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Letters From Nowhere 2
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Graphics & Sound:
The aesthetic in Letter from Nowhere 2 is naturally very similar to that of Letters from Nowhere. Everything looks pretty good and items are recognizable, although Letter from Nowhere 2 uses the age-old hidden object trick of making disproportionately-sized items for you to find. You might see a ginormous hairbrush hidden in the length of a curtain, whereas you might see a tiny mouse sitting on a chair. It's a little tricky, but it works for the genre.
The levels you will visit are varied and will take you all over town to locations like a magic shop, the police department, a spooky mansion, a fair or a theater and even a gruesome bloody altar. The game sets a creepy tone with the rundown locations you will be searching, whether it be using a dingy babydoll or peeling wallpaper. I do think that some of the art assets were re-used across a few levels, but it wasn't patently obvious and the levels appeared to be all-new for this game.
The most eerie element in Letter from Nowhere 2 has to be the background music. Sure, it's the same music that was used in the previous game, but it is downright spooky and very well done. It completely sets the mood and, combined with the other little sound effects going on in levels such as a scurrying rodent, a galloping ghost horse or a ticking clock, will really set your nerves on edge. |
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Gameplay:
Gameplay in Letters from Nowhere 2 is mostly standard hidden object fare, with an occasional puzzle thrown into the mix. The storyline picks up where it left off in Letters from Nowhere with Audrey trying to desperately find her missing husband, Patrick, while trying to figure out these "letters from nowhere." You'll travel through different areas of the town of Nowhere and each level will have a group of items for you to hunt out. The items will be listed at the bottom of the screen in the HUD, plus you will have a magnifying glass that fills over time and clicking it will provide you with the location of one of the missing items. However, using it will cost you 250 points, so it's not a "free" hint system. Some of the items list descriptions instead, so you have to figure out what item you are searching for by what it says. Still other items will have two parts and you must find both parts and combine them to eliminate the item from the list. These are indicated by either an item you can pick up and move around or an item with spinning gears over it when you click it.
From time to time, you will come across puzzles such as a picture with puzzles pieces to be put back together, a memory game, a rotating puzzle, a "spot the differences" puzzle, a matching pairs puzzle and my least favorite, a puzzle where you must fit everything exactly into a tight spot. These puzzles typically revolve around obtaining a key item to advance the storyline.
In addition to finding these items, there is an additional challenge of locating the three hidden stamps in each level. If you can collect 50 stamps across the various locations, you can unlock Unlimited Mode, which is where you can revisit all 32 locations from across the game and locate 50 items in each level. Here, you have the pictures instead of the words and each location will contain a Jack in the Box, a Camera and a Thermometer that can help you earn bonus points and locate items. There is also a black cat located in each level and if you can find all 32 cats across the levels, you can unlock Puzzle Mode, allowing you to play the puzzles as often as you like. To find the very last cat, you'll have to look for him within a level not previously seen in Unlimited Mode. You can also use Unlimited Mode to pick up any stamps or cats that you missed along the way in the Story Mode.
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Difficulty:
The level of difficulty in Letters from Nowhere 2 is just right throughout the game. It starts off pretty easily, providing you with items that are fairly easy to spot. As the game progresses, items will get tougher to spot and will be faded into the background or well hidden. While the game doesn't take long to beat, it's still provides a challenge.
The puzzles are fairly easy, but in case you get stuck, they provide a handy "skip" option after a few minutes. However, if you opt to skip a puzzle, you'll preclude yourself from getting the trophy for completing all puzzles without using a skip. You may be tempted to use the skip option of the matching puzzle where you are presented with a board containing dozens of miniature items and you must find the only two matches. The trick is they only show you the items for about 10 seconds and then cover them again, rearranging them for the next time. The trick is to recall what item was left on the list when you began the puzzle, because that's the item you need to be on the lookout for. |
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Game Mechanics:
Since you are playing Letters from Nowhere 2 on the iPad, it's all about the tap and swipe. You'll tap to pick up an item, tap and swipe to move items about the screen, and tap to complete puzzles. It's very basic and is perfectly suited for the iPad.
For the trophy hunters out there, you can collect a myriad of trophies and you can view them all in the Trophy Room. Everything from beating levels without using a hint, to completing puzzles without using the skip option, to collecting all of the black cats and stamps is available.
To aid you in your quest, I mentioned Bonus Items earlier. These are items that you can purchase for use in the main game, and while they come at a price, the trick is to get them when you first come to a new area on the Map screen. When you do this, you may have 5 levels to choose from and when you buy a Bonus Item, that item is applied to all incomplete levels on the screen, so you get more bang for your buck. The catch is that you have to work for them, and this means finding them as they are hidden in the levels. When you find the Jack in the Box, you are awarded an extra 15,000 points for that level. Locating and tapping the Camera flashes the screen with white, but reveals the location of six items on the screen. If you can remember where they are or quickly tap to collect them, this is a really great bonus. Finding and clicking the Thermometer will allow you to drag it around the screen and it will flash hot or cold as you either approach or move away from an item. If you are speedy, you can use it to find five items in the short period of time it is available. Finally, locating the Artist's Palette will turn all of the names of the items in your list into pictures so they are easier to find. The reason this Bonus Item isn't available in Unlimited Mode is because the items are already shown as pictures.
If you played the first game, you'll want to see how everything wraps up and Letters from Nowhere 2 is a fun hidden object game for fans of the genre. Unlimited Mode, while not actually "unlimited" does provide you with a lot more gameplay. Since you are ranked depending on how quickly you complete the levels, you can work to try to beat the best time for added gameplay. Definitely check it out if you like hidden object with a dash of puzzles and adventure. |
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-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications AKA Ashley Perkins |
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