Wednesday, 25 March 2020 05:07

Hidden Through Time Review

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Hidden Through Time, developed and published by Crazy Monkey Studios, is a hand-drawn hidden objects game. As you travel through history, you must seek out and find a variety of objects. From dinosaurs to snails, from princesses to peasants, there is nothing that can’t be hidden. 

INTO THE PAST

The first mode that Hidden Through Time offers is story mode, which features twenty-six pre-made levels for you to search through. As you find those pesky hidden objects, you unlock the next level and slowly travel through time. You start with maps centered around the Stone Age, then advance through Egypt and the Middle Ages until you hit the final Western era. 

Some of the maps you’ll face will be incredibly easy, with you breezing through all of the objectives and feeling like a hidden objects champ, while others will be much harder and have you scouring the map over and over again for that expertly hidden object. The variety offers a nice balance to the gameplay and prevents the title from ever being too boringly easy or too frustratingly difficult. Though there are a few objects with cryptically unhelpful hints that might seem impossible to find, you thankfully do not need to find every object to move on to the next map.

Story mode probably won’t take you more than a couple of hours to finish. I found most of the objectives in around two and a half hours, which is a short amount of gameplay. However, the amount of gameplay is greatly expanded upon by the online aspects.

MAKIN’ MAPS

My favorite part of this game, hands down, is the map editor. Loaded with assets from the four time periods, you can make your very own hidden objects maps. You can tap into your creativity and make whatever it is your heart desires (within the available tools, of course). Want to design your own kingdom? Go for it. Want to make an insanely difficult map with hundreds of objects clustered together? Get started placing those objects! If you love to build or design, this mode will be right up your alley.

That said, the map editor is not always the most intuitive and could use some tweaking. Objects can only be rotated in set ways, which does not always fit what you are trying to do, and some of the assets can be a bit finnicky when you try to place them. It might take some extra patience to make maps, but the mode is still a fun addition regardless.

Once you finish your map, you can upload it online for other players to play and rate. If making maps isn’t your thing and you’ve had enough of story mode, you can go online and try out the many player-created maps and keep the hidden object hunt going. These online features add a steady stream of potential gameplay in addition to story mode.

STYLE

The art style of this title is similar to Hidden Folks, but in full color (take the numerous similarities between both games as you will). The interface is clean and easy to navigate, and there’s something visually pleasing about the simplicity of the design. The objects also have their own cute sound effects and animations as well. The art style coupled with the upbeat soundtrack and lack of time limit makes this a relaxing Where’s Waldo-type of playthrough for sure.

While all of these features make Hidden Through Time an enjoyable experience, it’s one that you’ve probably had before. The title doesn’t really bring anything new to the genre, though the map editor is a nice feature that does help to set it apart. If you’re looking for something that brings fresh and exciting new features, this is not it. But, if you’re okay with the similarities to others in the genre and are looking for a relaxing time, this title will suit you just fine.

6

The Verdict: Good

Hidden Through Time is a fun and relaxing game, but it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. The map editor is a nice addition, though it could use some tweaking, and the ability to upload and complete player-created maps adds a lot of potential gameplay into the mix. If you’re a fan of hidden object games or are looking for a chill way to pass the time, this title is for you.

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Jade Swann

Jade Swann is an avid video game player and fiction writer. She loves getting lost in open-world RPG’s, making tough choices in story-driven games, and is a big fan of the horror genre. Some of her favorite games include Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Skyrim, Planet Coaster, and The Sims 4. When not immersed in the world of video games, she can be found reading, writing, or spending time with her very lazy Boston Terrier.

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