Eventide: Slavic Fable on Steam
MSRP: $9.99
Platforms: Win, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android
Release: 1/28/16
True confession: the only thing that keeps me from buying every single Artifex Mundi hidden object bundle I come across is that – at this point – I already have most of the games. For me, hidden object games are my no stress go-tos. Most are short, and can be played start to finish in a single sitting if I want to, but they have fairly low replayability, so I never pick them up without a sale or a bundle.
Although Eventide: Slavic Fable claims to have 43 hidden object scenes, according to the Steam page, in the first hour of game play, I have yet to encounter more than the one that comes up at the very beginning, so the whole thing tends to play a lot more like a traditional point and click adventure. I was actually getting concerned that I was somehow missing all the hidden object scenes, but since I can keep progressing in the game with the items I’m picking up in the open world, and with the myriad of puzzles that I’m solving along the way, I’m guessing that either this game is heavily backloaded on the hidden object scenes, or the developers and I have a very different definition of what constitutes a hidden object scene.
The story is out there, even by hidden object game standards. The player character is a botanist who is going to see her grandmother after receiving a letter about the grandmother’s concern over a very important plant. You arrive to discover a giant moth monster, who soon thereafter kidnaps grandma, and that’s when it starts getting really odd. Without getting overly spoilery, prepare to either suspend your disbelief or spend the game giggling at how absurd it all is.
None of the puzzles I’ve encountered thus far have been overly challenging, and some have been downright insultingly simple. I’ve actually had more issues with item combining in a few places, but it’s important to note that if I an item remains in your inventory after you use it, you’re going to end up using it again. You get a map fairly early on, which can be used for fast travel, and to show you which locations still have available actions. I have yet to encounter anything illogical enough to have me searching for a walkthrough. There are also achievements galore, and two different kinds of collectibles to find throughout.
Eventide: Slavic Fable isn’t a bad game at all, but it’s a rather simple one, and very light on the key component of this type of game: the hidden object scene. You can expect a total play time of about three hours, although you might squeeze a little more out of it with the bonus chapter and hunting down all the collectibles. Still, it’s not a great value at the $10 asking price, but it’s currently available as part of the Humble Artifex Mundi PC & Mobile Bundle as part of the beat-the-average tier, which gives access to 6 hidden object puzzlers on two platforms with more games to be added next week, and is currently sitting at less than $5.
366 Days of Gaming 