Letters From Nowhere 2 iPad Game Review

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How much did I like the iOS game ‘Letters from Nowhere’ from G5 Games? Enough that after the cliff-hanger ending I immediately went to Big Fish games and grabbed the Mac version of Letters From Nowhere 2! When I heard from G5 they were bringing it to iOS as well, I stopped playing the Mac version and waited … and now I have finished the iPad game. Let’s dig right in!

The Hype:
Travel to the town of Nowhere and search for clues to remove the terrifying curse in this thrilling and spooky sequel! Audrey collected all the letters with the help of the dead postman, hoping they would lead her to Patrick, her missing husband. Instead, she is taken to a mysterious sleepy town. In Letters from Nowhere 2, Audrey discovers that her husband is a descendant of a cursed family, and is doomed to death. Now it’s up to her to confront the evil that haunts her beloved and prevent a series of grisly murders. Search through over 30 cryptic locations including the sinister mansion and a bloody sacrifice room for important artifacts. Play mini-games, collect all the pages of a missing diary, and save Patrick before it’s too late!

•50 Stunning locations
•11 Adventurous settings
•11 Mini-games
•4 Useful search powers
•2 Bonus play modes – Unlimited and Puzzles
•New iPad Retina Display Support
•Game Center Support

The Reality:
In my Letters from Nowhere review, I stated that the game was “my favorite hidden object adventure yet”. Having replayed it before playing the sequel, my very positive feelings haven’t changed. Because of that, all I was looking for the sequel to do was finish up the story and continue the high quality level of puzzles and storytelling from the first game. It did that extremely well, and added to the storytelling and left me extremely satisfied at the close.

Once again we join Audrey on her quest to find her husband Patrick, who mysteriously disappeared in the original game. The story picks up where things left off, and we are exploring the town of Nowhere for clues about Patrick and his family. We meet some familiar characters from the original, but also some new people along the way. We discover a curse that was placed upon Patrick’s family decades ago that threatens to take his life unless Audrey can find Patrick and lift the curse.

Of course, to do all of this requires … working through a hidden object game! In this regard the sequel is pretty much the same as the original. Which is to say … it is brilliant. The story unfolds by finding key objects and having interactions at a variety of locations which lead to uncovering new locations and potential clue areas, and so on. Once again the game uses a ‘central hub’ design for each chapter where you need to solve each total chapter but can move around the locations in that area until you are done.

The core of the game is simply finding hidden objects, and again it is done extremely well. Rooms are filled with objects that seem to belong, and the clues make sense so you are never left deciphering a word that would make sense in the UK but not the US, for example. The game retains the ‘point system’, where you earn points on each screen by finding the hidden stamps and black cat, and also for finding items quickly or in rapid succession. Sometimes I would just scan the scene, line up a few objects, a couple of stamps and the cat and end up with huge bonuses.

Another great return is the voice acting – I was thrilled that they included fully voiced dialog throughout the original game, but I expected it in the sequel. Fortunately they delivered, and the voice acting is solid throughout. Sure Audrey is melodramatic at times, but I found it spot on given the circumstances and it added some fun and lightness to the game.

There are loads of mini-games as well, such as sliding puzzles, rotating objects, spot the difference, wiring paths, and more. They were generally well executed, with only the very first Spot the Difference really stumping me due to a small difference hidden by poor lighting.

Audrey has the main purpose of finding Patrick, but that is abstracted outside of the actual game, so what she has to do in the game is find and reassemble the diary containing the secrets leading to the curse being placed on Patrick’s family. This allows the story to advance and provides a great way to introduce new areas to explore.

As I mentioned, my only complaint with the original was the abrupt ending, so I was thrilled that the developers went out of their way to provide a satisfying conclusion to the story – although it is disappointing that there isn’t going to be a Letters From Nowhere III! Overall this was a great conclusion, and an excellent hidden object game. If you are a fan of the genre, definitely check this one out!

Review: Letters From Nowhere 2 HD

Where to Buy: iTunes App Store for the iPhone and iPad

Price: Free with full-game unlock via in-app purchase: $4.99 iPhone / $6.99 iPad

What I Like: Great story; challenging puzzles; great scoring incentive; evolving gameplay

What Needs Improvement: Nothing!

Source: Publisher provided review code

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About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!