For all the “Where’s Wally” fans that are feeling nostalgic!
When booting up this sequel to the classic Hidden Through Time of 2020, Hidden Through Time 2 – Myths & Magic presents 4 varied “eras” to choose from: Greek Mythology, 1001 Nights, The Middle Ages or The Magical 80s!
The basic premise of the game is to find and seek out a set list of things in a map, which could be as small as a salt shaker, or as big as a deer!
My first choice was to dive into “The 80’s”. Playing this proved fairly challenging to start off with, so I decided to switch to the “Medieval” theme, I found that to be the better choice.
The 1001 nights theme is probably the “busiest” scenery, and “Greek Mythology” is the most random for items to find in my opinion!
The music is simple and on a loop, but I find it a nice themed accompaniment during sessions. There’s a type of music for each theme that compliments the scenery. The main menu sounds like a film set, where someone is ready for an adventure. The loading screen music is like “that of wonder”, and displays a simple 4×4 grid with a gist of the themes you can expect. I love the Middle Ages theme tune the best, you could just imagine the hordes of mediaeval villagers gathering round for a banquet whilst it plays. As you would imagine, the 1001 Nights theme has an “Arabian Night” type flow.
The visuals are simple artforms in cartoon format, but there’s so much attention to detail you really have to zoom in to appreciate it!
Scenery is very intricate with attention to the smallest details, though it’s fairly comical that some of the humans are bobbing steadily like you may expect a NPC to, but others are throwing themselves about like they’re possessed!
I also love that you can change the weather or time of day. Certain items can only be located in the right settings too, but others can be found across both of these settings.
It was interesting playing with more than one person in the room. I found that working together meant having a better chance of spotting items, especially when in TV Mode. Yay for the improvised cooperative mode!
When you’ve got more than one of you trying to spot things, from a psychology perspective, it’s interesting to see how individuals interpreted the clues to locate the items. Every clue gives a little riddle of sorts to hint at where you might be likely to find the various items.
Running the Nintendo North Wales community, I was able to access a large lecture screen for use, meaning you could literally see everything. Even in Handheld Mode on the Switch OLED, the detail isn’t missed, but it is more of a strain on the eyes.
For the levels I’ve played so far, I only have one or two items left for completion. With a bit of help, I hope to 100% the game soon!
There’s also an “Architect” mode, a sort of level Creator akin to Super Mario Maker. I didn’t have much luck getting the menus to work properly in this mode in time for the review, so haven’t been able to try it. I can see a multitude of possibilities though, and look forward to exploring when I have the time.
The “online maps” mode lets you try out levels that other users have made, and this is where you find the weird and wonderful! It seems the top ranked level at the time of writing seems like it was thrown together as a giant nest, but even though it was simple, it was still fun to find the items!
Verdict
A bit of patience is needed for this one, but you can take your time – unless you’re susceptible to dry eyes! Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is a great “pick up and play” game, where you can leave and come back to where you left off or just sink hours into it. It can get quite addictive if you’re on a roll, but equally frustrating if you can’t find that one last item.
I love the idea that the preset levels could inspire some impressive creations in the Architect mode, and look forward to seeing what gets created!
Where to Buy
- Nintendo eShop
Credits
Written by Jen Griffiths
Edited by Mark McAllister
Graphic Template by Paul L. Russell