Review: Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is a gem to find

Hidden Through Time is a fun little series where the first game has several DLC packs that span different regions such as Rome and Japan. That particular installment seems to focus on ancient civilizations whereas Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is more on the whimsical and fantastic side of things.

Personally, I grew up with a mother who was obsessed with the influx of hidden object games that came out by the dozens in the mid to late 2000s. So, it’s really a no-brainer that I’d climb into the boat with her. 

Gameplay

Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is a very straightforward concept. Each Era has a little story that unfolds at the beginning of each new level, but it doesn’t affect the levels at all. For instance, in the 80s Era, the voiceover talks about a girl named Willow who is hoping to get a date to the prom.

That tiny story only impacted the Era by having the last level take place at a school during prom. So, there aren’t really stories so much as nuance. 

Speaking of levels, when you boot up the game, you’re presented with four Eras. You could play the aforementioned 80s Era which is basically asking what the 80s would have been like if fantasy were introduced. Or, you could play Greek Mythology, The Middle Ages, or 1001 Nights. 

Each Era has its own vibe, but they all play the same and you’re not required to play in any certain order. You don’t even have to finish the Era you start if you want to move to a different one.

In these levels, you’re given very specific items that you’re looking for and, obviously, as you progress through the 8 levels in each Era, the difficulty rises. Luckily, if you’re stumped on an item, you can hover over it in the prompt bar and it will give you a little clue to point you to the right area. 

Each Era has an additional bonus item that you can find called a secret object. In the first level, you’ll be able to find these items because they sparkle and each Era has a different one. For instance, the 80s had a gas can to find. In level one, you find it because it has a sparkle effect around it. Every level in the 80s will have this same gas can hidden – sans sparkles – but has a reminder of what you’re looking for in the top right-hand corner with the silhouette of the gas can.

In The Middle Ages, you’re looking for a speckled egg, ala Yoshi. In 1001 Nights, it’s a golden box. And in Greek Mythology, you’re looking for a trident. 

To progress through the levels, you only have one requirement – meet the necessary required number of items found. Levels 1-7 scale up from 3, 8, 10, 15, 20, and lastly 30 required items found. Luckily, this is an accumulation of items found. So, if you found all the items in the first two levels, you’d easily have the 10 required for level 3 and could theoretically skip that level if you wanted or needed to.

It’s double lucky that secret items count toward that number. So, if you only find two official items in level one and find the secret object, that still counts as 3 and opens up the next level.

The last level is special. It will say that it requires 7. You don’t really know what that means at first, but it’s a level that only opens up when you’ve found all of the secret items.

Finding items comes with a tiny gimmick by way of weather conditions. Each level has two weather effects and they’re not always the same. Some items will only be able to be found during one setting or the other – rarely, you can find some items during both. So, for instance, some things can only be found when it’s raining or snowing.

Also, clicking on houses will let you peek inside of them in a very The Sims sort of way, so be sure to look inside houses, trashcans, etc. I wouldn’t say that I ever ran into something that couldn’t be found, but you have to know how to interact with the environment at large.

You may be thinking, that if there are only four eras with eight maps each, that’s not a lot of gameplay value and I’d agree if it weren’t for the fact that you can play additional maps made by others. If you’re thinking Happy Wheels or Super Mario Maker, then you’re on the right track.

There’s a section where you can build your own levels called Architect, but, also, a section where you can play maps uploaded to the servers called Online Maps. Obviously, this game won’t have quite the same hype as the aforementioned games, so I’m not sure how often new player-made content will drop, but it does lend some extra play time to this title. 

Art and Music

In terms of art, Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic holds the same familiarity as the original installment. It’s got a very ‘stick figure, but better’ feel to it. I think it’s a very fun art style, especially for this type of game.

In hidden object games, they tend to try to blend the items in with these highly detailed backgrounds. Simplifying the design kept a lot of charm, and while still difficult in later levels, really let the items be found more organically. 

For the music, there were a couple of different tunes that played. Most notably, each Era had its own accompanying music style that fit the time period. These tunes are extremely repetitive and can be distracting at first. Normally, I will turn off audio tracks that repeat so frequently, but this one slipped through the cracks and played until my brain was able to tune it out. 

You may still want to consider turning off the audio tracks and playing your own music. There is some verbal audio that plays at the beginning of every level, but it’s infrequent and there are subtitles. So, if you don’t want audio interference, you can safely turn all the sound off for this one.  

Cozy and Cons

Honestly, in terms of cons, Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic didn’t really have any. I’d say that I might have wished the game had more campaign content, but the addition of player-made levels fills a bit of that void.

If you’re a fan of hidden object games, then you’re going to find this cozy. Obviously, the difficulty scales and item requirements get bigger which can feel like too much information to absorb on the maps. But, having the hints available keeps that from being frustrating. 

Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic Verdict

Honestly, I’d recommend this game. It’s a pretty chill time and I had a lot of fun with it. It’s a very faithful hidden object game that doesn’t try to add in mini-games or a big story. So, if you’re looking for a way to turn off your brain and zone out, this is worth giving a shot. 

If you’re interested in trying out Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic then you can pick it up on Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox for $12.99. However, if you don’t have the first or second game, then I vastly recommend spending a few extra dollars to buy the bundle. It gives you both games and all the DLC for the first game. When you buy the bundle, you get a 15% discount and get it all for just $15.24. 
If hidden object games aren’t your speed, but you love puzzles, you may want to check out our review of A Little to the Left. It’s a game about finding a pattern in random household objects.