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If I had to define the perfect hidden-object game, it would go something like this: interesting locations, well-drawn objects, a few – but not too many – trick clues, challenging bonus puzzles, background music or sound that doesn’t drive you crazy… and, above all, items that are always hidden in plain sight, using the colors and lines of the main scene, or clever clue homonyms, so that when you find them after much searching, you can’t believe you hadn’t seen them sooner. These three games come pretty close to that ideal.
A returning favorite
Let’s start with the latest version of SpinTop’s top-notch series: Mystery P.I. – Lost in Los Angeles. I’ve never met a Mystery P.I. game I didn’t like, and this one is no exception! The story is as vague as ever with this series: the only copy of a new movie has been lost or stolen on the night before its premiere, and someone is waving boodles of money at you to find it. (And yes, that’s it. Don’t expect exposition or any dialogue… this game isn’t about the text!)
Where the Mystery P.I. games excel is in their beautifully rendered, diverse locations, and Lost in Los Angeles has plenty of them. In one scene, you may be searching the set of a popular talk show; in the next, you’ll be in somebody’s kitchen, or at an editor’s desk scrutinizing film strips. In every case, though, the locations are eye-twitchingly cluttered and the items are cunningly hidden.
As with most games of this type, items are listed by name, and hints are available if you simply can’t figure out where something is. (Additionally, you don’t have to find every single item in a particular round; you have the option to move on after a certain number, although sticking around to find the rest can net you a big bonus.) In classic Mystery P.I. tradition, several optional items also appear in every location. Keys and film reels can be collected to unlock two additional game modes, and badges offer the teasing promise of a million-point bonus.
This is, in all honesty, the textbook definition of a good, solid hidden-object game, and my only complaint with it is that I eventually finished and goodness only knows when the next game in the series will be released!
A new mystery
Next up: The Mystery of the Mary Celeste. I have to admit that when I first saw the title of this one, I got all snooty about the name. “Mary? It’s supposed to be Marie Celeste. What’s wrong with these people?” Well, before anyone else falls into the same trap, I did a little checking on Wikipedia and it turns out that although Marie is the most common spelling, it’s also the wrong one. Whoops! I learn something new every day.
History lesson aside, this is a standard hidden-object game with a nice story twist. You play Mary, a descendant of the captain who found the original Mary Celeste drifting, abandoned, on the open sea. You’ve been invited aboard the maiden voyage of the Mary Celeste II, a faithful reproduction of the original tall-masted ship. Almost as soon as the ship is launched, it runs into a storm, and things start to get strange: Mary finds herself moving back and forth in time between the contemporary ship and its namesake, trying to save both from disaster.
Now, I love a good mystery, and I love a good time-travel story even more, so that’s two points for the game right there. Actual gameplay is fairly standard for the genre, except that items are listed by outline pictures rather than by name. (On the upside, due to some clever hides, this doesn’t really make them any easier to find. Heh.) On many screens, a few of the smaller items will be hidden inside a suitcase, box, or other container; a magnifying glass cursor indicates something that can be opened and searched. And some scenes end with a mini-game that solves some sort of problem on the ship, such as rebuilding a bilge pump or wiring a circuit board.
Although I still think Mary should have lowered a lifeboat and started paddling for shore the instant things turned weird, I have to call this one a fun game and an engaging story. Two thumbs up (one thumb in the present, and the other in the past).
A very old friend indeed
When I was eight years old, my parents gave me a subscription to the most amazing magazine any kid could ever have: National Geographic. Decades later, I still subscribe, and I still read each issue with the same wide-eyed wonder I had when I was eight and every article was a window into new world. So you can imagine my delight to find a National Geographic game on our site!
Nat Geo: Lost City of Z is a bit like starring in your own episode of National Geographic Explorer. As the story goes, your sister was following the trail of a doomed expedition into the Brazilian wilderness. Now she has disappeared as well, and it’s up to you to find her. Along the way, you’ll also be photographing wildlife (the photos, by the way, are beautiful, and you can set them as your wallpaper). So of course, all the scenes are exotic and tropical and inviting… to the sort of person who doesn’t worry about bugs and snakes.
Gameplay is actually a lot like that in Mary Celeste: small items are frequently found inside a case or crate or pack on the screen, so if you’re stumped, look for something that changes the cursor to a magnifying glass. Items to be found are listed by name, and there are two levels of hint. You can click on a name to display an outlined image of the item, or choose to show the general area in which the item can be found. In a departure from most other games of this type, many of the items in Lost City of Z are actually appropriate to the scenes.
Of course, the hides aren’t quite as devious as some, and I’ll admit that I did turn the sound off from time to time (rainforest animal sounds can be strident and distracting, and I have the attention span of a mayfly), but these were minor quibbles. All in all, it was a thrill to pretend I was on assignment for Nat Geo, and I really hope they decide to make more games in this series!
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