It’s been a long weekend of sickness in our house with all three of us coming down with a cold at the same time. After days of chicken soup and a clingy husband baby, I was really looking forward to relaxing tonight. 

I stumbled across the new release Phenomenon: Meteorite and instantly knew how I would spend my evening. The stunning graphics and intriguing storyline immediately drew me in. I was brought back to the very first game I fell in love with a long time ago, Myst.  Maybe it is just the island theme, but it made me reminisce and I wanted to dive right in!

The storyline follows Daniel, a young man searching for the truth about his parents who abandoned him as a young boy. His foster parents provided a clue to their whereabouts and Daniel set off to the uncharted island to discover his past.

Upon arriving he meets a cute little girl named Gloria who tells him about the meteorites that hit the island long ago and have given its inhabitants special powers. The islanders divided into factions based on their abilities as infighting developed. Gloria also gives a clue as to why Daniel’s parents left him to flee for their own lives – they were in a forbidden marriage that crossed clan lines (I found this tidbit particularly poignant today!).

Phenomenon: Meteorite grabbed me with the hint of mystery and the gorgeous visuals, but kept me playing with fun, interactive hidden object scenes and challenging mini games.

The hidden object scenes are relatively simple – not too dark and objects are relevant to the location you’re exploring. Just when you think you’ve completed a task, you time travel to the same spot many years earlier and complete another HOS. I found the scene within a scene a unique twist to the traditional object search. 

The mini games were also a part of the storyline as you unlock passageways or hidden compartments to discover another item for your  inventory to help on the quest. The games were challenging but not frustrating and only took a little forethought to find the solution. I tend to jump right in before looking at the big picture, so I started a few of them over again but was able to avoid the need for a hint with a little extra effort. 

If you find yourself short on patience, hints are readily available in casual mode and recharge in about a minute. The strategy guide is also conveniently located at the top left when you’re struggling for a next step. I glanced at the guide but found the logical flow of the game and the on screen guidance were typically enough to know where to head next. 

A running list of tasks is stored on screen along with a journal, which tracks your journey and helps to pull everything together. I always appreciate a map to jump quickly between scenes, so I’m not wasting time with too much back and forth. I’m sometimes annoyed at games that seem to have disjointed storylines that don’t flow between the chapters, but I did not feel that way about Phenomenon: Meteorite – the objective of the game is clear from the start and each step along the way is part of a logical progression.

The flow of Phenomenon: Meteorite is a good mix of hidden object scenes, interaction with characters to learn more backstory, and island exploration. The music sets the tone for adventure, but is not overbearing and provided an appropriate backdrop to the game. The cut scenes and voice overs are well done and brief, so I wasn’t itching to hit the skip button each time to get on with my game.

My game time with Phenomenon: Meteorite was limited tonight due to sick babies, but I was definitely left wanting more and seriously can’t wait to continue on this extraordinary journey with Daniel!