I-play couldn’t have chosen a better setting for its upcoming travel journalism-themed hidden object game, City Sights: Hello, Seattle! Not only is I-play itself (and parent company Oberon Media) based there, but the "Emerald City" is also the place where the casual games industry comes together each year for Casual Connect. Keep reading for our hands-on first impressions.
I-play couldn’t have chosen a better setting for its upcoming travel journalism-themed hidden object game, City Sights: Hello, Seattle! Not only is I-play itself (and parent company Oberon Media) based there, but the "Emerald City" is also the place where the casual games industry comes together each year for Casual Connect. Keep reading for our hands-on first impressions.
In City Sights: Hello, Seattle!, you play a magazine travel writer has 10 days to explore Seattle and find interesting facts and places to write about for her next article. Seattle landmarks like the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and the Seattle Art Museum serve as the backdrops for hidden object searches and spot-the-difference puzzles. There are 70 levels with 35 unique locations, 10 spot-the-difference challenges, and more than 2000 hidden objects to find in total.
Like any writer, you’re on deadline, so you have a certain amount of time to explore each area. You get unlimited hints, which recharge over time.
A couple of features stood out for us during the time we spent with City Sights. One was that the list of items to find is divided into three categories: Easy, Medium and Hard. The harder an object is to find, the more points you’ll earn if you find it.
We also got a kick out of the game’s unique awards system. If you want to simply focus on finding all of the objects in a scene, you can do so, but if you’re looking for some extra challenge you can try to complete optional extra assignments from your editor, such as finding 10 cats or 10 apples in the scene.
You can also prove your skills by completing under a certain time limit, not using any hints in the level, and making it all the way through without receiving a penalty for random clicking. Completing these achievements go towards earning the Focused Finder, Powers of Observation, and Speed Seeker trophies, which level up the more times you’re able to earn the achievements in individual locations.
City Sights: Hello, Seattle! will be launching soon, so be sure to check back to Gamezebo for our full review and strategy guide. In the meantime, check out some screenshots and talk about the game in our forum.
