Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic Review

A few months ago, I got Hidden Through Time as a gift from my wife. I'm a big fan of hidden object games, and I fell in love with it immediately! As soon as I found out there was a sequel coming, I was ready to go for more with Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic!

For those who don't know, this adorable franchise takes you through different time periods as you check for items hidden around the area. Chock-full of colourful worlds, humour, and cute animations, the original entry kept me busy for a long time while it took me everywhere from the Middle Ages and Ancient Egypt to more modern eras. This time around, however, the game doesn't take us through humanity's history, as Rogueside focuses more on imaginative and magical themes.

The setting isn't the only new change that arrives with this latest entry, as I noticed a few quality-of-life improvements, such as the cursor changing when you hover over an interactable item! However, my favourite addition has to be the ability to see the map at different times/climates; this simple addition brought a surprising amount of freshness to the game. Aside from having the ability to jump from one to the other if you need a break from looking for a specific item, it also added a layer of storytelling by being able to see the same setting at a different hour or season. This great new mechanic was also implemented adequately, too, as each item has an icon over it that lets you know which one you'll find it in with just a glance! And although I do wish the items were arranged in order of climate and time, it's really a small complaint in the grand scheme of things.

Aside from that, each level now has a narrator who gives a bit of context behind every new scene, which I really appreciated. Although the story isn't anything deep — in fact, it's quite silly! — it adds a little more depth to each level you can play through. 

That being said, one of my favourite aspects of Hidden Through Time — in both entries — is that you don't have to finish finding every single item before you can move on to the next level. This really helps stop the game from becoming stale, as I can return after a much-needed break from a certain map if it's becoming frustrating.

Last but not least, the phenomenal idea of the level editor is back, and it even includes the climates and times, too! Although I didn't play with it much in the original entry, I actually took my time to make a tiny map this time around. Considering the sheer number of items, animations, characters, and total objects you can place per map (a whopping 4,000!), I'd say it's an easy way to spend tons of hours having fun and creating cool levels for others. Some other reviewers had already uploaded their own levels, so I got to see that there is plenty of room for imaginative designs! Although mine was small and simplistic (it's called "Arthurian Moment", if you'd like to check it out), it took me quite a while to pick and choose what went where. I'll probably mess around with it much more in the future!

Overall, Rogueside did a fantastic job at taking an already great title and making it even more fun; it’s quite obvious that they feel much more in their element this time around, as there was a lot of innovation! The addition of special conditions to find items was done phenomenally, and the few QoL changes were welcomed. But the heart of what made the original is still there, as Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is still chock-full of humour, colourful, and imaginative fun!