looked antique. After accessing the Great Hall, we kept on seeing the shadow of someone. Looks like we were being followed...
Stepping into the next room, we found the portrait, but it had been covered up. After getting a pair of scissors, someone tried uncovering the portrait while we were gone. After we revealed the painting, we saw the princess, but her duckling was gone.
A raven suddenly landed and the princess touched the bird, turning it into a painting! The princess stepped out of the portrait before throwing the painting at us before disappearing. As we explored the castle, we found more paintings and trails of paint.
When we returned to the Great Hall, the princess was already there, having been drawn towards her canvas. After confronting the princess, she retreated to her canvas, but somehow, her portrait became ruined.
Gaining access to the Drawing Room, we saw the mysterious shadow again. We spent some time finding the sword keys so we could have access to other rooms. Along the way, we would find notes from both Siegfried and the princess.
For some reason, after gaining access to the atrium, we magically learned of the princess's name, which is Fionnuala. Upon fixing the cursed portrait via a sewing kit from the Drawing Room, Princess Fionnuala spoke. She asked that we bring her to the Castle Keep, as she had something to show us.
When we placed the portrait on the easel at the Castle Keep, Princess Fionnuala stepped out of the portrait once more. She explained that if the Blood Moon rose above Islet Rock before she found the Water of Life, the entire world would be "devoured by the eternal darkness". Right after the princess told us to replace her in the portrait, a man dressed in a suit of armor (who looks a lot like Siegfried), pushed us off the tower, causing us to black-out.
Regaining consciousness, we found ourselves by a river, only to shiver and almost freeze to death. We later found shelter in what appeared to be an old academy. As we lit a nearby fireplace to warm ourselves, the spirit of the traitor knight suddenly appeared. He asked us to free his spirit by burning his portrait. We did as he told us and in exchange, he told us that we have to help the princess break her curse who else "her curse shall devour the world". We eventually got ourselves back to the castle by following Aleda.
When we got back to the castle, however, we saw the knight (the same guy who pushed us) dragging Benno to the Secret Passage. We followed them and found messes all over the place. When we finally caught up to them, we found Benno stepping inside of Fionnuala's portrait. He told us that if we want to help, we have to break the curse. Finding a Waterway, we met with the princess and the knight. They insisted that this is something they should do on their own.
We watched them as they left, but they had forgotten to take someone with them: Aleda. We managed to raise a pathway to get to Islet Rock. There, we learn that the princess needs her duckling to get to the Water of Life. We got Aleda and gave her to the princess. With Aleda, Fionnuala's curse is broken as her duckling became a black swan. Just then, Fiachra appeared. He hugged the princess, much to her surprise, delighted under the presumption that she remembered him. However, she doesn't, demanding him to let her go causing anger to the Dark Prince. Siegfried tried to rescue Fionnuala but fell to unconsciousness after being blown back by magic. As for the princess, she was taken by Prince Fiachra.
We have to bring Siegfried back to consciousness before going after the Dark Prince. After completing the deed, we have to help get the Sword of Light before continuing onward. Arming Siegfried with the weapon, we confronted Fiachra.
We aided to the defeat of the Dark Prince by blinding him with light while Siegfried finishes him off. Freeing Fionnuala, we were ready to go. However, Fiachra wouldn't let the princess go, grasping onto her hand. From behind, Siegfried stabs the prince, making him let go of his childhood friend. Fionnuala, however, returns to Fiachra to give him one last kiss. Tearing from her love for him, Fiachra pushes Fionnuala away from the collapsing rock they were standing on, presumably ending Fiachra's life.
Afterward, Siegfried assures the Detective that the curse has finally been ended and that Fionnuala will need time to recover.
