Favorite HOP Game in My Favorite HOP Series – Enigmatis: The Shadow of Karkhala - Hidden Object Review

I've played many of these HOP games, and I must say that this is my favorite game in my favorite series. The entire series is GREAT, and my praise for this game can be applied to every game in this series. First, I recommend playing the first two Enigmatis games; it isn't necessary to enjoy Karkhala, but the plot makes more sense that way. I played this one first, and was a little confused starting off. The App Store doesn't seem to have the first two games available right now, but if you enjoy HOP games, get them on PC, they're worth it. The game plot is interesting, engrossing, and clever. It's logical and coherent, and drives the game, and is the glue that holds all these games together. The artwork for the series, but this game in particular is beautiful, and the animation is well done and not cheesy or cartoon-like (although "cartoony" isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just doesn't suit everything) The gameplay itself is user friendly. You don't have to go through awkward menus or means to accomplish a task. I've become stuck because some games have a special feature that is only rarely used, and it's not obvious or clear that is the solution to moving forward; not so in Karkhala. Gameplay features are helpful without ruining the experience. For example, Karkhala allows the player to use the map to fast travel locations without having to track back through multiple other screens to get to a specific location (not allowed in the first Enigmatis, Maple Creek). HOP don't require exact, very accurate taps to select he exact perfect spot, so being off a few mm doesn't penalize you. It also prevents you from tapping quickly all over the screen to find that last pesky object. Having a customizable difficulty is also a GREAT feature. Translations are good, as well. I played one where the game was set in the bayou areas of New Orleans, and there were "crocodiles" instead of alligators. The game length is perfect; most HOP games are pretty short and I wind up thinking, "that's it?" The puzzles are intuitive, and the solutions MAKE SENSE (a deal breaker for me is when you have to use the hint and skip buttons excessively because solutions are bizarre; I've played games that required you to find a battery to use a welding machine and a battery to use a jack hammer, both of which are absurd). Games and solutions are clever. HO must games walk a fine line between being too simple and easy or being too difficult and awkward. Karkhala succeeds where many others have failed: the puzzles, mini games and HO are challenging without being frustrating and/or irritating. The achievements add an extra level to Karkhala, and this is definitely the most challenging game in the series to obtain the achievements. They are all easily obtainable, however, and one doesn't have to be a HOP savant to get 100%, only eagle eyed and persistent. Certain achievement items are missable. The guide can help locate the feathers, flowers and evil things required for achievements, although 100% requires a minimum of 2 plays. Additionally, the puzzles are unique. Many games, even between different developers, have the same ????mini games. There might have been a couple puzzles that are common to HOP games, but honestly I can't recall them Lastly, this was the first Artifex Mundi HOP I've played. After I completed this game, I played the first two in this series and played another series. Artifex Mundi puts out quality, entertaining, and entertaining games, and I'm so happy to have discovered them. They will always be at the top of my list when I'm shopping for new games, and I highly recommend their games, which also are available on PC. I enjoyed this game very much and highly recommend both this game and the whole series. One of the best HOP mysteries I've played!
Review by MethylEthylBS on Enigmatis: The Shadow of Karkhala - Hidden Object.