Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game
Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store
Developer: Funzai! / G5 Entertainment
Description:
Art Mogul has loads of content, including:
• 430 Pictures worth a thousand words
• 21 Hidden object scenes
• 7 Exciting cities to visit: San-Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Saint-Petersburg, Shanghai, and Tokyo
• 40 Achievements to earn
• 3 Art Museums to buy
Major features: Art Mogul puts you in the role of an art collector seeking to maximize your collection and your profits, traveling the world visiting galleries; getting the best price and rooting out fakes along the way.
At its core Art Mogul is a hidden object game, but it plays almost like a simulation game in some ways. Your goal is to make the most money to build your art collection value. You start off going to a gallery with some money, where you can purchase a painting that is guaranteed to be authentic. But you want to drive down the price, so you need to engage in hidden object scenes and find items to get the best possible price.
The same is true when selling – if the gallery or buyer wants your art, you can get an even higher price by finding all of the objects. You also use this method to find out whether an artwork is real or fake so you can avoid buying something and losing money.
You don’t just spend time in art galleries, you also have cafes, auction houses and more. In auction houses even more art is available, but now you are bidding against other dealers looking for the best price. You can try to ‘stun’ then to stop them from bidding, but if you fail you can end up overpaying for the artwork.
Ease of use/Overall performance: Rather than just the normal hidden object story-based game, Art Mogul offers a seemingly endless array of choices to visit and discover. The interface remains the same as in the majority of hidden object games, which makes it easy to get into and play the game.
Would use again/recommend?: Definitely! I have played dozens of HOPA games, so there are many that simply blend into the crowd. Simply by changing up the basic premise to one of an art collector, Art Mogul feels fresh and new and a fun diversion for the genre.
Suggested changes/wish list for updates: Paintings repeat after a while, and after a bit there is nothing new about the game – it is the same things repeated.
Source: Publisher provided review code
Price: $6.99 ($4.99 for iPhone) – but until February 2nd they are on sale for $2.99/$4.99 for iPhone/iPad.
Here is the trailer:
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