Parables[]
The Ugly Duckling
Once, there was a Prince of Darkness with a duckling for a companion. The prince was too young to understand where the duckling came from; it was natural for him to be with his duckling wherever he went. They have always been together since the day they were born. In the prince's home, there were other ferocious birds that belonged to his brothers. The other birds perceived the little duckling as a weak creature, and she suffered verbal and physical abuse from them. Every time the prince tried to protect the duckling, his brothers teased him mercilessly. "How pathetic! A weak master with a weak heart deserves a weak guardian. Better hide yourself in darkness. You have brought disgrace upon us." Both the prince and the duckling led a mournful existence. One day, the prince found out he was sick. He set off into the world to find the cure for his illness. Soon, he found himself in a beautiful kingdom filled with light and was delighted with everything he saw. Even when he was inside his wagon, outside was joyful. Though he wanted to join the people outside, he could not, for the light burned him. People were always afraid of him. One day, as the dawn arrived, the prince left his wagon with his duckling. He could not bear a life of solitude any longer. He yearned for the light, even though the light rejected him. Even the shimmers of light at night did not accept him. He played sorrowful music with his fiddle, finally deciding to throw himself at the sunlight. He thought that even if the light burned him, anything would be better than to live a life of ugliness and darkness. A princess, who was of a similar age, approached the prince. She said, "You play such wonderful music, and your duckling is so beautiful. Would you like to play with me?"
The Water of Life
The laughter of the little Princess shed light on the darkness in the Prince's heart. He had found his light at last. On the day the Prince departed, he gave his duckling to the Princess as a promise that they would meet again. The faeries noticed the girl and asked where she was going. She answered that she was looking for a cure for her father. The faeries were happy that the girl answered them. They had tried to greet two men who passed by before, but they were ignored by one and scolded by the other. The girl asked where she could obtain the Water of Life, the elixir that could cure all kinds of sickness and curses. It was mentioned in the faeries' song. The faeries told her the location of the Water of Life and how to get there. She needed a magical bird and a flower of eternal beauty to gain access to this secret place. The daughter faithfully followed the faeries' instructions and found the magical bird and a flower of eternal beauty. Finally, she reached the site of the Water of Life. She was about to get some water to bring back to her father when the magical bird, which was a talking swan, spoke to her. He told her that the faeries had acted out of malice, and they intentionally left out the most important part about the Water of Life: it must be obtained by the one who seeks to be cured. The girl did not give up hope. She immediately went back home and brought her father to the site of the Water of Life. The old man was cured. Suddenly, a Prince appeared, holding the flower of eternal beauty. He proposed to the girl, revealing that he had been cursed to be a magical swan. He thanked the girl for bringing him to the Water of Life so his curse could be cured. He was touched by her persistence in saving her father. The Prince and the girl got married. The kingdom they built was given a swan emblem to commemorate their love forever. Not long after that, the girl's brothers came back home. They had been tricked by the faeries and found themselves lost. Everyone lived happily ever after.
The Ugly Princess
Once upon a time, there was a King who had a daughter. The little girl grew up to be delightfully charming. She became a graceful and attractive princess. One day, messengers came from a kingdom of darkness, asking for the Princess's hand in marriage for their Prince. This kingdom of darkness was not well-known. Legend says that it's a dominion at the end of the known world, connected to the words of dreams and death. It's a mysterious realm that cannot be found by outsiders. Who would be willing to marry off his daughter to the prince of such a place? But the King feared that if he rejected the marriage proposal, it might offend this terrible kingdom. The King thought that the Prince had only proposed to the Princess because of her beauty. So, the King came up with a plan. He asked a painter to draw a portrait of the Princess but to deface it with blotches of paint. The King sent the messenger back with the ruined portrait with a message saying that the Princess's face was disfigured in an accident, making her ugly. However, the Prince loved the heart of the Princess more than anything. The Prince still remembered the Princess who had brought light into his dark world when he was young. He still wanted to marry her. The Prince pretended to be a blind fiddler and came before the King and the Princess, wishing to propose. When he saw the Princess, the Prince knew he had been tricked. Though the Princess did not know about the trick, she did not remember the Prince or her promise to him. The Prince took out the ruined portrait he got from the King. He cursed the Princess and sealed her in the ugly portrait for her betrayal. The Princess was trapped in the ruined portrait. For her, the passage of time stopped. She could only come to life under the light of the moon. Whatever paint stains got on her, they never faded. Just like the King had said, the Princess became disfigured and ugly.
