Nightmares from the Deep 2: The Siren`s Call

Developer: Artifex Mundi | Publisher: Artifex Mundi | Release Date: 2013 | Genre: Casual / Adventure / Hidden Object| Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

Nightmares From The Deep: The Cursed Heart introduced us to Sarah Black, the museum curator who had to rescue her daughter from the clutches of an undead pirate. This sequel opens with Sarah still working late nights at the Caribbean Naval Museum when a mysterious stranger shows up with a package. The package contains an artifact, but before Sarah has the opportunity to do anything with it, the museum is attacked and the object stolen. This draws Sarah into another nightmarish adventure, which this time leads her to the forgotten fishing town of Kingsmouth. It is a place where the citizens are gradually turning into humanoid ocean creatures due to a curse. The culprit behind the curse is the town mayor, a man who bargained with Davy Jones for his power, which means he has no desire to relinquish it. Once again, it is up to Sarah to use her wits and observation skills to outsmart the villains and score another victory over Davy Jones.

The original Nightmares From The Deep was definitely one of the more polished and enjoyable hidden object games of its time, so it is good to see that Artifex Mundi hasn’t skimped on this sequel. The story is once again very imaginative and offers the perfect excuse for some great backdrops. Most of the game takes place Kingsmouth this time, but it is an interesting place with all kinds of secrets to uncover. Players have to guide Sarah through locations such as the town square, tavern, newspaper office, catacombs and various wrecked ship cabins as well as a prison and lighthouse in order to break the curse. Of course, seeing as this is a hidden object game, each scene is packed with items to find and puzzles to solve.

Along with the numerous hidden object scenes, the game also sports a few fragmented object scenes and there is always the Mahjong alternative for people who get tired of looking for obscure items scattered around a cluttered scene. On the other hand, if you can’t get enough of finding items you can also try and spot all the optional things, such as golden octopi, secret seahorses, and morphing parrots. There are of course the obligatory selection of mini-games and puzzles as well, but none of them are tricky enough to stump players for too long. Even if you are terrible at puzzle solving, the game has hints that you can call upon to get you on the right track. As with the first game, you may have to visit some locations more than once, but the chore of backtracking is made more bearable thanks to a map that allows for fast-travelling.

Visually, Nightmares From The Deep 2 surpasses the original and is by far one of the better looking hidden object games on the market. Despite its age, it even compares favorably to a lot of modern titles, which is not something that happens very often. This is mostly due to the hand drawn artwork and the amount of detail that has been lavished on every scene. None of the backdrops in the game feel like filler or that they have just been added to pad things out a bit thanks to the amount of effort that has clearly gone into their creation. The animations and cut-scenes have also been drastically improved over the original game, which is great to see. Instead of the doubloons from the first game, Nightmares 2 sees players hunting down golden fish tokens, which can be used to learn more about the story.

Artifex Mundi did not skimp on the music and sound effects for this game either as there is an abundance of both, with the latter in particular livening up each scene. Unfortunately, the vocals are once again a bit of a mixed bag and along with some decent performances there are a couple of stilted lines and peculiar voices. It’s not enough to ruin the experience, but it is something that is definitely very noticeable. We did not encounter any issues with the controls and using a mouse to navigate around the gameworld while uncovering objects or solving puzzles felt intuitive. Fans of the extra goodies in the original game will be glad to hear that part two doesn’t skimp on these either. Along with the ability to view concepts and listen to the music, players can also generate wallpapers from the game, re-watch the cut-scenes or replay any of the hidden object scenes. Completing the main adventure, The Siren’s Call, also unlocks a bonus adventure called The Book of Davy Jones. It is a short, but interesting epilogue to the tale that sees Sarah assisting some of her former foes with regaining their humanity. It also makes Sarah an even bigger target for the Davy Jones himself, so a showdown is definitely looming on the horizon.

Overall, Nightmares From The Deep 2 is a nice continuation of the series and Artifex Mundi even managed to capture a bit of a Cthulhu vibe with their creepy town that is filled with weird sea creatures. It is clear that Artifex Mundi spent a lot of time and effort on polishing this game, which makes it enjoyable to play. About the only criticism we have is that getting all of the Steam achievements requires players to complete the game twice, which could be extra annoying for those who don’t enjoy Mahjong, but this is a minor quibble. Although it is still a hidden object game through and through, which might limit its appeal, it is definitely one of the better entries in the genre and well worth checking out.