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This is the third hidden-object iPad game we’ve gotten from our good friends at G5
Entertainment this month, along with Spirit of Wandering and Letters from Nowhere. After
playing this one, I’d still put Letters from Nowhere at the top of the heap.
But the Magician’s Handbook comes in a close second place.
I guess the thing that sets this game apart from the previous two is that it’s a more
traditional take on the hidden-object genre. The background images are mostly static, and
there are no fancy animations or cutscenes. But what it lacks in presentation, the Magician’s
Handbook: Cursed Valley makes up for with its gameplay.
For starters, it’s a bit easier to find what you’re looking for. You move through
all the different levels much more quickly, so the game moves at a faster pace. It’s
kind of a refreshing change from other games that have you staring forever, basically searching
for a needle in a haystack. The Magician’s Handbook is still challenging, but it’s
more like looking for chopsticks in a haystack.
The game also throws some puzzles into the cauldron, as well. The idea is that each collection
of levels has a set amount of objects you need to find in order to learn a new spell.
Once you find the items, you can learn the spell, but you usually have to solve a puzzle
first. Some of them are match-based, some of them are word jumbles.
But they all break up the inherent monotony of staring at pictures.
And the nice thing is that these puzzles have more of an impact than their presence alone.
The spells they unlock can be used during the searches. So you can use a repel spell,
for example, that clears away some of the items that aren’t on your list. It’s a
nice touch that emphasizes the magician theme as well as diversifies the gameplay.
Of course, for all the things the Magician’s Handbook does well, it doesn’t really do
anything magnificently. It’s a solid hidden-object game, but it’s also a game you might have
a hard time distinguishing from the pack. For the duration of its 13 chapters, the Magician’s
Handbook offers solid hidden-object gameplay.
Just don’t expect anything magical.