Hidden Objects: Oz the Great and Powerful Game

Hidden Objects Oz’s predecessor is Garden of Time, which is the model most of this game follows. In Garden of Time, you follow a storyline, search for clues in pictures, and earn stars. Hidden Objects: Oz Edition attempts to do this, but falls misses the mark by a landslide. A hurricane. A tornado, even.

Instead of dedicating the game to an Oz The Great and Powerful storyline, Disney decided to go with a duel storyline, where the Oz part plays second fiddle to rushed, confusing case of a murdered stagehand and kidnapped opera singer with not a lot of backstory. To access the Oz parts, you must use energy and gems (in your regular storyline, you only use energy). These gems are earned sparingly throughout the Oz levels, and can be purchased with gold, and gold can only be purchased through in-app purchases– hence, the frustration. Oh, and did I mention, you have a time limit to complete the Oz chapters? Makes sense, for a game marketed as an Oz edition, right? Wrong.

Unless there is some overarching theme that connects the two story lines together much farther in the game, the game as it stands, is a mess. Trying to complete all the tasks, with Facebook notifications and share requests popping up every time you change scenes is confusing and irritating. Forced, awkward dialogue and a hasty storyline make this game a quick delete.

To be fair, the actual gameplay is not that bad. With helpful hints and interesting artwork, the act of finding the objects is enjoyable. It’s the in between and the switching back and forth between story lines that is so unpleasant.

If you were looking for a hidden objects game that encompassed Oz The Great and Powerful… Sorry, but I would get in my balloon and float all the way back to the App Store.  This one doesn’t quite cut it.

Check out Oz the Great and Powerful, in theaters March 8th, and CoolAppsMan for all the latest reviews and walkthroughs!