Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic Review: Maybe the real adventure is the one we found along the way!
There are days when you want to get deep into a game and saturate yourself in the mechanics, story, or competition. I know I speak for many of us this year when I say the likes of Baldur’s Gate III and Final Fantasy XVI have absolutely sucked me in this year. But then there are days when you can’t really brain and want a more casual gaming affair. Games that you can turn on and just get right into it, but what “it” is isn’t too complex while still being plenty of fun. On days when I feel like this, I like reaching for hidden object games — games like Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic.
Developed and self-published by Rogueside, Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is a hidden object game featuring fun surprises, quaint music, and charming hand-drawn characters, worlds, and — of course — items to discover. Promising “both a single player campaign and an online mode where you can create your own dreamworld” on its Steam page, Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic builds upon the success of its predecessor and gives players more of what made the original great — and then some. Spanning multiple worlds filled with whimsical scenes, fun stories, and plenty of easter eggs, Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic offers plenty of hidden object goodness fans of the genre love that will surely entertain anyone who feels called to the title.
Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic opens up by giving players an option to choose from either the campaign mode or online mode; the former features four different worlds with a slew of levels, while the latter offers players not only the ability to create their own levels but play those that were made by others. The campaign mode’s worlds include Ancient Greece, Medieval Times, 1001 Arabian Nights, and an 80s-Tastic Land, all chock full of familiar stories and legends from yesteryear. Online mode technically allows players to create any world they want, but all available assets are from the aforementioned settings so unless you’re very imaginative you may feel limited to what’s already established. With that being said, the previous iteration had plenty of DLC, so it stands to reason that more settings, objects, and possibilities will come our way eventually.
Hidden objects games are pretty straightforward, and Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is no exception. You have a list of objects to find, so… you know, look around and find them. For example, the Ancient Greece levels feature settings like outdoor amphitheaters hosting a lively show or the goddess Demeter lamenting over her daughter Persephone in the gardens of Mount Olympus, and the objects to find are things like lightning bolts, flowers, or shells. If you get stuck looking for the objects, don’t fret — clicking on the object in the list will give you a hint as to where it might be.
One really cool mechanic in Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is a button that toggles a scene change in each level, and some objects can only be found when that button is toggled. For example, the first 80s level features a charming house in a cute neighborhood filled with children playing various games. At first, the sun is shining brightly, but clicking the button changes the scene to a rainy day. Other button changes include day to night, summer to winter, sunny to foggy, and more. Not only will some objects only appear when the button is toggled correctly, but the scenes often change entirely. Those happy children frolicking in the sunshine? They’re now stomping in puddles or wiping mud from their shoes. It’s a quaint mechanic that adds a lot of whimsy to an already really whimsical game.
I enjoyed my time with Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic — it’s a competent hidden object game that keeps things simple while still giving us a few surprises. With that being said, it isn’t exactly the smoothest experience in the genre. For one, there’s only one hint per hidden object, so you better hope to get it in one lest it stay lost forever. And speaking of hints, sometimes the hints aren’t assigned to their proper items — hopefully that gets rectified in a future update. Finally, the music. It’s a bit repetitive to the point of annoyance, which is the last thing you want when you’re combing the same scene over and over again for one freakin’ item. In fact, I enjoyed the game more once I muted it and played some ambient, calming music from other games (something I typically never do).
Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is a cute, competent hidden objects game full of whimsy and wonder. It has so many charming scenes that delight while keeping things casual yet mildly challenging. Although I wish the hint system was a bit more refined and the music more calming, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with this wholesome hidden object game. If you think you’re good at finding metaphorical needles in haystacks and want to put your skills to the test, you can’t go wrong with Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic.
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Available on: Switch, PS4, PS5, XBox Series X|S, XBox One, PC (Reviewed); Publisher: Rogueside; Developer: Rogueside; Players: 1; Released: October 5, 2023; MSRP: $12.99
Full disclosure: This review is based on a copy of Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic provided by the publisher.
