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Treasure Seekers
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Graphics & Sound:
Hidden-object games are usually a visual feast, but in some cases, each screen feels like a jumble. Treasure Seekers takes a different approach, presenting staged scenes that appear more natural, where some objects are hidden away and exposed gradually as you play through. The thought that went into designing Treasure Seekers is apparent when you consider the cinematics, some artful transitions between puzzles, and the prominent characters. Treasure Seekers is one of several recent games that are attempting to move the genre forward. There are still moments when objects can be almost impossible to pick out, but that's where hints come in handy. The visual design is mostly on the money, and the only quirk is that the game features some pretty obscure objects that may appear in the picture out of scale. The scale especially tends to throw you off, but there are some smart touches like glowing objects that help direct you. The soundtrack to the game is good, if somewhat in the background. There's nothing on each screen that will seem especially new, but the combination of hidden-object gameplay with puzzles and polished production makes Treasure Seekers feel like money well spent.
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Gameplay:
The premise of Treasure Seekers is that a couple of kids set out to uncover the secret behind their family's past. There may be real skeletons in the closet once they catch wind of a pirate ship and hidden treasure. From innocent beginnings in their home, these two will set out on an adventure that takes them far afield. Following the characters through the adventure will immediately hook young gamers, the principle audience for Treasure Seekers. Not that the game won't appeal to all fans of the hidden-object genre, but it does come across a bit young, by way of the storyline. You'll progress through each staged area by first identifying key objects. This is about the only misstep we found in the game, because the key objects aren't at all obvious. Eventually, they start to glow, which makes things easy enough but betrays the design flaw. Key objects are supposed to be tied to the story, but it's just too obscure. Puzzles are salted in, many of them variations on classic logic puzzles we know from other games, adapted to fit the style of Treasure Seekers. We liked the fact that Treasure Seekers didn't force us to revisit areas and kept things moving forward. There isn't much to replay, but that's pretty typical of the genre anyway.
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Difficulty:
As mentioned in a couple spots earlier, Treasure Seekers does a few things to challenge its players. The tricks with perspective, scale, and orientation of objects will send you reaching for the hint feature. There's a recharge for the hint option, unlike other games that give you a finite number of hints. This approach favors gamers that may need many hints within a given level. Even seasoned hidden-object finders will find themselves using a few hints during the game, simply because some items are really tucked away behind others or in shadow. At times, you'll have to identify more than one key object, or solve a key object puzzle to uncover an object needed for some other key object... You'll see a counter at the bottom of the screen while searching for objects, letting you know how many key objects remain. It's a fairly intuitive interface that introduces puzzles without requiring players to manage inventory, again very well adapted to younger gamers.
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Game Mechanics:
Treasure Seekers doesn't make very inspired use of the iPad interface. Tapping to select items and dragging to match them with key objects is about as involved as it gets. We would have liked to have seen more creative approaches, to match this otherwise interesting take on the hidden-object genre. The interface is very spare, so you don't have any clutter in the screen. There are times when a few pointers or helper text could have made things easier, especially in the puzzle segments that provide a break from hunting for items. In the final analysis, Treasure Seekers provides a solid experience for younger players who might not be excited about other puzzle or casual games with more mature or abstract content. It doesn't break completely out of genre, but it combines logic puzzles and scavenger hunts with better-than-average production and narrative to create a fun, engaging experience.
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-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock |
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