Take a Trip To the Heart of Mythical Asia! – Myths of the World: The Heart of Desolation - A Hidden Object Adventure (Full) Review

The setting takes place in the Himalayas, and a realistic oriental fusion is incorporated into the environment. The scenery is embellished with Asian designs and themes appropriately related to nature, such as the mountainous peaks, pagodas with their tiered towers, and old temples; other traditional details, such as hanging lanterns, lily ponds, and Asian sculptures and masks are filled in throughout. I like the focus on the Chinese dragons, which are legendary creatures in Asian mythology and Chinese folklore. The graphics reflect the colors of nature and the landscape itself; there is emphasis on a palette of vibrant colors, such as pinks, reds, and purples to create an oriental ambiance. You have an added element of using a Golden Heart to scare off those nasty dragons; you will charge it by matching symbols. There are three modes of difficulty exclusive of the option to customize your settings. The inventory is labeled, interactive, and puzzle-like. The teleport map will indicate available tasks and/or objectives depending on mode of difficulty. Transition between scenes is smooth and quick. You have an eye symbol to let you know where you can manually travel, and location names are noted. Unfortunately, there is no journal to read the story. The HOS are fun and varied; they contain items relative to the Asian theme. You have word lists with interaction ending with a twist, such as a riddle or finding an "end-result" object in accordance with two paired, similar objects. You also have silhouettes to find. The puzzles are varied as well; an example is when you have a trio of puzzles in sequence, such as connecting/rotating tiles to connect tubes, which then initiates another puzzle where you adjust water levels and path blockers to move a ball through a maze. You collect Bamboo sticks in the locations and morphing objects in the HOS. The extras include souvenirs, replay of puzzles, and a Mahjong game. This game had an interesting storyline, including a nice change in scenery and theme. There is also a nice variation for the puzzles and HOS. I gave the game four stars because there was no back button (one was needed), no customized settings (tapping penalties and sparkles in second mode), and accessing the map through the menu. Still a great game to play!
Review by KimTwilight69 on Myths of the World: The Heart of Desolation - A Hidden Object Adventure (Full).