Ominous Objects: Trail of Time

Although the weather can be pretty moody sometimes, it’s generally assumed that it cannot go from one season to the other in the span of a few hours. However, there are places on Earth where this happens regularly, although they are usually not inhabited by humans. Deserts can be pretty tricky as well, given the fact that it goes from scorching hot to freezing cold during the night.

Ominous Objects: Trail of Time takes matters to a whole other level, on the other hand, since it features a rather unlikely scenario.The game is is a hidden object adventure and it revolves around a sudden cold snap that even freezes people solid as they are walking down the street. It’s not very different from most games in the genre, but that doesn’t mean you cannot have fun with it.

The story takes place in a town called Glockenverk, where the aforementioned cold snap takes everyone by surprise. Your duty is to investigate the phenomena and deal with the dark forces that are at play, because such a dramatic weather change can only have some sort of magical source. It’s also worth mentioning that the animals get turned into some kind of ice beasts once the cold sets in, making them very dangerous.

Just like in most HOGs, the gameplay is just a series of environments you have to investigate and explore. Your main job is to find the objects hiding in the scenery, but some of them have to be acquired after solving various puzzles. You can even use your cat to tackle some of the riddles, or at least those that require something small and agile instead of a clumsy human.

The graphics are gorgeous as well, although you shouldn’t expect fully 3D environments, or even 2.5D ones. Instead, you can only admire the hand-drawn sceneries and click on the spots that can be investigated. There are cutscenes as well, quite a lot of them, and they look decent enough to keep the atmosphere rolling. The same can be said about the voice acting and the soundtrack, because although none of them impress, they go well with everything else.

All things considered, Ominous Objects: Trail of Time is not a revolution in the genre, but it certainly checks all the right boxes if you are a fan. Hence, there are plenty of puzzles to keep you busy, and the story is casual enough not to cause headaches.