Eventide 2: Sorcerer’s Mirror Review

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Once the staple diet of handheld gamers, the hidden object genre has, over recent years, seen something of a resurgence on consoles. By far Artifex Mundi has done more than any other developer to reinvigorate what was once a tired and dusty genre. So it was with some degree of enthusiasm that we welcomed news of the launch of Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror. Developed by Atifex Mundi, Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror is a retelling of the Slavic fable of an evil sorcerer who possess a magical mirror which allows the living to communicate with the dead.

Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror is presented as a curious hybrid adventure and hidden objects game that casts you in the role of Mary, the character from the first Eventide game. While out rock climbing with your niece Jenny, she is mysteriously kidnapped by a nefarious wizard intent on bringing to life his long-deceased wife. Naturally your task is to save the day by rescuing Jenny and delivering the sorcerer his just desserts.

To do so, you’ll be navigating your way from scene to scene, finding objects and solving a variety of puzzles. The meat and potatoes of Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror is of course the hidden objects challenges. To keep things varied, these are presented in a number of forms; the first simply presents you with a list of objects to find, another gives you an image of an item and challenges you to find it while the last asks you to unearth a certain number of items in order to craft some potion or another. And, in case you’ve heard all of these before, some of the objects you have to find are hidden inside locked or concealed areas.

Most of the puzzles in Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror are fairly straight forward and are unlikely to confound seasoned gamers. But, just to be on the safe side, there’s a handy hint system that you recharges after a period of time. But, honestly, during the four to five hours we played through this game, you’re unlikely to need the hint system.

The otherwise casual game also presents you with a series of moral choices that will ultimately affect the direction Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror takes. Most of the choices boiled down to whether you prefer to be kind and helpful or difficult and decidedly mean. The moral choice option is a nice addition to the plot, although we weren’t convinced that they made a great deal of difference to the game itself. Just to keep you on your toes, Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror also includes two collectable items; imp cards and handheld mirrors. Again, finding all of these is no mean feat but adds another dimension to what could otherwise be a predictable title.

Graphically Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror is a bright and colourful affair with luscious art work highly reminiscent of other Artifex Mundi titles such as their classics Faces Of Illusion: The Twin Phantoms and Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood. The hidden object scenes are clearly illustrated and each object easily identifiable. Character animation is slightly wooden but not enough to interfere with the overall gameplay.

Audio-wise Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror is a mixed affair. While the translated dialogue is engaging and well thought out, the lip synching suffers slightly. Luckily, the atmospheric in-game music more than compensates for this.

Although far from a ground breaking offering, Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror is a solid hidden objects game with the added bonus of an adventure-type plot neatly woven into the narrative. The puzzles are just about taxing enough to keep your interest but not so that you find yourself giving up or consulting YouTube for answers. Eventide 2: The Sorcerer’s Mirror is a great pick up and play title and worth the asking price.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Microsoft Xbox One code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.

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