Nora: In Search of Hidden Ingredients is a puzzle game where we join a young witch on a path of self-discovery by locating hidden objects in each new scene of the story. This game caught my eye because most hidden object games that I play don’t include a narrative. I had fun assisting Nora in her path through the village where her grandmother had lived, helping out some of the locals along the way.
Game Modes – A Variety of Options
The game offers both story mode and free play options. I started by playing my way through the story mode. Thanks to some magical reasons in the story, even when Nora revisits a room, the room is not the same as it was before.
Story Mode
Each time you enter a level, the room has changed and you are looking for a different selection of items. A spirit that lingers in the home that belonged to Nora’s grandmother tests Nora’s finding skills throughout the story mode. It’s up to you to assist Nora in finding everything she needs to move to the next step of the story.
Free Play Mode
If you prefer to play in free play mode, each location is open to explore, with different difficulties available. As you start each level in free play mode, there will be an explanation of the ruleset for that round. You can even opt to make a custom ruleset for yourself, adjusting the time limit which is driven by the number of objects you need to find, the number of active targets showing on the list, the number of lives you start with, the time penalty for mis-clicks, the time bonus for correct answers, whether or not you are in flashlight mode, if you want the target list to shuffle, and finally whether or not the hint button is disabled.
The rooms can change on each replay in free play mode, so between the story and free play modes there is a solid amount of gameplay and replayability available.
I’ve completed the story mode and tried each of the locations in free play mode. Just through those playthroughs I have accumulated a few hours of gameplay. I still haven’t experimented with the custom level options very much, and I’m looking forward to seeing how different settings affect the gameplay on the various levels.
A Mystery Within a Mystery
There are two mystery line items in the custom settings section that I have not unlocked yet. I can not figure out how they are unlocked, or what they will do. The only guess I have at this time is that they are unlocked by finishing the final two Steam achievements (Play 50 & 100 free play levels), but I’m not sure. I’d love a hint as to what they are or how to unlock them as some type of clue or incentive.
Shiny Things
- Story adds to the game
- Charming art style
- Plenty of replayability via variety of game modes
Not Shiny Things
- Two locked menu items in customization section (What? How? Who knows…)
Should You Play Nora: In Search of Hidden Ingredients?
Nora in search of hidden ingredients has definitely been enjoyable to play. The art style of the puzzle rooms is quirky and full of vibrant colors. I had fun following Nora through the story mode and I’m looking forward to trying combinations of the different difficulties and rulesets in free play.
Having the story mode was a nice change of pace, as most hidden object games I encounter present you with puzzles without context. The story gave some extra depth to the game while still keeping the game centered on the hunt for hidden objects.
I would definitely recommend Nora: In Search of Hidden Ingredients to hidden object game fans.
Game key was provided for review purposes
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