Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story

The Good
Hidden object games seem to come in two kinds. There's the kind that has loads and loads of screens where you have to find stuff and there's this kind where there's a bit of a story, a couple of puzzles, and a sense of purpose. Having played both I prefer this type of game.

There is a story which involves Danielle going off to search for her husband accompanied by a talking knitted doll, and 'yes' the story is as daft as it sounds but it's there and it makes a huge difference to the pleasure of playing the game.

The music and sound effects are not great but they're not bad either and they do add to the atmosphere. Personally I'd have liked something a bit less spartan and, since it has to repeat many times, I'd have liked longer pieces but that's a minor niggle. What there is serves its purpose and certainly set a mood for me.

The main 'make or break' point of games of this type is the artwork. I've played some games of this type where the hidden objects were hard to see because the whole screen was so dimly lit and others where they were behind something else. Here, as far as I can remember, all objects were in plain view, very well drawn, and expertly placed to make them hard to spot. Some of them were very small but once spotted they were easily identified for what they were.

The game also played well. The hint system worked well. It was good to have it there in the background. The in-game tutorial that popped up when something new was encountered was also well done. Just enough, not too obtrusive and easily disabled.

The Bad
It's short, I played through it in about four and a half hours. I don't play many games like this is I don't know if this is normal but at the end I thought 'Oh, Was that it?'

There is virtually zero replay value. Some games randomise the hidden objects but this game does not, it will always ask you to find the same things and they will always be in the same place. Plus there's no score and no best time to beat.

I can't give anything away in this review but I thought the ending was a bit lame.

The Bottom Line
This is a well done piece of casual gaming that helps pass the time. The story is really silly but it doesn't seem so at the time because the game sucks you in.

It is a game for a wet afternoon or a quiet evening in. It won't rock your world, you won't gasp at the glorious effects, and you will have forgotten about it within a week.