Top Evidence Studio, with the support of Big Fish Games, has recently launches a new Hidden Object Adventure game under the title Witch Hunters: Stolen Beauty, which has finally reached our hands! To tell the truth, despite the uninspired storyline about yet another wicked witch, the game turned out to be really worthwhile and engaging, though not without some blind spots. .. Read more
First, there is no map and journal, which makes it difficult to navigate the game world. Second, it takes too long to load new locations and display subtitles in the cut scenes. Third, in Witch Hunters: Stolen Beauty, much like in the rest of Top Evidence Studio’s games, there is way too much back and forth, and the hidden object scenes are badly cluttered with unimaginable junk. Other than that, the game has made a very positive impression on us which we would like to share with you in this review.
Most of the puzzles presented in the game, from repeating the melody to drawing circles on the board, strike with their originality. While in the first chapter it’s pretty easy to solve them without external help, the second chapter can hardly be passed without a walkthrough or a kind of strategy guide. Even in casual mode, which obviously is the easiest, in-game hints are not enough to understand what to do and where to go next, especially since the Hint button doesn’t work well.
Most useful items and tools you need to open new locations are scattered all around the game world, while the hidden object scenes make up only a small part of the overall gameplay. If you prefer the classic HOGs with clear shopping lists and lots of things to find, keep in mind that in Witch Hunters: Stolen Beauty you are to stroll around the abandoned mansion and solve various conundrums, including usual puzzles, terrific logical tasks and simple math problem, rather than just looking for cleverly hidden objects.
In addition, Witch Hunters: Stolen Beauty can boast of truly remarkable visuals. The backgrounds are drawn to the smallest detail, but the picture looks a little bit flat due to the pale and muted colors with a predominance of gray. Given the abundance of high quality animated decorations and highly interactive game world, you can easily turn a blind eye to such a small disadvantage. By the bye, speaking of disadvantages, there is no voice acting, and the annoying background music does not feat the grim atmosphere of magic, so confidently turn the sound off once you start playing the game.
Finally, let’s talk about what was really impressing and inspired us to write this review! Throughout the game, you get five special abilities, which will then be used to solve various puzzles and conundrums. For example, the ability to ‘see through things’ allowed us, literally, to take a fresh look at the game’s world, opening up new ways and opportunities in the locations that we have already explored. Surely, we won’t call this feature a revolutionary innovation, as the idea actually isn’t fresh, yet it was a pretty nice addition to the already magnificent adventure gameplay and charming high detailed graphics.
Well, as you can see, Witch Hunters: Stolen Beauty has both cons and pros, but the pros in our opinion are much more numerous and weighty. In spite of the very flimsy plot, the developers have managed to get us to pass their latest creation to the end, having spent the entire evening fighting against the evil witch, which already speaks for itself. In fine, give it a try! It’s worth every moment spent!
