Chronicles of Magic: Divided Kingdoms

Chronicles of Magic: Divided Kingdoms is a fantasy-themed hidden object adventure game where players embark on a quest to save their son from the clutches of the Black Knight. Set in a divided magical kingdom, the game features first-person perspective exploration, puzzle-solving, and classic hidden object gameplay mechanics across various environments.

Chronicles of Magic: Divided Kingdoms: A Realm Divided in More Ways Than One

In the vast and often overlooked annals of casual gaming, few genres are as simultaneously maligned and cherished as the Hidden Object Game (HOG). It is within this contested space that Chronicles of Magic: Divided Kingdoms, a 2018 release from Polish developer The House of Fables and publisher Artifex Mundi, seeks to carve its legacy. A tale of two kingdoms, a mother’s desperate quest, and the blurring lines between light and dark, the game presents itself as a premium entry in a crowded field. This review delves deep into its construction, its ambitions, and its ultimate execution, arguing that while it exemplifies the polished production values Artifex Mundi is known for, it remains firmly, and perhaps contentedly, within the well-established boundaries of its genre.

Development History & Context

The Artifex Mundi Assembly Line

To understand Divided Kingdoms, one must first understand its creators. Developed by The House of Fables and published by Artifex Mundi, the game was born from a studio that has, since its founding, become synonymous with the modern casual adventure. By 2018, Artifex Mundi had perfected a formula: narrative-driven, first-person hidden object puzzles wrapped in high-fantasy aesthetics, released across a staggering array of platforms simultaneously—from Windows and Mac to iOS, Android, and Linux.

The credits for Divided Kingdoms list a team of 144 individuals, a significant undertaking indicative of the studio’s industrial approach to game creation. Led by Creative Director Adam Robaszyński-Janiec and Producer Marta Wierzbołowska (credited as Królik), the team was a well-oiled machine, having collectively worked on other Artifex Mundi staples like the Eventide and Dreamwalker series. This shared experience is both a strength and a weakness; it ensures a baseline of technical competence and aesthetic cohesion but can also lead to a sense of creative repetition.

The game was built on the proprietary Spark Casual Engine, a toolset tailored for the specific needs of 2D adventure games, allowing for efficient porting across the myriad devices it targeted upon its March 9, 2018 release. The gaming landscape at the time was one of intense platform diversification. The game had to function equally well on a touch-screen tablet and a desktop PC, a design constraint that fundamentally shaped its mechanics and interface, prioritizing simplicity and intuitive point-and-click (or tap) interaction over complex controls.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

A Mother’s Quest in a Morally Grey World

The narrative premise of Divided Kingdoms is its strongest hook. Players assume the role of Gillian, a mother whose son, Nevin, is abducted by the mysterious Black Knight. This personal catalyst drives her into the heart of a larger geopolitical and magical conflict between the twin White and Black Kingdoms.

The backstory, revealed through environmental clues and scrolls, tells of a devastating war between the two realms. The White Kingdom was rebuilt through magic, flourishing under the seemingly benevolent rule of Queen Mariette. Conversely, the Black Kingdom remains a cursed wasteland, shrouded in perpetual gloom and choked by dangerous vines, its people suffering. Queen Mariette provides aid, but a deep-seated tension and history of conflict linger.

The game’s central thematic ambition is to subvert the simplistic binary of “light = good, dark = evil.” As Gillian ventures into the Black Kingdom, she discovers that trust is a fragile commodity; allies and enemies are not easily distinguished by which kingdom they hail from. The Black Knight’ motivations are shrouded in mystery, and the truth involves a “forgotten royal lineage” that promises to upend the established order. This exploration of moral ambiguity—of the grey area between magic and technology, good and evil—is a compelling framework, reminiscent of higher fantasy epics.

However, the execution of this narrative often falls prey to the genre’s conventions. Dialogue can be functional and exposition-heavy, serving to move the puzzle logic forward rather than to deeply develop characters. Gillian is a relatable protagonist driven by maternal instinct, but her character arc is straightforward. The potential for a nuanced political fantasy is ultimately secondary to the core drive of the personal rescue mission and the mechanics of puzzle-solving.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

The Polished, Predictable HOG Loop

The gameplay of Divided Kingdoms is a textbook example of the modern HOG-adventure hybrid. The core loop is consistent: explore a static, beautifully rendered scene, find a list of hidden objects, use those objects to solve environmental puzzles or unlock new areas, and periodically engage in dedicated minigames.

• Hidden Object Scenes (HOS): The game features 17 dedicated HOS. These are competently designed, with items cleverly (and sometimes frustratingly) integrated into the scenery. The game employs the standard mix of word lists and silhouettes. Community guides note specific achievements tied to these scenes, such as completing them with fewer than five mistakes or, notoriously, finishing one in under 30 seconds—a challenge that often requires guide assistance and highlights the sometimes pixel-hunt nature of the searches.

