Game Review: Eventide 2: Sorcerers Mirror (Xbox One)

Eventide 2: Sorcerer’s Mirror is the latest Artifex Mundi puzzle adventure/hidden object game to be released on consoles. It takes the standard formula that fans will be used too & adds some interesting new elements to it. Unfortunately, a lack of original puzzles ideas & an decrease in difficulty stops it being a truly great game.

We’ve reviewed a large number of these games so far & you can read them all below.

Clockwork Tales: Of Ink & Glass
Nightmares From the Deep: The Cursed Heart
Enigmatis: Ghosts of Maple Creek
Nightmares From The Deep: The Siren’s Call
Dark Arcana: The Carnival
Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood
Lost Grimoires: Stolen Kingdom
Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan
Eventide: Slavic Fable

Mary, the botanist from the first Eventide game is travelling through the mountains with her niece when they run into the evil sorcerer Tvardovsky who kidnaps Jenny. Mary has no choice but to pursue him into an enchanted village where she will meet all manner of characters, explore enchanted locations & uncover a dangerous plot.

Based again on Slavic fables, Eventide 2 plays it safe with the ‘kidnapping’ trope that is the cornerstone of all these types of games. It’s a bit disappointing even if the sub-plot about getting to see lost loved ones again is pretty interesting.

The story of Eventide 2 just doesn’t hold up that well & with a lack of interesting characters it’s far too forgettable. At this stage also, you can’t shake the feeling that you’ve seen it all before. Thankfully the addition of a choice system adds some much-needed freshness. Choices that don’t really affect the plot but involve more interaction & thought then you normally get.

As per usual, Eventide 2 looks great. Each Artifex Mundi games seems to improve visually each time, even if this one doesn’t have the most striking locations. This Eventide sequel feels way more contained then previous especially when it repeats things like mazes that we’ve seen far too much already in other games.

Eventide 2 has some of the most lacklustre puzzles & bland looking hidden object scenes of all the games so far. Most of the puzzles are shockingly simple offering very little challenge at all. There are few actual hidden object scenes & they are clearly lacking inspiration.

Throw in that it can be completed in about 2-3 hours with no additional chapter & it’s hard not to see Eventide 2 as anything but a disappointment. A pity as Artifex Mundi have proven to be pros at making each other game feel unique.