Whilst I’m not usually a hidden object gamer, the original Hidden Through Time grabbed me in a way most hidden object games simply don’t. This was because each level felt alive with its excellent cartoon aesthetic and the fact every object had a sound when you clicked it. It also came with Architect Mode – an extremely intuitive and flexible custom level editor and builder. I was somewhat surprised to see a sequel flying through but everything this sequel does stands on the shoulders of the excellent original.
This game has three distinct modes. Campaign, online user generated levels and an updated level creator mode and I’ll cover them each in turn.
Campaign (story) mode brings you into the four cartoon visual styles the game has to offer. From Arabian Nights to modern day village, each move through about 10 maps in each era. They start off small with a tiny camp or village to get you used to zooming in and out of the maps to find up to 20 hidden objects per level. Each object comes with a cryptic hint but also an icon next to it and this introduces the brand new reality shift mechanic. Each map comes with two realities. This could be day/night, Summer/Winter, Sunny/Rainy and so on but this allows each map to have very distinct layouts. The beauty of story mode is that as the maps get bigger and more varied, entire areas see characters move, houses rearranged, items stored away in chests and drawers that were out earlier and so on. Its often full of comic mischief too like a mouse looking at cats in one screen will be next to some cheese in the other. It adds so much charm and additional playability to every level, its a fantastic addition.
The other thing you’ll notice is just how much more difficult these levels now are. Each level can have up to 2,500 objects inside them and you can layer objects up. You can place a key in a drawer in a room, inside a house behind bushes and trees and so that means you’ll need to go probing and investigating all kinds of nooks and crannies to find what you need – hence the hints. Whilst I enjoyed this new level of difficulty, I can see this being a turn off for story mode specifically as there are no gimmies or other support. You don’t have to find everything to unlock the next map but you’ll need to work for it regardless. Thankfully, its a joy to watch and interact with as the hundreds of sound effects and animations frames all return better than ever.
Interestingly, with online levels you do get hints and the ability to find all objects easily. This must be because some levels are wildly complex and some users may have used some insane layering tricks to hide things. Searching the online levels is relatively easy with a most popular, highest rated and new option to browse. You can also tag levels with a few tags too which are searchable, as are level and author names. Some levels are superbly creative and the story mode feels like an extended showcase and tutorial for letting the community dive in. Hopefully that community will grow and flourish over time.
The level creation Architect Mode is a gold standard of level editing. You are presented with a grid and access to all different sizes and types of cartoons to drop in. Want a building? Drop it in. Click on the building to see inside it and then fill it up with furniture and residents. Want the residents to walk around? Draw a line route out and off they go! Its so tactile and intuitive and you can move objects forward and backward through layers to place water under a Lilly pad under a frog. Again, you can go up to 2,500 objects and put in a reality shift too, meaning you have access to the exact same calibre of level creation that the developers have. Once you’ve marked the hidden objects and given optional hints, you just need to validate the level by completing it and then you can share it with the world. Alongside LittleBigPlanet and few other indie level creators, Architect Mode is among the most intuitive and powerful level editors in gaming and deserves huge recognition for how its been built. You can get lost for hours creating works of art.
If I were to be picky, one strange limitation is that each level can only have up to 20 hidden objects to find. I get having a limit but on some of the huge sweeping cityscapes, it feels a little small in comparison. I also ran into a few issues on the PS5 version I bought with slowdown on the most complex and busy levels and that occasionally meant clicks on objects weren’t registering. Reality Shifts on PS5 also have an ugly stutter freeze as you switch between realities too but its a very minor complaint considering there could be up to 5,000 objects being switched around.
Hidden Through Time 2 Myths & Magic is a new top tier hidden object game with a stunning level editor that deserves to have a community behind it. I’d welcome additional DLC eras in the future as the tools and foundation are here for a superb user generated content platform for years to come. I just hope the wider casual gaming world appreciates just what a fine tool and game this is. A real hidden gem.
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