Playing Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic reminded me just how much I used to love the I Spy books when I was a kid. The last time I had any kind of interaction with a hidden object style game was Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink all the way back in 2016, and while I bemoaned that game being a fairly pathetic attempt at a point-and-click adventure game, I have no issues with hidden object games if they have a clear focus.
Having said that, I’ll admit when I first saw Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic, I assumed it was a puzzle game not unlike Crime O’Clock, so I was a little surprised when I started playing. The surprises continued when the game turned out to be a fairly decent little find-the-thing game with a few interesting gimmicks.
Anyone familiar with my reviews will know the first thing I tend to focus on is the game’s story; however, Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic doesn’t have one, so we can more or less bypass this whole paragraph. Well, that’s not entirely fair to say—each of the game’s four themes has a kind of “narrative” to connect all the…I hesitate to call them puzzles, but I suppose there’s really no other word for it; but in terms of proper story, this game doesn’t have one.
I may have given it away in the beginning, but Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is a hidden object game. Players are given boards of varying sizes and a list of objects in which to find within them. Furthermore, every board has structures and small environmental details to search, expanding the scope of each level. Thankfully, every object has a small clue about where it is located, and each board has a unique setting based on its specific theme—Greek Mythology, One Thousand and One Nights, The Middle Ages and, for some reason, the Magical 80’s—and while they could be a bit more descriptive, they’re not so obtuse to be worthless.
The game’s second gimmick, loosely alluded to in the name, is the ability to shift reality— which in reality is mostly just time or the weather—in order to find certain objects. While the game’s Steam page is somewhat dishonest about the degree to which you can shift reality, making it seem like there is a whole host of options, most boards only have two options to choose from. Aside from that, each chapter has a single special item that’s hidden on every board for added challenge.
“If there’s one thing Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic needed, it was a bit more visual theming and dynamism.”
What really surprised me about Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is its robust level editor that provides players with an absolute cornucopia of objects, decorations, and details to create some pretty impressive boards. While it’s not incredibly difficult to work with, I was so blown away by how much stuff is available that it genuinely kind of overwhelmed me. I may not be the right kind of person to make their own hidden object level, but I imagine certain players will get a real kick out of this.
Visually, Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic maintains the simple, fun art style of its predecessor. It really is a kind of “less is more” situation, with a playful cartoon aesthetic that suits its easily approachable gameplay. There’s not a lot in the way of audio, as each of the different themes has one track that plays throughout every level, but the narration that accompanies every level is well done and adds an air of class to the whole thing.
If there’s one thing Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic needed, it was a bit more visual theming and dynamism. All the characters only have a handful of animations, and none of them really feel unique to the characters or levels. This is really apparent in the Magical 80s levels, which don’t really have a lot of references or nostalgic themes outside one character kind of dressed like Marty McFly. Furthermore, while almost every object is interactable, none of them have any unique animations of visual flourish that would’ve made the game a lot more interesting.
Also, performance on the Nintendo Switch leaves a lot to be desired, with the game not only taking several minutes to load but also taking an inordinate amount of time to load between levels. The bigger levels, in particular, tend to chug the framerate, and for a game this small and simplistic, you’d really think it would handle better.
However, all that said, Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is a perfectly serviceable little game. While there are definitely more complex puzzle games out there, this works as a nice callback to those halcyon days of I Spy and Where’s Waldo Books. More creative players will definitely get a lot from its level builder, and younger players will find something to enjoy in its story.
