[h3][b][u]Short Answer:[/u][/b][/h3] A pretty solid hidden object game with 38 HO levels as well as 30 optional minigame levels, all of which were surprisingly fun. While the HO levels do struggle with clarity once in a while (e.g. using unfamiliar terms or confusing image hints), it was nowhere near bad enough to dissuade me from completing or recommending the game.
[h3][b][u]Long Answer:[/u][/b][/h3] Hidden object games have always been a not-so-guilty pleasure of mine ever since my parents got me the [i]I SPY: Treasure Hunt[/i] CD-ROM when I was a kid; so when a Steam key for a hidden object game I'd never heard of had been sent to me through the Curator Connect program [strike]that I honestly forgot existed[/strike], it didn't take much convincing for me to give it a shot. [i]Big Adventure: Trip to Europe 9 - Collector's Edition[/i]—aside from being a real mouthful of a title—is one of the latest from AVI Games, a developer that, judging from some quick research online, exclusively deals in hidden object games. Most of their catalogue seems to be themed around travel, and it even includes little nuggets of information on the different landmarks/locales depicted in each level.
The base game contains a total of 30 hidden object levels, and returning to the main menu to visit the "Collectors Edition Content" tab provides an additional 8 in case you're itching for more when you're done. Most of these follow the standard formula of "here's a list of words, click the corresponding object in the level", but it shakes things up every few levels by adding a small twist to your hunt, like switching from words to zoomed-in textures from the object, or flipping the script to make you drag and drop objects from your list to "fix" things in the level (e.g. putting a wheel on a bike). Along with the mandatory list, you also have a couple optional goals to pursue: each level contains a raccoon and a stamp to find, and most levels will provide a bonus for finding certain objects using only their silhouettes. There was a surprising amount of variety considering I expected the entire game to just be the "word list" style of level design, and it definitely succeeded at keeping the gameplay from getting stale. If that's not enough, I also discovered that each time you load a level changes what you need to find, adding a fair bit of replayability that was unexpected but appreciated.
While I wouldn't exactly call it a [i]hard[/i] HO game, it suffers from issues with clarity from time to time that resulted in a few small bumps in my playthrough, though the exact reason depends on the type of level. For example, the standard "word list" levels occasionally tripped me up because it either used terms I wasn't familiar with (e.g. calling one of those inflatable tube men an "airdancer") or used certain terms in confusing ways, like when the clue "pointer" was used in two different levels to describe two very different objects. Another example comes from those "drag and drop" levels, where it can sometimes be difficult to tell what you're actually holding, resulting in the kind of challenge that doesn't feel like it was intended. None of this was bad enough to put me off of playing, but I mention it because it's something I hope is improved in later titles.
While I'm on vaguely the subject of visuals, the thing that stood out the most when I first looked into the game was its visual style. At a glance, each level looks like it's been cobbled together using a variety of stock images with some occasional edits to include the more abstract hidden objects. The best example is that the family of four that act as the main characters were very clearly added by taking four people's heads and stitching them onto other people's bodies to put them in whatever outfits/poses each level calls for. This isn't a dig at AVI or the game—far from it, actually. It ended up giving the game an old-school low-budget feel like those old CD-ROM games I used to play, and I mean that in the best way. Plus, in a time where AI-generated art has run rampant in the games industry with little to no meaningful oversight, it was nice to see a game that—at least to my somewhat untrained eye—appears not to have taken that route and has instead stuck to the classic combo of stock images and Photoshop.
It would be nice to see an actual list of credits to confirm that, though, because the only entity listed is AVI Games itself for "design and development", no mention of where the art or sound came from. For example, Track 15 of the game's soundtrack (every track is numbered, not named) looks to be the instrumental version of "Out of the Cold" by Nashional, an artist with royalty-free music site Epidemic Sound; and the only way I could find this info was by scanning the song with Shazam. The industry is now sadly at a point where I'm inclined to ask questions about this sort of thing; and even though it looks like everything is above board, it'd be reassuring to see proper credit for the game's art/sound assets to be sure, even if their licensing terms don't explicitly require it. I'll accept that this is probably a silly thing to spend this much time ranting about, but it's a hill I'm willing to die on—okay, maybe not, but it's at least a hill I'm willing get a couple small bruises on.
Anyway, off my soapbox and back to the review. On top of all those hidden object levels, the base game also sprinkles in 14 unique minigames plus an additional 20 in that "CE Content" menu. Each one is entirely unique, and there's once again a shocking amount of variety on display here. This can be a bit of a double-edged sword because it means your mileage will vary on these more than anywhere else, and I'd be surprised if anyone finds themselves enjoying every single minigame equally (I was doing good until I got to the slide puzzle). Luckily, if you find yourself struggling with any of them or just think they're getting in the way of your HO game experience, you have the option to skip any minigame with no meaningful penalty, provided you're not desperately worried about earning achievements.
Speaking of which, a final note for the achievement hunters out there: there are ten achievements to get, but they're only visible in-game and don't have proper Steam achievements attached to them. Players already clearing every level plus their optional goals should earn all but one in the process, and the last just involves opening a separate menu and "buying" some knickknacks using points earned from clearing levels. Other than that, there's nothing you need to go too far out of your way for.
If you're aiming to complete everything, I'd say you're looking at around 3-5 hours of content, which is much higher than I expected going into it. It was a pleasant surprise overall, and if the hidden object genre is your jam, I'd say there's plenty here to justify the $8 price tag.
[quote]For more game reviews, check out my [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42524563/]Curator page[/url]![/quote]
