Polish game developer Codeminion has been making casual games for going on seven years now but with the release of hidden object adventure, Phantasmat, they've finally hit their stride. Phantasmat puts you in the role of a nameless traveler whose car crashes (as so many often do) on a deserted road one dark and rainy night. Stumbling off the highway and into the forest in search of help, you're directed by a mysterious young girl to the dreary and off-puttingly-named "Drowned Dead Hotel". Sounds cozy, eh?
The hotel sits on a cliff and boasts a depressing view of a once-bustling town destroyed by a terrible flood. Once inside the hotel, you realize something's not quite right with either the hotel or its owner but you do your best to ignore your increasing unease. Quickly you realize there's no electricity and no working phones and so you set off to find a means of escape. In addition to being trapped in a creepy, rundown hotel, you find you're also beset by surreal visions that seem to be trying to tell you something.
Phantasmat is in many ways, a traditional hidden object adventure. Most of the time you're exploring eerie, deserted locations looking for clues to what appears to be the village's deep, dark secret. Occasionally, one of the unsettling hotel denizens will show up and utter something menacing, only to vanish again. When not sight-seeing and talking to these admittedly weird people, you'll be looking for clues within various hidden object scenes and this is where Phantasmat veers off the hidden object genre's well-beaten path.
You have the option during the hidden object sequences, to find items by clicking a button at the top of the screen that allows you to go into match-three mode. There's still a hint button for players who prefer to remain hidden object purists but the match-three mechanic makes for an entertaining variant on this type of gameplay. Once in that mode, the object is to match three symbols (in this case, roses, shamrocks, eyeballs or creepy doll heads) in order to move symbols shaped like glowing eyes to the bottom of the board.
Every eye you liberate from the match-three board "finds" one of the hidden objects for you, which is nice if you find there's that one last item you just can't find. It's also entertaining in itself, with the boards coming in all kinds of interesting shapes with symbols cascading downward in unexpected ways. It's especially fun when you charge up and use the "power" button, causing areas of the board to explode.
In addition to this fun new addition to the usual hidden object gameplay, Phantasmat has a lot to offer from a writing and graphic standpoint. The game's mystery is extremely engaging and the artwork is downright gorgeous. The decrepit character models are reminiscent of the works of eccentric Chicago artist Ivan Albright and the method used to create depth using only 2D imagery hearkens back to effects made using Disney's incredible multi-plane camera. Another nice touch is that the characters' eyes and mouths animate (granted, they do have a weird habit of not looking you in the eye when they talk) and all the dialog is expertly voice-acted.
Best of all, once you're done with the game you unlock a bonus adventure that's good for another 30 minutes to an hour of gameplay as well as wallpapers for your PC, concept art showing how sketches were translated into final game art, music tracks from the game and the match-three minigame. If you're a real completionist, you can even go back and replay individual levels in order to get them perfect, or replay the game on two higher levels of difficulty.
Phantasmat is an exceptional hidden object game on every front. Its compelling story, beautiful artwork and fresh take on hidden object gameplay makes it a game you shouldn't miss. The Collector's Edition is especially worth it, coming with so much additional content. Get it now for $13.99 on Big Fish Games with Big Fish Game membership.
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