An Intriguing Start

Age of Oracles: Tara's Journey is one of those fun games that starts off as surreal and confusing as possible. This isn't a bad thing, on the contrary, it's actually really effective for sucking you into the story. Games constantly attempt to be mysterious but ultimately fall flat and you're left not caring at all. In this case, the opening is so weird, bizarre, and funny, that you just need to know what's happening. Based on the opening alone, I can already tell that this is going to be a fun journey.

Meet Tara

Tara, our heroine, appears to be trapped inside of a giant card. Fortunately, a nearby peacock frees her. When she asks what's going on, the peacock tells Tara that she needs to help her find all of her cards. Tara is then taken "between worlds," where everything is a cluttered mess, a sight that should be completely familiar to fans of hidden objects games.

This intro is the perfect kind of weird. It's not so strange that it immediately turns you off, which happens with a lot of stories that attempt this, but it's just weird enough to be intriguing.

Hidden Objects With a Twist

The hidden object gameplay in the opening level of Age of Oracles is more creative than the usual offerings. Instead of hunting down objects written on a list, all of the pictures are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Click on one of them, then find its counterpart in the world and match it. It's a similar mechanic, but different enough to feel fresh. The best part of it is that the scene is black and white, and as you find items you slowly restore color, making for a very cool visual effect.

If the opening level isn't your thing, and you're looking for more traditional hidden objects gameplay, don't worry. The very next level reverts back to the standard formula and fans of the genre should feel right at home.

Then again, maybe you're sick of the same old gameplay? This game has you covered, too. While the majority of the levels adhere to the classic formula, you'll be coming back to the opening scene to look for more cards. Like the first time you were here, you'll be taking items from the bottom toolbar and figuring out what to do with them in the world. It's a lot of common sense stuff, like using a shovel to dig a hole, but there are some more difficult problems as well.

The Thinking Man's Hidden Objects Game

Age of Oracles: Tara's Journey is a great hidden objects game, but, more importantly, it's more than that. It goes deeper than most offerings in its genre and requires you to think as well as search.

The gameplay is fun as well as challenging, the game looks and sounds fantastic, and the story is both unique and entertaining. When you consider all of those qualities, you have one well-rounded package.