Hidden Expedition: The Pearl of Discord

Finding old artifacts is always a great experience, especially when they tell us something about the culture that used them. Whether it’s some kind of device or just a cooking pot, there’s something to learn from everything, which is why archaeology is such an interesting prospect. Granted, artifacts are treated differently when it comes to fantasy stories, given the fact that they all seem to have magical properties.

Hidden Expedition: The Pearl of Discord is a hidden object adventure game that puts you in the role of an investigator looking for a thief. The gameplay revolves around jumping from scene to scene while solving puzzles, but there are a couple of mini-games you can enjoy as well. Unfortunately, there’s nothing too original to truly captivate you, which is a bit of a bummer.

The story starts when a precious pearl is stolen under mysterious circumstances. To make things even worse, the pearl in question belonged to Marco Polo himself, so its value is impossible to measure. Thankfully, you are called to investigate the theft and find the culprit, although things get pretty hectic along the way. As it’s always the case, things get a bit out of hand along the way, but there’s always a solution to every problem.

Since you are part of an elite organization of investigators, you also get access to a variety of tools that allow you to find clues where others wouldn’t be able. These devices are neatly integrated into the gameplay, but they can also get a tad repetitive sometimes. As for the actual puzzles, some may put your brain through a light workout, but most are simple enough to be obvious from the first few seconds.

Thankfully, the graphics can make all of this go away every now and again, mainly because every scene is gorgeous in terms of level design and artwork. Whether it’s the inside of a manor or some serene landscape, there’s always something nice to look at, which helps a lot with the atmosphere. Even the cutscenes are enjoyable, although they can appear a bit too rough sometimes, given the lack of proper animations.

In the end, Hidden Expedition: The Pearl of Discord may not bring a contribution to the evolution of the genre as a whole, but it does things right if you just want a light adventure to pass the time with. It also has plenty of mini-games to keep your mind busy and your fingers moving.

NOTE: This is a downloader for the game. Once run, the application will automatically download and install the game on your computer.

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