• Puzzles and Minigames: With 33 minigames, the variety is robust, if familiar. Players can expect to engage in sliding tile puzzles, pattern-matching sequences, logic puzzles, and object-assembly tasks. The “Magic Scrolls” mechanic is a highlighted feature, requiring players to discover and replicate spell sequences, which adds a pleasant, albeit light, layer of magical immersion. The puzzles are generally well-integrated into the narrative but rarely venture beyond moderate difficulty, ensuring accessibility for the casual audience.

• Progression and Collectibles: Beyond the main path, the game offers a plethora of collectibles: 46 Chess Figures and Crow Statues are scattered throughout the environments. These serve as optional content for completionists but offer little beyond extending playtime and providing a reason to scrutinize every screen. The progression is linear, guided by a predictable logic of “find key to unlock door, use tool to clear obstacle.”

• UI and Technical Performance: The interface is clean, minimalist, and designed for clarity across platforms. A hint system recharges quickly, ensuring players are rarely stuck for long. However, this safety net can make the experience feel overly guided. Notably, the Steam community reported persistent technical bugs, such as collectibles not registering correctly (e.g., a missing crow statue) or inventory items like scrolls failing to be added, which can hamper 100% completion runs.

World-Building, Art & Sound

A Tale of Two Palettes

If Divided Kingdoms excels in one area unequivocally, it is in its audiovisual presentation, which is where the considerable efforts of Art Lead Agata Droga-Bazan and her team of artists truly shine.

• Visual Art Direction: The game’s world-building is achieved primarily through its stunning 2D art. The contrast between the two kingdoms is its central visual theme. The White Kingdom is awash in soft blues, luminous golds, and clean whites; its architecture is elegant and serene, evoking a sense of peaceful, magical order. The Black Kingdom is its inverse: a palette of deep browns, gloomy greys, and sickly greens, with environments that feel decayed, oppressive, and mechanically crude. Each of the 30 locations is meticulously detailed, inviting players to linger and appreciate the scenery they are picking apart for items.

• Character Design: Character portraits and animations are expressive and professionally rendered, falling squarely within the established Artifex Mundi house style—realistic with a touch of fantasy idealization. They effectively convey emotion, from Gillian’s determination to the distrustful glares of Black Kingdom inhabitants.

• Sound Design: The soundscape is crucial in selling the atmosphere. The soundtrack is a highlight, featuring haunting, melodic themes that swell during dramatic moments and become subdued and mysterious during exploration. Ambient sounds—the crackle of magic, the creak of old wood, the distant cries of crows—are expertly implemented to create an immersive experience. The voice acting, while present, is functional rather than exceptional, but it provides adequate emotional weight to the story.

Reception & Legacy

A Niche Acclaim

Upon release, Chronicles of Magic: Divided Kingdoms garnered little mainstream critical attention, a common fate for titles in its genre. Its reception was shaped almost entirely within its niche community.

On platforms like Steam, it holds a “Very Positive” rating aggregate (a Player Score of 83/100 from 230 reviews, as tracked by Steambase). Players praised its compelling story, beautiful artwork, and satisfying, if familiar, puzzle design. Negative reviews typically focused on the genre’s inherent limitations—repetitiveness, predictable gameplay, and the aforementioned technical bugs with achievements and collectibles.

Commercially, it followed the standard Artifex Mundi model: a high initial price point that quickly dropped into deep, frequent sales (frequently discounted to 90% off, or $1.49, on Steam), and inclusion in bundled collections like Amazing Hidden Object Games: Once Upon a Time 6. This strategy ensures a long tail of sales and visibility among dedicated casual adventure fans.

Its legacy is not one of innovation but of refinement. It did not redefine the HOG genre; instead, it represents its early 2018 peak—a highly polished, content-rich, and reliably entertaining example of its type. It solidified Artifex Mundi’s reputation as the premier publisher for such experiences. The game’s recent port to Nintendo Switch in 2025 demonstrates its enduring appeal within this specific market, introducing it to a new audience on a platform perfectly suited to its pick-up-and-play design.

Conclusion

A Competent Kingdom, Bound by Tradition

Chronicles of Magic: Divided Kingdoms is a paradox. It is a game with a narrative that flirts with moral complexity, yet it is delivered through a gameplay framework that is rigorously conventional. It is crafted with evident care and artistic talent, yet it operates within strictly defined and unambitious mechanical boundaries.

For enthusiasts of the hidden object adventure genre, it is an easy recommendation. It offers everything they seek: a lengthy campaign with a emotionally driven story, a large number of varied puzzles, beautiful art, and a soothing, atmospheric soundscape. It is a premium example of the form.

However, for those outside the genre, or those hoping for it to evolve, Divided Kingdoms will feel like a missed opportunity. It presents a fascinating world of grey morality and dualities but uses it merely as a backdrop for a familiar and comfortable gameplay loop. Its greatest ambition is to be the best version of what it already is, not to become something new.

In the final analysis, Chronicles of Magic: Divided Kingdoms is a expertly crafted, yet ultimately safe, entry in the Artifex Mundi catalog. It is a testament to the studio’s mastery of a specific formula—a kingdom divided in its story, but unified in its unwavering adherence to the comfortable traditions of its genre.