Fairy Tales in Video Games: Quest for Sleeping Beauty (PS2)

Quest for Sleeping Beauty (PS2) is a Playstation 2 game that was released only in Europe in 2006. It has never been released in North America. I stumbled across it when looking for something else recently and thought I would share. It received pretty lousy reviews for game play which makes me sad because it could have been a cool concept.

Here is a video demonstration of the game:



About the game:

Quest for Sleeping Beauty adds challenge and intrigue to the classic tale of the sleeping princess revived by a handsome prince. As Prince Charming, players must fend off multiple opponents in pursuit of the princess, and manoeuvre their way through labyrinths to reach their destination the tower in which Sleeping Beauty lies.

By default, Prince Charming is the central character, who must make his way to the Sleeping Princess. In two-player mode, a Woodland Sprite joins the prince on his crusade, providing defensive support. Players also have the option of swapping the traditional roles of Prince and Princess, so that the Princess can also crusade to save her Prince.

Accumulate points by collecting the coins in your path as you make your way through the various levels en route to Sleeping Beauty. Fend off your opponents with artful manoeuvring along with your arsenal of potions. Track down the keys you need to make your way from one level to the next and defeat the guards that protect them. As levels increase in difficulty, you'll move from the forest to the castle grounds, and make your way through the castle dungeon to infiltrate the castle and approach the tower where Sleeping Beauty awaits.

Amass your arsenal of potions as you make your way towards Sleeping Beauty you can collect them as you do coins, but they may be guarded by opponents, so you'll have to manoeuvre carefully. Your potions bolster your powers of self defence send attackers fleeing from fear, freeze them in their tracks, or pass by them undetected in a cloak of invisibility. Brave the spooky forest and haunted castle passageways Quest for Sleeping Beauty's convincingly eerie graphics add a chilling edge to an exciting journey.

Additional Amazon description:

The Sleeping Beauty legend dates from medieval times, and first appears in print as Sleeping Beauty in the Woods in the late 17th century. The version with which most modern audiences are familiar is based on a tale published in Germany by the Brothers Grimm in the early 1800s, popularised as a ballet in 1890 and later as a movie by Walt Disney.

Quest For Sleeping Beauty is not the developer's first foray into the fantastical. Spiral House's past projects include Ghost Master and Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare.

In order to ensure an entirely child-friendly game, with a PEGI rating of 3+, the developer has created a "combat system" based entirely on immobilizing, scaring or avoiding enemies, with no blood or violence.