Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic Review – Let’s Do the Time Warp Again

Over the course of my time with Try Hard Guides, I’ve reviewed a wide range of games from the drama of Cyberpunk 2077’s newest DLC to the explosive combat of ARMORED CORE VI. I’ve shared my opinion on some of the most explosive games of recent years. Sometimes, however, you just want to sit back and do something relaxing, like solve a puzzle or play a game of Where’s Waldo. Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is exactly that kind of relaxing experience, perfect for shutting your brain off and picking out hidden objects throughout some of history’s lesser-known eras—like the 80’s, but with monsters.

Hidden Through Time takes the classic ‘hidden object’ genre and gives it an interactive twist. The game involves discovering hidden objects within a large, highly detailed scene from a certain historical – or not-so-historical – period. There is a clue or riddle attached to each object that hints at its location, with some being more helpful than others.

I should be perfectly clear. This game is exactly what it looks like; You enter a level and go on a scavenger hunt for a handful of objects hidden throughout. The maps all have great amounts of interactivity, allowing you to peek into homes and open boxes, but you’re not getting any grand story or epic adventure along with the Where’s Waldo-like mechanics. If you want more than this kind of gameplay, this is not the game for you.

It goes without saying that the game gets more difficult as you progress through levels. Luckily, you don’t necessarily have to discover every object on a map to progress to the next level. Each scene has a total found objects requirement, which counts towards all of the objects you’ve found in that campaign. You can always come back later to finish a map, including finding secret hidden objects not listed at the bottom of the screen.

The big twist in Hidden Through Time 2’s hidden object gameplay is the ability to jump between multiple points in time. Essentially, this just changes your scene to another version of the same area, either at night, covered in snow, or other thematic differences that suggest you’re jumping around through time. Some objects are hidden only in specific instances of that scene so you have to jump between each one to find everything.

Another big standout feature in Hidden Through Time 2 is its cute and charming hand-drawn art style. Each scene you enter greets you with a stunning presentation of the so-called historical period you’re jumping through, with a screen absolutely packed with detail and animation. Pretty much everything on screen is interactable, jumping or shaking or doing some little animation when you click on it. While the start of a level gives you a short bit of narrative, the real storytelling is visual and presented through the art on screen.

Complimenting the art style well is the score. The game features a soothing and evocative soundtrack that varies with each time period, enhancing the immersive and relaxing experience. Overall, I’d describe the music in the game as trance-like, giving you just enough stimulation to help shut off from the world around you and immerse in the relaxing experience the game has to offer.

Relaxing really is the best way to describe the game. Though certainly challenging, I never felt frustrated by my inability to find an object, and given enough time I was always confident that I’d eventually find everything. But how could you get angry at a game like this? The entire experience is perfectly cute and catered to your enjoyment, with no time limits to artificially pace you or forced restarts. It truly is an at-your-own-pace kind of game, and you can’t really complain about that.

The time it takes you to complete the game and the game’s replayability all depend mostly on who is playing it. If you like these kinds of games, you’ll find yourself playing Hidden Through Time a lot. That being said, a powerful level editor means that players who really love the game can have a potentially endless experience.

The level editor seems to have every prop, character, and background in the game as far as I can see. This gives you the ability to make practically anything you can imagine. Your custom levels can basically be as detailed as you like, at any difficulty you want, and with any combination of visual aesthetics you please. You can then publish your map online for other players to play, with everything conveniently hosted on a multiplayer tab for you to explore.

As of writing, there are already a handful of custom maps available online to play—which is impressive considering the game hasn’t been released yet. Already, the creativity of players using this fun tool is showing, with a couple of maps I really found interesting. More games need level editors like this, and I’m hoping this is going to become a trend for the near future.

Try Hard Guides was provided with a PC review copy of this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles in the Game Reviews section of our website! Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is available on Steam and GoG.