Hidden Object Games | Casualicious

DinerTown Detective Agency

Posted by Ruff on June 28th, 2009

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Who says that the citizens of DinerTown can only star in time management games? Well, I may have mentioned that before, but for this game, PlayFirst proved me dead wrong in my assumptions. DinerTown Detective Agency is a hidden object twist for the popular people of DinerTown. And as PlayFirst expands their characters’ potential in exploring another genre, it’s also a welcoming break for me too since I seem to be reviewing too many time management games lately.

The game stars Bernie the Bookworm. As the name implies, Bernie loves to read and him owning a magazine newsstand is evidence of that quality. However, Bernie has another dream of becoming a private investigator and chance came upon him through a magazine ad selling him his very own handy P.I. kit to start his newfound career. With Flo helping him, the duo scours through the whole of DinerTown trying to find wacky and quirky mysteries needing the help of the town’s first detective.

As a hidden object game, DinerTown Detective Agency has 2 types of mechanics spread throughout its 25 levels. First is traditional hidden object wherein you have listed objects as clues and all you have to do is to find them all to move on, and the second one needs you to collect broken parts of items and use the repaired items to interact with the actual scene. Some clues are important for Bernie’s detective work, indicated by flashing lights and sometimes, Bernie’s head popping out at the bottom of the screen telling you what clue that particular object showed him.

Each scene lets you collect one P.I. badge that either grants you bonus time or points depending if you’re playing timed or relaxed mode respectively. Actual detective work also happens in the scenes, letting you dust for fingerprints, scour the scenes for minute clues or use the dropper to collect samples depending on the particular tool available for you. You may also get to play arranging mini-games and move from room to room on some scenes.

Hidden object is only the first part of the DinerTown Detective Agency gameplay though. The second part makes use of Bernie’s cognitive abilities in trying to narrow down the suspects to three primary ones. In this phase, you get to play an IQ game, a jigsaw puzzle or some fingerprint matching to cross out those who have alibis to pass trial. Afterwards, you’re off to the last part of your sleuthing activities.

The last part makes use of deductive reasoning in order to pinpoint the actual suspect of the crime scene. By use of a checklist, you get to ask the friends of each suspect on some points they wish to share that may be used as a clue to prove them guilty or innocent of the crime. This part is quite easy since you can even deduce who’s guilty even just using half of the invited friends. Just make sure that you read the conditions carefully, or else, you lose detective points if you keep on failing.

After you reach 4 to 5 levels in DinerTown Detective Agency, you’re going to get ranked depending on how well you played. In order to get the highest score possible, try not to use hints, play well and fast, and don’t make mistakes during the second and third parts of the level. Honestly, I didn’t care much about this feature but for those not like me, I guess it adds a little replay factor to the game.

Overall, the game is presented nicely in familiar DinerTown art and fashion. I loved how all the famous Dash game stars are included in the game as either innocent or guilty on such wacky crimes. Mini-games are very engaging and enjoyable to play, and I didn’t even notice time fly so fast during my supposed-to-be trial run of the game. In summary, it’s such a fun trip through DinerTown unlike you’ve ever seen it before.

DinerTown Detective Agency Download

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3 Days: Zoo Mystery

Posted by Ruff on May 4th, 2009

(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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So much can happen in a day, especially when you are investigating a mystery. What’s more if solving it must only take you three days? Well, that’s the theme of 3 Days: Zoo Mystery, a hidden object game developed by Realore Studios about a girl, her love for animals, and her quest to save them from a mysterious animal-napper. And with its familiar-but-somehow-unique gameplay, let’s see how it fares against other games of its type.

The story of the game puts you in control of a girl named Anna. Anna is part of a family that owns a zoo of their own, managed by her Uncle Ben. One unfortunate night, five rare animals from the zoo were taken, including Anna’s favorite elephant. With Uncle Ben out on a vacation at China and the federal inspectors going to visit the zoo within three days, it is now up to Anna to investigate what happened that night as she contends with lazy police and other characters that contribute into running her of her precious time.

3 Days: Zoo Mystery follows a traditional hidden object gameplay but instead of finding objects depicted on listed words, you are given picture of objects as clues. Yes, it’s not a silhouette, but rather the appearance of the same object you’ll need to find in the scene. Of course, sometimes clues are just representations of the actual items, but I guess this is just an offset of the relative ease of the game.

All items you’ll need to find will go into the inventory after finding them. This is another feature that took me by surprise since most hidden object games will only have you take selected items as inventory. Inventory items will either be used to interact with the scene, or be used in playing puzzle mini-games in-between tasks.

Another unique feature of 3 Days: Zoo Mystery is how you can also drag movable objects in order to reveal blocked items from view. Looking for these objects is easy since your cursor will change into a hand if you come across movable objects. Later on the levels, you will also given the ability to use the Plazmatron, a gadget available from the interface which is powerful enough to temporarily discard unmovable objects to reveal hidden items.

