Nothing like a rivalry between magicians to keep a small town entertained. Sir Charles Galdor spent years training two boys in his ways of magic and mystery. They grew up to be some of the most talented showmen around. A …
Nothing like a rivalry between magicians to keep a small town entertained. Sir Charles Galdor spent years training two boys in his ways of magic and mystery. They grew up to be some of the most talented showmen around. A friendly competition arose between them, each trying to outdo the other’s tricks in the most spectacular of ways. One of the magicians has invited you, detective, to his latest show, as he believes someone plans to sabotage the performance. As flames engulf the stage, you’re pretty sure he was on to something. But does his rival have anything to do with this?
Small Town Terrors: Galdor’s Bluff is a casual hidden object game that leans heavy on puzzles and riddles to keep you entertained. Most of your time will be spent hopping back and forth between scenes, backtracking to pick up items you might have missed and using them to solve puzzles halfway across the map. Every object has a purpose and every obstacle a weakness, but neither of those are always obvious. Chalk that up to puzzles designed by magicians. They can never do anything straightforward, can they?
Mini-games make frequent appearances in the Galdor’s Bluff experience. Most of them are pretty simple, things you’ll be familiar with if you’ve played a casual adventure game at any point in the past few decades. Untangle the rope by picking the strands that aren’t blocked, turn the tiles to match the abstract shapes, and so on. They’re simple, but they fit the setting perfectly and are usually a welcome diversion.
Hidden object scenes are also a big part of the Small Town Terrors experience. Each one drops a list of items at the bottom with a crowded screen of random things strewn about the top. Nearly a third of the objects are interactive, most of which can be obtained with one or two simple interactions. For example, a loose brick needs a nudge to drop from the wall, revealing the next item on your list. If you aren’t in the mood for a round of hidden objects you can always switch over to a solitaire card game. A good magician always has a deck of cards nearby!
Small Town Terrors has a lot of classic adventure style puzzles that are straightforward but always fun to complete. If you find a bucket you know you’ll need to fill it with water. Because obviously, right? These flow well with the often abstract solutions that need a little trial and error to solve. They’re also helped along by a few small extras such as the morphing crystal ball objects hidden in every scene. While the story of Galdor’s Bluff will draw you in (everybody loves magician drama!), the off-beat puzzles and approachable mini-games will keep you coming back for more. Just remember that these are professional tricksters you’re dealing with. Nothing is ever as it seems.
