Hidden Through Time 2 is a break from the conventional. After a year of heavy-hitting AAA titles, indie Belgian developers Rogueside offer a much-needed palate cleanser with its surprisingly addictive take on the hidden object puzzle genre. The game is recommended to anyone looking for a short break, a fun, relaxing time alone or alongside friends and family, and those of you who want to test your observational skills — and you will be tested!
Hidden Through Time 2 asks for your patience and attention as you dive into the most whimsical scenarios in search of the most obscure objects. The game excels at its presentation, accessibility, and fun gameplay. Compared to its predecessor, this sequel offers more level variety, improved game hints, new secret objectives, weather and day/night cycles, and quality of life improvements. A disjointed campaign, small optimization issues, and the lack of DualSense implementation are the aspects that slightly detract from this enjoyment.
It took me 10 hours to earn the platinum trophy. I accomplished this at a leisurely pace (and totally not because I was bad at it!). By the end, I was happy, satisfied, and wanted more of what the game offered.
Story
Hidden Through Time 2 features a campaign story, albeit a very light, non-intrusive one. It is charming at first glance, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and its main purpose is a functional one — to take you through four different eras: Arabian Nights, Greek Mythology, the Middle Ages, and the Magical ’80s.
Each era includes several different maps and a hidden map at the end of the era that is only accessible by finding the secret objectives throughout the respective era. I recommend finding these secret objectives to experience everything the game has to offer.
While you can tackle these eras in any order, I recommend you follow the above (or in-game clockwise) order. That’s because the game has a sense of story progression that ultimately leads to a supernatural historical revisionism with hilarious consequences in the Magical ’80s!
I was pleasantly surprised at these little details neatly coming together at the end. However, I wished the story was more developed with more of these small details woven throughout the different eras, and I hoped they would come together and form something more substantial. As it is, the story feels less of a “campaign” in the traditional sense and more like going through the motions.
Nonetheless, the characters are charmingly represented, and environmental storytelling is present. For example, a goblin during the Middle Ages may be fighting during the night, only to see it break peace with the enemy the following day! There are also nods and cameos to some famous pop culture references. I’m sure I spotted Indiana Jones and Marty McFly lookalikes doing their thing during the Magical ’80s era, perhaps even a Geralt of Rivia lookalike during the Middle Ages. While the campaign story doesn’t always hit its stride, I can’t fault Hidden Through Time 2 for lacking charm.
Gameplay
Hidden Through Time 2 excels where it needs it most — it provides a surprisingly addicting gameplay loop. I say “surprisingly” because this is not the standard conventional gameplay that most players are used to. The game challenges you to find hidden objects in a carefully crafted environment and use Clicky, the mascot, to (you got it!) click on said object.
The game provides added variety compared to its predecessor by also including dynamic day/night and rain/cloud/snow cycles. Depending on this, you will have different objects to find. I liked these dynamic cycles as they allow for a sense of environmental storytelling progression but also represent a means to diversify scenes for the gameplay to avoid getting stale.
Accessibility is the greatest aspect of the gameplay. Anyone can play and have a great time. There are no high-stakes, no ultimatums, no game over screens. Take your time and scour the environment. In fact, one of my family members got hooked on it, and they don’t normally play video games. Yet we still had a great time together, squinting at our screen. However, don’t underestimate the challenge this game poses. That’s because objects are sometimes so well hidden that not even Batman, Sherlock Holmes, and Hercule Poirot combined would find them. And that’s ultimately the fun (and frustration) of Hidden Through Time 2. Luckily, Rogueside thought of that too, up to a point that is.
You don’t need to find all objects in a level to progress to the next — only a certain amount. Nonetheless, the campaign does not feature a help system that highlights the objects you miss or simply struggle to find. This is, however, present in the Online Maps component of the game. I hoped to see this help option also featured in the campaign for those of us who struggle to find that pesky last hidden object in a map.
Nonetheless, Hidden Through Time 2 offers improved replayability compared to its predecessor through the Architect and Online Maps modes. These modes are separate to the campaign. The Architect mode allows your imagination to roam free. You can design your own maps, add and edit your own characters and buildings, and place and hide objects of your choice. Your Architect creations can be uploaded to the Online Maps for other players to experience. The Online Maps mode is your opportunity to play your creations and those of others.
This means the fun doesn’t stop once you finish the campaign. I was pleasantly surprised to see Rogueside already uploading their own creations in preparation for launch day. I also couldn’t help but notice that because of these modes, Hidden Through Time 2 could perhaps be employed as an educational game. That’s because educators may be willing to build or use existing community-made maps to teach the English language using in-game objects and the environment. This is something Rogueside may consider as a means of expanding the purpose of the series. I did find, however, the Architect tutorial to be a bit clunky in its approach to delivering information all at once. Rather, I would have preferred a guided step-by-step tutorial to ease players in.
With that said, if you liked its predecessor and are looking for a similar gameplay loop, but with added content and diversity, Hidden Through Time 2 is willing to prove itself a better sequel. If you haven’t tried the series yet, there’s no reason not to jump in and test your skills.
Technical
Hidden Through Time 2 is a beautiful game featuring hand-drawn environments and detailed character models. There is a lightness to the art style that is inviting, endearing, and accessible for the audience. This game exemplifies how great art style can provide as much visual flair as most current-gen graphics. The original score does very well to complement the visuals, giving each era a well-defined sense of identity. Even if the levels need to be detailed with multiple assets to properly conceal the objects, it never feels cluttered or excessive. I commend Rogueside and its artists for making the audio-visual flair fit alongside these functional elements.
Hidden Through Time 2 is a very polished experience. I have not encountered any game-breaking bugs, or anything noteworthy that affected my overall enjoyment. There are, however, some small objects clipping here and there. I also noted several lower framerate or lag issues when zooming out completely and moving the camera across busy environments (for example, the Baghdad level). It is difficult to believe that the PS5 is bottlenecked by the processing or graphical demands of this game. As such, Rogueside could potentially introduce a series of future patches to address these smaller optimization challenges.
DualSense controller implementation could also be improved. I appreciate that Rogueside makes use of most of the controller buttons when scrolling through the hints and navigating the screen. Yet, there is no opportunity for the player to use the touchpad, Dpad, or map out their controller in the settings for added accessibility. There is also the lack of haptic feedback implementation. The sound of finding and clicking on a hidden object is so satisfying. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder how haptics may have added an additional layer of player interactivity. I believe there is potential to use haptic feedback on surfaces, characters, help finders, hints, and weather effects.
Nonetheless, the overall technical package here is still satisfying and shows a high degree of care and ability.
Summary
Hidden Through Time 2 is not your typical game. It is often easy to dismiss the unconventional as unworthy of attention. I’m happy to say that this nifty hidden object puzzler grabbed hold of me with its quirky and charming presentation and made me stay for its accessible and addicting gameplay loop. This sequel improves upon its predecessor in every possible way.
While the very light campaign story, small optimization issues, and the lack of DualSense implementation detract from the overall presentation, it is not enough to affect my enjoyment of the game.
This is why I recommend Hidden Through Time 2 to anyone looking to broaden their gaming horizons, take a break from the conventional, or those who just want to have a great time testing their observational skills. There’s something for everyone to find here!
Hidden Through Time 2 releases on January 25 for the PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S. It can be purchased on the PlayStation Store.
The Review
Great
