Developer: Rogueside
Publisher: Rogueside
Platform: PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PC
Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery – Review
Our original Hidden Through Time review already dates from way back in 2020, and we are somewhat ashamed to say that we never truly followed up with the content of the game’s sequel. Today, however, we’re going to make up for that by discussing Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery, which proves to be an interestingly themed addition to the Hidden Through Time franchise. We felt right at home trying to find all the hidden objects in Discovery, but we did wish the game had some more content.
Story
Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery has three short storylines to play through, but these stories are basically the framework for the different themed maps. Each campaign has 11 maps to play through, and you’ll always have a small voiced intro at the beginning of each map that follows up on what happened on the previous map. It’s a cute format that works great, and it’s easy to draw in both a young and older crowd. It would have perhaps been fun to have a small outro at the end of each campaign.
Graphics
The artwork in the Hidden Through Time games is always amazing, and Discovery is no exception. The game boasts an impressive cast of random characters with ample quirks and outfits. There are a lot of assets on all of the maps, and it’s nice to see the animations when interacting with them. Discovery is very colorful, and the changing weather conditions add a few more nuances to the mix. We loved exploring the different maps, and the three major themes here proved to be quite interesting. The Noir theme gave off 50s detective vibes, while the Victorian maps all had spooky critters walking around. Last but not least, the Sci-Fi-themed maps had fun alien models, and the futuristic elements added even more original assets to the mix.
Sound
The sound design is great. Each of the different campaigns has its own vibe with different background tracks. Even though the music does tend to loop a lot, it never got bothersome and actually proved to be relaxing when looking for all the hidden figures. The sound effects are decent too, and everything you click on does have its own SFX. The characters react startled, while crates creak, animals react in their own funny way, and even vehicles have their own distinct sound.
Gameplay
Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery is a hidden object puzzle game in which you must find different objects, animals, and characters on 33 themed maps. The game has three short campaigns that can be finished in a few hours. The offset is simple, as you just need to click on the items shown at the bottom of the screen on the map. Of course, some objects will be hidden in plain sight, while others require putting your grey matter to work.
On the maps, you can interact with different items to look inside houses, open trash cans, check inside suitcases, and so on. This is required to find all the hidden objects. The first maps will keep things fairly simple, but the difficulty gradually ramps up during each campaign. As you progress, you’ll also have weather conditions and different times of the day you can swap between, as some objects may only appear at night or some characters only come out during the day. It’s a refreshing take on the genre, and it adds an original element to the mix.
Truth be told, there is not that much more to Discovery, and if you’re a fan of the previous entries, you’ll find this one a blast as well. The only issue we had was the fact that the game felt a bit short. We played through the 33 maps in only two evenings. We never really struggled with finding certain objects, except for a handful of obscure ones. The game does give you hints as to where to find the missing items, but not all hints are very clear.
Outside of the main content, you’ll be able to create your own maps or play stages that are uploaded by other players. This is certainly a fun feature to mess around with, but it’s the main content that truly steals the show here. Nonetheless, it’s quite interesting to see what other players can come up with, and this also makes it a great title to revisit from time to time to see what maps are available online.
Conclusion
Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery is a great continuation of an already great series. We thoroughly enjoyed playing through the different available maps, and the online content also kept us going for a bit longer. All in all, this title has a lot of charm, and it’s a blast for young and old. The presentation is a lot of fun, and the fact that you can interact with everything on the maps is the icing on the cake. We only wished there were a few more maps available, as we were still craving more, but this is also reflected in the game’s low retail price.
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