A peaceful day in the small town of Montafleur abruptly turns for the worse as its inhabitants turn into nightmarish beasts as a mist descends. A mysterious beastly lion-man watches as the scene unfolds, and soon the Fairytale Detective is called to investigate the location with the assistance of the Red Riding Hood Sisters. Things turn dire for a moment when one of the sisters is kidnapped by the beast and the nightmare creatures keep blocking the way. Who is the Queen of Sands, who are the Sandmen and what’s the connection with the beast?
In the ninth installment of the Dark Parables series it wasn’t the first time that the tale of the Beauty and the Beast has been explored but finally it is front and center, along with the popular figure of the Sandman and a character from Irish folklore, giving it a unique spin.

The second game made by Eipix, it is clear that they have become more comfortable with the series. The visuals are closer to how Blue Tea used to do, along with a more detailed story, far more variety with puzzles and nicely done hidden objects scenes.
Now when talking with characters the scene cuts to a close up, similar to how visual novels presents their conversations, with some nicely drawn portraits and animations, their heads even bob and sways a little during the scene. There is also the possibility of hiding the HUD, increasing the visible area of the location.
There is a moment in the progression that might lock the player out of some backtracking for story pieces and collectables, so a little attention is advised.

With so much attention to the detail it is a little weird that the bonus game story contradicts the information on the main story, but perhaps it could be chalked up to unreliable sources. It was inspired by a lesser known story, The Seven Ravens. It is a fully-realized story nonetheless, with a solid pace and offers the origin for the antagonist of the main story.

 Queen of Sands is an average title, but enjoyable. It has a relaxing aesthetic and a good pace. Still, this game goes on sale often, so it could be an option.