White Swan, Black Swan
Long ago, there were two princes in the White Swan Kingdom. The older Prince was gentle, brave, and skilled in fighting but merciful to those who offended him. The younger Prince was naughty, ruthless, intolerant, and treated everyone and everything horribly. Their parents were disappointed that their younger son was not as brilliant as his brother. As he grew older, he came to embrace his dark side even more. The younger Prince was such a nightmare to deal with, that no one could love him. His existence became a stain on the royal family. He mockingly called himself the "Black Swan." One day, the dark Prince vanished. No one cared about his disappearance, as he wasn't next in line to inherit the throne. In fact, the Prince was soon forgotten by everyone, like a bad memory. Rumors said that he was either dead or had been kidnapped by demons. Several years later, a procession came at midnight, bearing the flag with the Black Swan emblem. The younger Prince was leading the procession. Beside him were a beautiful lady and a ferocious monster bird. People said the lady, whom the young Princess married, was a faery. He must have become the King of a kingdom in the other world. One person even claimed that he had come into contact with the people in the procession. The people in the procession were either souls of living people, lost in dreams, or souls of those who had died but did not yet realize they were dead. Rumors spread fast. People believed in the existence of the Kingdom of the Black Swan, but they did not know where it was. It is said that the Black Swan was a cadet branch of the White Swan. While the White Swan ruled the world under the light, the Black Swan dominated the world of darkness. While the Black Swan was never officially recorded in history, many people still believed in legends about it.
The Clan with No Hearts
At the edge of the world, in a place no one can find, there lived a clan whose people had no heart in their bodies. Their hearts were protected by their guardian birds, which came into the world along with them. A master and his guardian bird always grew together. A guardian bird's appearance was dependent on their master's heart. A pure and innocent heart led to a graceful bird, while a violent heart resulted in a ferocious bird. As long as the guardian bird lived, their master could not die, no matter how much the master's body was injured. Because of their invulnerability and power, most masters became pugnacious and cruel. Because of that, their guardian birds also grew to be monster-like creatures, and everyone forgot what the birds originally looked like. If a master was separated from either their guardian bird or their heart for too long, they would become heartless, though they would not die. According to the legend, the ancestor of this clan was a human prince. The Prince had fallen in love with the Queen of the Dark Faeries. The Queen separated the Prince's heart from his body, which turned into a magical black swan. The black swan was kept in the hands of the Queen. As long as the Queen protected the black swan, she could keep her human Prince with her, extending his life beyond his normal human years. Moreover, the Prince's heart would always be hers.
Connection[]
- On the Fairytale Detective's bag, there are three badges that are references to some of her previous cases: the symbol of the Order of the Red Riding Hood Sisters, a dragonfly seen for the first time in The Exiled Prince but represents Princess Brigid and symbol of the "Merry Men" from Jack and the Sky Kingdom.
- There was a matchbox that is referred to The Match Girl's Lost Paradise.
- The record that plays music is a reference to Return of the Salt Princess.
- In glass cases located in the Cave Chamber are replicate objects that are additional references to some of the Detective's previous cases: a Moonstone from The Red Riding Hood Sisters, a Golden Apple from Rise of the Snow Queen and the Bolide Shard from Jack and the Sky Kingdom.
