Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher’s Stone
Gameplay 8
Graphics 8
Sound 8

Join Emma as she searches for her missing uncle in a couple of elemental based realms while outwitting the guardian that is intent on stopping her. Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher’s Stone features great visuals and entertaining puzzles as well as decent hidden object scenes that make up for the rather generic storyline. Thanks to the robust customization options it is also an adventure that can be enjoyed no matter what your skill level is.

Gameplay: The puzzles are enjoyable and the hidden object scenes well done.

Graphics: Beautiful hand drawn visuals that show a lot of imagination.

Sound: The soundtrack is quite enjoyable, but the voice acting is average at best

Summary 8.0 Great
Gameplay 0
Graphics 0
Sound 0
Summary rating from user's marks. You can set own marks for this article - just click on stars above and press "Accept".
Accept
Summary 0.0 Terrible

Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher’s Stone

Developer: Organic 2 Digital Studio | Publisher: Artifex Mundi | Release Date: 2016 | Genre: Adventure / Casual / Hidden Object | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

When Emma has a vivid dream about her uncle, Alfred, finding himself in peril she immediately rushes to his house. Upon arrival, she finds that he is missing, but the mythical portal that she has been helping him construct has been activated. Emma wastes no time in entering the portal to try and track down her uncle, but is confronted by a mysterious guardian who appears to be hell bent on thwarting her efforts. Fortunately, Emma possesses the mythical philosopher’s stone, a valuable artifact that allows her to influence her surroundings.

Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher’s Stone was developed by Organic 2 Digital Studio and is a bit of a departure from their previous title, Vampire Legends: The True Story of Kisilova. However, it is still a hidden object game, which means there are plenty of puzzles to solve and tons of hidden object scenes to complete (48 puzzles and 21 hidden object scenes to be exact. Rescuing relatives is one of the most common and overused plot devices in the hidden object genre, which means The Philosopher’s Stone is a bit less interesting story wise compared to Vampire Legends. There is a bit of a twist in this well-worn tale, but experienced players will probably see it coming a mile away.

Thankfully, despite the story being a bit lackluster, the rest of the game does make up for it with beautiful hand drawn visuals and an interesting gameworld to explore. Since the worlds through which you travel are not on earth and instead based around the elements it has allowed the artists to come up with some unique settings. From tower mushrooms, mermaids and crystal lined caves to lava filled caverns, the visuals are top notch. There are about sixty locations to visit and we were always eager to find out what was around the next corner. The character designs are unfortunately not as good as the detailed backgrounds, but even this doesn’t detract much from the visuals.

While exploring you must once again collect every object in your path, and use them to solve puzzles that are dotted around the gameworld. You don’t have access to a helper, but can use the philosopher’s stone to get past certain obstacles. As you progress through the game the stone also grows more powerful, giving you mastery over more elements. The hidden object scenes are all really nice and while not exactly difficult they are pretty satisfying to solve. In addition to the typical word lists you are also given scenes where you are shown pictures of the items you must find or symbols that are concealed away in the scene. These provide some nice variety and each scene is also only used once, so there is less repetition. Some hidden object games feature a variety of bonus items to locate in each for extra bragging rights and achievements, but The Philosopher’s Stone only has morphing objects to find. Still, most of them are hidden away quite well and finding them all makes for a nice challenge.

We quite enjoyed the music featured in The Philosopher’s Stone as the calm, relaxing tunes are a perfect fit for the dreamlike nature of the scenes. The sound effects are also good, but the voice acting is decidedly average. The biggest problem is the fact that the actress who lends Emma her voice tend to inject very little emotion in her lines, which make them sound flat. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but could definitely have been better.

The controls are as easy as can be and will be instantly familiar to anyone who has ever played a hidden object game. Emma can fast travel to previous locations using her handy map or check her journal for more information about her discoveries. The Philosopher’s Stone is actually very newcomer friendly as it features a slew of difficulty settings. In addition to the “Regular,” “Advance” and “Expert” difficulty settings there is also a “Custom” option. Here you can tweak everything from hotspots glimmering or not to setting delays and even adjusting miss-clicks. This level of customization in regards to the difficulty of the game is definitely something we would like to see in more hidden object games. Completing the game unlocks some concept art, wallpapers, a music player as well as the ability to replay some hidden object scenes and mini-games. There is also a short bonus adventure, which is set in the realm of Nether and features the creation of the Guardian, to unlock.

Even with the slightly generic storyline The Philosopher’s Stone is a fun adventure and just long enough that it doesn’t become repetitive. The bonus adventure is also quite nice and offers a cool insight into the events that occurred long before the main game. We would have like to know more about the origins of the mythical portal and how Emma and her uncle as able to create it, but this isn’t essential to enjoying the game. Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher’s Stone is polished, varied and interesting enough to warrant its spot in your game collection, especially if you are a fan of the genre.