Aside from the story, the greatest feature of 3 Days: Zoo Mystery is the number of mini-games you get to play during the actual game or through the Puzzle section at the main menu. I counted about 54 mini-games available in the Puzzle section but it really seemed many more during the actual hidden object game. Many of these mini-games are also very unique and challenging enough to delay your accumulated playtime for hours.

The storyline is also fun to follow and I loved the 3-day time pressure presented by the story even though it is not actually a basis during the actual hidden object game. It just gives me the feeling that I should get the next installment to the story as soon as possible, which is a good sign of a great storyline influencing my interest about the game.

As a matter of fact, I also loved how the story develops through the actual hidden object gameplay. Since most of the scenes also show an in-game character, speech between them and Anna will soon appear if there’s a chance to develop the story. All in all, peaking your interest to keep going with the game until the main problem is resolved.

I really can’t find negatives about 3 Days: Zoo Mystery other than how lazy all the other characters in the game are, but that’s something given on all hidden object games anyway since their function is to give you tasks to fulfill. And with that, I say 3 Days: Zoo Mystery is definitely one of the tops when it comes to the hidden object genre. It’s an enjoyable game filled with creativity and I loved playing it very much.

3 Days: Zoo Mystery Download

Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey

Posted by Ruff on May 3rd, 2009

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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The sequel to Playrix Entertainment’s Fishdom game was just released last week at the time of this writing and it is entitled Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey. Contrary to the previous game though, the developers dropped the Match 3 gameplay in order to focus on another genre. The game is now Hidden Object, but still secures that same Fishdom theme we all love.

In this release, you play as a girl named Jennifer, an upcoming graduate of the Environmental Protection University, taking up Marine Biology as her major. She’s on her last summer vacation as a student and took this opportunity to visit her Grandpa Jack, a famous oceanographer and fellow marine enthusiast. This meeting starts Jennifer’s first step in her career as she builds fish tanks to practice her chosen passion in life.

Like what I said earlier, Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey is now a Hidden Object game. However, what will greet you first is an aquarium devoid of anything other than basic design and water. This is just like the aquarium interface in the last game, wherein you can buy fishes, decorations and other peripherals in order to keep a happy and healthy ecosystem. There are three available aquariums in the game, each with their very own theme. The other two will have to be unlocked as you progress through the game’s storyline.

The main objective of each aquarium before you progress is to fill up the fish, beauty and comfort bars located at the upper right side of the screen. This is done by buying marine life and equipments at the bottom menu. Filling up the bars at 100% will award you a star, which in turn will unlock your next aquarium and shows you the next stage of the story. But you will also have an opportunity to work further on your current aquarium to the next 100%, which will now award you a trophy for all your hard work.

The Hidden Object game in Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey comes when you have no more money to spend on your aquarium. If this happens, just click on the conveniently placed Dive button and you’ll have a chance to look around the bottom of the sea for junk you can exchange for cash. This takes you to an object finding game of random items, and afterwards, you’re awarded with dollars depending on how well and how fast you played the level.

Hidden Object gameplay also varies in a random way. There is the traditional find the list, collecting a single type of item, and a new “quick eye” gameplay wherein you must find any item on the list within fifteen seconds or less. There’s also a bonus type kind of game where you’ll be tasked to find all the gold you can within thirty seconds. Still, the same idea applies that all of them award you equivalent money on how well you play.

Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey features a nice storyline coupled with great character design and well done voice-overs. I loved following up on Jennifer’s career progress as she meets other characters helping her on her quest. Aquarium and scene designs are also well made. It’s just enjoyable to fill up all three of the available aquariums in the game and go relax after clicking the eye function that lets you view the aquarium in its entirety (without all the game menus and buttons).

Another bonus feature is the screensaver function that lets you view your very own aquarium as a computer desktop screensaver. While its really lots of hard work to go through all of the levels, this simple feature makes all of the work worthwhile, making you play again and again until you get your desired aquarium design.

Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey is a new gameplay coupled with the old and addictive Fishdom idea. It’s a good buy and will accompany you well on your idle hours of the day.

Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey Download

Playrix Entertainment

Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child

Posted by Ruff on April 26th, 2009

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Faye is back once again in another hidden object adventure as we get to review today the sequel to one of Playfirst’s most successful series, Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child. As always, you get to immerse yourself in a stunning magical world filled with wonder and amazement in this installment. And of course, pit yourself in a whole new array of brain teasers along the way.

The story of the game starts with a woman called Brenna having the same recurring dream of her supposed to be husband and daughter. In the dream, her daughter was kidnapped and what follows next after her wake is a message from the same man who she remembers as her husband in her dream. Soon on the beginning parts of the game, she regains her memory of her husband and daughter. She now knows her real name as Faye and what follows next is a magical adventure to recover her daughter, Lyra from the clutches of the Fairy Queen of Dreams, Lilith.

Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child is set to follow the success of the previous Dream Chronicles games, which means that it also revolves around the same addictive gameplay. While it’s considered as a hidden object game, you won’t be shown any list to find in the scenes. All you have to do is to solve the situations as they come, by finding tools, interact them with the scenes and continue on your long journey ahead.

