Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery Review – More Great Adventures (Switch)

Earlier this year, I reviewed a hidden objects game called Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic. I thought it was excellent, and was hoping to get a sequel or some DLC. As it happened, my wish was granted, in the form of a sequel, Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery. A part of me was sceptical that I would enjoy the sequel as much as the first game. I’m glad to say I was not disappointed in the slightest. Those who enjoyed Myths & Magic will appreciate new levels and themes with Discovery, if you felt you didn’t get enough with the original. Let’s take a closer look at Discovery in this review and see why it’s worth getting.

Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery is now available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X | S, and Nintendo Switch for $10.99.

Story – Detectives, Monsters, & Aliens

If you have played Myths & Magic, you’ll remember the four themed levels: 1001 Nights, Roman, Medieval, and Eighties Magic. With Discovery, you get three new themed levels, which are Noir, Victorian, and Sci-Fi. I was a tiny bit disappointed that Discovery only has three levels and not four, but after playing through all of them, I realized they were plentiful enough to not moan about too much. Plus, I’d rather they put a lot of good work into three levels than add a fourth level that feels a bit lacking (not that I believe Rogueside would do this).

With Discovery, each theme has a story and certain characters to follow. With Noir, you follow a detective, Detective Spade, who works through different cases. In the Victorian era, you follow Sherlock Holmes and Frankenstein (together, not as separate stories, which creates an interesting dynamic). Finally, the Sci-Fi story has humans and aliens from space converging and creating new communities.

I was actually very impressed with all three themes. I’m not a big sci-fi buff, so I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as the other two, but I can honestly say that I very much enjoyed playing through it. It was certainly helped with Rogueside’s amazing creativity and imagination demonstrated throughout the levels.

Even though I’m not big on sci-fi, I did enjoy these levels as much as the other two.

Gameplay – Finding Things in Noir, Victorian, & Sci-Fi Worlds

Gameplay-wise, Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery is no different to Myths & Magic. The objective is very simple: you look for objects cleverly hidden around the various levels. They can be people or objects, and come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. A lot of the objects are hidden in plain sight and can be easy to gloss over if you don’t look carefully. What Hidden Through Time does is encourage you to slow down, read the clues provided carefully, and then look closely. To help you find the objects, each one has its own cryptic clue. It’s nothing too difficult or headscratching, but enough to give you a nudge in the right direction. I think compared to Myths & Magic, I found the objects slightly easier to find, but that might be because by now, I’ve got savvier at hidden objects games, having also played (and reviewed) games such as Sophia the Traveler and Finding America.

Also, just like Myths & Magic, Discovery comes with a clever twist for each level: it comes in two different states. For example, you can have the same level in day and night, or rain and shine. This doesn’t just make the levels look more interesting, but is a key in gameplay, namely finding objects. Different objects can only be found in certain states, plus it can sometimes throw you as people can move around, disappear, or new beings can show up. It can also be more challenging to find objects when it’s dark or foggy, snowing or raining.

It’s harder to find objects when it’s dark.

You might be disappointed that Discovery doesn’t really offer anything new, except for new themes and levels. However, this doesn’t bug me at all. In fact, this is exactly what I wanted: more of what I enjoyed the first time around, but with new themes to discover. To be honest, I don’t think I could have asked for more than that.

If you’re a fan of making your own levels, then just like Myths & Magic, you can create your own hidden objects levels with the three new themes and their assets. I didn’t actually test it out this time around, as I was focused on the campaign, but I imagine it’s more-or-less the same. If memory serves me well, the level creator in Myths & Magic was pretty good, not overly complicated, and allowed you to be creative and share with others what you’d done.

Don’t be afraid to try out the level creator and share your creations.

If I have anything bad to say about Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery, for me it’s probably the lag I experienced in the menus and when transitioning between level states. Saying this, it wasn’t that bad. It didn’t slow the game right down or hinder gameplay in any way. I’d actually say it wasn’t as bad as the lag I had with Myths & Magic. Then again, it might depend on what platform you played on. For example, I played this game with the Switch, whereas lag might not be an issue with the other platforms.

Graphics and Audio – Fantastically Detailed & Immersive

When I played Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic, I was thoroughly impressed by their striking cartoonish art style. It gave the game its own identity, plus it made the levels easy on the eyes, and made hunting for objects a bit easier. Discovery continues with this. I don’t know if it’s just me and my imagination, but I felt that the levels in Discovery looked a little slicker, cleaner, but still incredibly detailed. The amount of thought and creativity that was put into each level makes them seem so real and alive. No wonder it’s one of those games I’m compelled to play again, just to enjoy the scenery.

The music does its job again in Discovery, helping to distinguish each level and set the theme, plus get you in the mood for object hunting. Discovery has new music to listen to as well, rather than recycling the soundtrack from Myths & Magic.

Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery was played and reviewed on the Nintendo Switch with a code provided by Rogueside.