System Requirements

  • OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8
  • Processor: 1.5 GHz
  • Memory: 512 MB RAM
  • Graphics: 128 MB VRAM
  • DirectX: Version 9.0
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8
  • Processor: 2 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • OS: 10.6.8
  • Processor: 1.5 GHz
  • Memory: 512 MB RAM
  • Graphics: 128 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • OS: 10.6.8
  • Processor: 2 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • OS: Ubuntu 12.04 (32/64bit)
  • Processor: 2 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • OS: Ubuntu 14.04
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 2.8Ghz or equivalent
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 450, AMD Radeon HD 5670 or better
  • Hard Drive: 3 GB available space

Related posts

Aquadine

Aquadine

Aquadine is a kinetic visual novel set in a picturesque town where gondolas are a common sight. It is a magical place that is rife with myths and legends. However, the protagonist has more pressing matters on his mind as he struggles to make ends meet as a gondolier to support his sick mother. As he grows closer to the people in his circle of friends, he also discovers that he is not the only one leading a double life. Gameplay: An interesting and unique story with different routes to explore. Graphics: Beautiful backgrounds and detailed character sprites. Sound: Only partial voice acting, but the music and sound effects are very good.

RUINER

RUINER

RUINER is a cyberpunk-themed isometric shooter with fast, brutal combat. The game is unforgiving, but players can unlock several abilities to help even the odds. Most of the game is spent locked into combat arenas, but the inclusion of a hub world offers a nice break from the action. Although it is not a very long game, it is very stylish, fun, and challenging. Gameplay: Skill is required to get far, but it is worth the effort. Graphics: The visuals are stylish and detailed, but the levels lack variety. Sound: The soundtrack is incredible and matches the action perfectly.

NieR:Automata

NieR:Automata

Nier: Automata allows you to fight for the glory of mankind as an android locked into a war with the alien created machine lifeforms that have driven humanity to the moon. It's a stylish 3rd person action game with a semi-open world and fluid combat, but the story is really what makes the game so memorable. It's full of surprises and plenty of heart-wrenching moments that make it easier to look past some of the shaky technical aspects of the game. It's also undoubtedly a very quirky game, so it might not appeal to everyone, but if you are a fan of the genre then it is a must. Gameplay: Action-packed, entertaining, engrossing, and over the top. Graphics: Great designs for everything, from the environments to the characters and enemies. Sound: The voice acting is really good and the soundtrack is amongst the best in the business.

planetarian ~the reverie of a little planet~

planetarian ~the reverie of a little planet~

Planetarian is set 30 years after a devastating war pretty much ended the world and follows the story of an unnamed man entering the ruins of a dangerous city looking for things to scavenge. Instead of supplies, he finds a friendly robot waiting with unwavering optimism for customers to return to the planetarium where she works. The story is rather bleak, but like other titles by Key, it is very moving and quite memorable. Gameplay: Planetarium is a kinetic novel so there are no choices or branching paths, but although short and linear the story is very good. Graphics: The visuals show their age with static backgrounds and limited sprites, but the overall art style is still good. Sound: The game features full voice acting for both its primary characters and is accompanied by a melancholic soundtrack that is quite haunting.

Darkarta: A Broken Heart’s Quest Collector’s Edition

Darkarta: A Broken Heart's Quest Collector's Edition

Darkarta: A Broken Heart's Quest is the story of a mother who has to brave the Netheworld and rescue her daughter from an age old curse. It is definitely an intriguing story and the game also features tons of hidden object scenes as well as mini-games to keep players hooked. Thanks to the beautiful art style and atmospheric music, it is easy to get sucked into the gameworld, and a lot of effort clearly went into polishing the game to perfection. Darkarta has already won numerous awards and after completing it, it is obvious that all of them were deserved. If you are a fan of the genre, then this is a title that should not be missed. Gameplay: A lengthy adventure with plenty of puzzles and mini-games to enjoy Graphics: The art style is beautiful and the game is filled with scenic locations. Sound: Decent voice acting and a the soundtrack isn't bad either.

Sakura Dungeon

Sakura Dungeon

Sakura Dungeon offers a nice fusion of traditional step based dungeon crawling and the manga visual style that has made developer Winged Cloud (in)famous. Despite all the erotic content (mostly censored in the Steam version) the game doesn’t skimp on the role playing elements either. It might not be as in-depth or complicated as other dungeon crawlers, but definitely offers a fun and compelling experience. Gameplay: Explore dungeons, defeat cute monster girls and then recruit them to your party. Graphics: The 2D visuals look great despite the lack of animations. Sound: Great music, but limited sound effects and no voice acting.

Leave a comment

3 × 5 =