Dream Chronicles 2 and Hidden Object Rant Revisited
Ξ April 13th, 2008 | → | ∇ Games, Indie Games |
Recently I wrote a little rant in which I complained about hidden object games. “They’re linear,” I grumbled, “and dull and static and they make no sense!” I went on to analyze the genre a little and came up with a hypothesis: I hate hidden object games for two reasons:
- They’re too dull and you end up spending too long on a single static screen.
- They’re too linear and don’t allow for experimentation and exploration.
Well, after playing Dream Chronicles 2 I have to revise my theory somewhat. I’d never played the first game, and I don’t think I will…but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the third part whenever it arrives, ’cause DC2 was actually fun! *Gasp shock*
This is Dream Chronicles 1, but really, does it matter? It’s just here to give you a picture to look at, so you don’t get bored halfway.
Yes, the game is pretty much a hidden object game. Yes, the game features lots of static screens where you have to find the objects in order to proceed. But, and this is a big but, there’s a small amount of exploration involved and the storyline actually makes a little sense! The story isn’t groundbreaking in any way: your husband and daughter have been captured by the queen of the fairies, and it’s up to you to first escape the fairy prison, then find help in the mortal realm, and finally rescue your hubby plus daughter. Nothing new there, but there’s good pacing, and there are optional minigames that reveal even more of the story.
The biggest benefit of the storyline is that the whole fairy setting makes the puzzles and object searching somewhat more plausible, though. Fairies are notorious for being nasty critters who play mindgames and mess up people in various cruel and unusual ways. It makes perfect sense that, in order to battle a fairy queen, the player has to face a number of diabolical puzzles! I can’t say the same for Cate West and a bunch of other hidden object games I’ve played, so this definitely makes DC2 more bearable in comparison.
But the best thing about the game is probably that it doesn’t feel like a hidden object game. It’s not until you’ve passed a number of puzzles that you slowly get the sinking suspicion that you’re indeed playing something hidden-ish. “Heeey, wait a minute! I’m clicking around the screen looking for bits and pieces! Isn’t this…”
When I realized what I was doing I still kept going though, because there’s a major design choice that makes DC2 different from the other hidden object games: there is not a single timer in the entire game. Seriously, there is not a single static screen where you’re faced with an hourglass and a ridiculously large number of minutes you have in order to find a ridiculously large number of irrelevant objects. The game is completely un-timed which makes it tolerable even to me. And - thank Dog - there’s no penalty for clicking around wildly either.
Granted, those two facts make the game easier. But I would rather play an easy game that I’m actually interested in completing, than a 30-hour long game that makes me frustrated, annoyed and bored at every turn. Go, KatGames, go! Keep up the good work!