Personal[]
Eipix Entertainment Production Group
Producer: Vanja Babic
Game Designer: Nemanja Jovanov, Vanja Babic
2D Artists: Janos Tokic
Level Designer: Aleksandra Stolic
Programmer: Istvan Kekenj
Cinematic Animators: Ibrahim Abdo, Luka Smilijanic, Igor Rauski, Zoran Tekic
Lead Cinematic 2D Artist: Dusan Bozic
Cinematic 2D Artists: Sandra Janjatovic, Masa Dragicevic, Momcilo Bilbija, Sanja Milenkovic, Zoran Milenkovic
Lead Technology Programmer: Igor Kukobat
Composer: Kristina Markovic
Sound Designers: Kristina Markovic, Igor Jakovljevic, Aleksandar Jovanovic
Lead QA: Igor Andrejevic
Quality Assurance: Bojan Rakic, Ales Fizesan, Nikola Beronja, Biljana Karapandzin
2D Artists: Vladimir Lokic, Radovan Zivkovic, Danica Cudic, Jelica Cupic, Igor Mijic, Marija Cvetkovic
Level Designer: Mirko Vujnovic
Game Designer: Danilo Gnip
Eipix Entertainment Management
Chief Executive Officer: Mirko Topalski
Chief Financial Officer: Dragan Dackovic
Chief Operating Officer: Zoran Milanko
Chief Technology Officer: Levente Simon
Head of Production: Bojan Milanko
Production Associate: Nebojsa Jankovic
Head of Cinematic: Gregor Hodinj
Audio Lead: Aleksandar Jovanovic
HR: Sonja Stegnjaic, Gordana Jandric
Administration: Slobodan Trifkovic, Goran Alasov
Finance: Tatjana Vukmirovic, Vesna Eleonora Sarovic
Operations: Vladimir Marceta, Aleksandar Kesanski, Nenad Kalc, Rastko Dragin
Education Manager: Ivan Francuski
Outsource Team: Maria Sitnikova, Oleksandr Osmolovskyi, Olga Osmolovskaya, Anzhelika Statieva, Bohdan Runets, Yelena Yemelyanova, Oleg Vykhristyuk, Andrew Yurchenko, Aleksandr Marienko, Sergey Sitnikov, Marina Sokolova, Nick Storozhenko
Voice-over Managers: Nebojsa Jankovic, Tamara Zarkovic
Big Fish Games Team
Senior Game Producer: Lauren Horsley
Game Producer: John Mentzer
Production Manager: Christine Zeigler
Narrative Design Manager: Faye Hoerauf
Narrative Designers: Corinne Hutchinson, Dan Lefever, Joanie Rich
Beta Writer/Editor: Nathaniel Apgar
Senior Strategy Guide Editor: Margie Bissainthe
Strategy Guide Creator: Laurie Murphy
QA VP, Technical Game Operations: Curtis Reynolds
QA Manager: Wendy Scodeller, Matt McClure
QA Associate Manager: Nathaniel Umipeg
Project Leads: Joel Flamme, Max Nafziger
QA Testers: Josh Bugenig, Lauren Sallen-Paris, Brandon Christian, Vijay Sutari, Ayush Sharma, Nikhil Singh, Priyanka Yadav, Chrissi Ducotey, Kristopher Ducotey
Lab Lead: Peter Corwin
Lab Tech: Will Herschelman
Voice Actors
Tape Recorder: Lauren Synger
Benno: Michael Ashcraft
Princess Fionnuala: Lindsay Sheppard
Siegfried: Duffy Weber
Dark Prince (Prince Fiachra): Rich Lane
Traitor Knight: Peter Leake
Special Thanks[]
We wish to thank you, the player, for accompanying us on yet another adventure. You have bravely navigated the unsteady waters, climbed the steepest of peaks, laughed at the face of danger and lived to tell the tale of your conquest. We have reached the end of this adventure, but there are many more lies ahead. Until the fickle finger of fate brings our paths together yet again, we salute you!
Trivia[]
- The "Princess with a Duckling" painting bears a resemblance to Leonardo de Vinci's Lady with an Ermine.
- In the drawing-room HOP is a white rose stained with red paint - this is a reference to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland when the card guards attempt to paint the white roses red.
- Siegfried and Benno's master and servant, friend relationship could be a reference to Prince Siegfried and Benno von Sommerstern's relationship.
Media[]
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