Of course, in the tradition of Dream Chronicles, you’ll still be amazed at how much work is put into the presentation of the game. All of the scenes are beautiful and the fantasy behind the game stands out very well on the realistic nature of the graphics. In a word, the presentation is just plain awesome, showing how Dream Chronicles is taken very seriously by its developers.

In terms of gameplay, I won’t even begin to show any dismay. All clicking functions are responsive and small objects still stand out without sacrificing challenge on finding them. Of course, there are still some partially hidden objects behind the scenes but I guess that’s prevalent on hidden object games anyway.

There is no time limit in Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child and there’s also no penalty for miss-clicks. However, this is offset by the limited hint system through a crystal ball located at the lower left of the screen. Your husband in the ball won’t show you object locations, but will almost always just remind you of what you need to do next. Either that or a polite explanation that he doesn’t even know what to say to you.

While there’s challenge in hidden object finding and interacting, Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child definitely shines more on the puzzle aspect of the game. I know there’s no less to expect coming from this series, but it’s still worth mentioning the innovative brain teasers you’ll encounter throughout the course of your adventure. There are puzzles I’ve never seen before on other games of this type, and the game explains the objective of each puzzle too, and not just some random mini-game pop-up.

All in all, the game is really a good blend of fun, challenge and addiction. It even introduces a brand new way of backtracking through the previous levels by the use of the Nexus Gateway. New levels can be unlocked on the gateway by finding and using Dream Jewels you can collect or forge throughout your adventure, therefore adding a new element of challenge in the whole gameplay.

Being a well-known brain teaser, it’s easy to get stuck on levels without much help coming from the limited hint system. Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child really needs a great deal of analytical thinking to play, therefore making it easier to play the game with friends if you need help in the in-game situations. Of course, you can always challenge yourself by playing solo, making it a rewarding experience as you finish each stage of the game.

In conclusion, you just have to try this game out and buy it if you have a chance. It’s a great addition to your casual gaming library and I recommend it very much as a perfect accompaniment during your free gaming time.

Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child Download

Between the Worlds

Posted by Ruff on April 19th, 2009

(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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From what I observed on countless hidden object games I’ve played in the past, they are mostly classified on whether they tackle fantasy themes or detective work as a plot for the adventure. Between the Worlds is different since while at first hand, you’re off tackling sleuthing cases to solve crimes, on the other, your task is to stop an evil sorcerer from conquering the whole of Los Angeles City. Sounds confusing? Well, let’s talk about the plotline then.

In the game, you play as a brilliant detective asked by the Los Angeles county sheriff to help in his current predicament. The whole of the city is in total chaos as crimes are being committed everywhere. The reason behind the crimes is an evil sorcerer whose aim is to take control of the whole city by magically controlling the minds of would-be criminals. And as the main man of the force, you’ll have to both save the city from crime and when the opportunity strikes, get back to the evil sorcerer until he leaves the people in one piece.

Between the Worlds features a traditional hidden object gameplay. Objects are listed on either the left or right side of the scene and all you have to do is to find all of the objects for you to move on to the next level. Evidences are random, thus explaining the unrealistic clutter of all the scenes in the game. Be prepared of all the uncommon ways of hiding objects too – silhouettes, embedded objects on straight edges, pixel finding, etc. You name it, and probably you’ll encounter it in this game.

Some of the scenes also have objects you can open to reveal parts of a broken amulet to be used against the evil sorcerer. The secret counter shows how many of these parts you’ll need to find in the current scene. This adds a bit of a challenge to the usual hidden object gameplay. Good thing that all the levels are not timed and there are no penalties for miss-clicks, therefore enabling you to spam clicks if you’re a bit frustrated in finding objects.

Another downside with Between the Worlds is how some of the hidden objects sometimes run on the edges of the scenes, making them near impossible to find. Most of the time, there are also multiple instances of a single object on a scene, but the game wants you to pick only one of them. For example, the game looks for a bird, but there’re at least five birds in the scene and you’ll have to click on each one of them to pinpoint what you’re actually looking for.

With all that negative review said, the game also has its beauty which is even enough to make you enjoy playing and eventually buy the unrestricted version. With this, I’m talking about the mini-games involved when you’re up face to face against the sorcerer in a battle of wits. There are nine wizard traps included in the game, which roughly translates to nine brainteaser mini-games you’ll look forward to as you go through the levels. There are also three bonus levels, including an action game where you shoot the sorcerer with a magic-spewing wand.

Between the Worlds is presented fairly well visually and I loved the music incorporated in the game. All of the mini-games are very addictive and will definitely challenge you especially on later levels where you won’t even be given a single clue on how to solve the problem. And with all the 32 item-finding levels, you’ll be sure that you get your money’s worth if you decide to purchase the game.

I say it’s definitely worth the try and can be great fun if you don’t mind all that pixel-finding gameplay.

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