Hidden Through Time is a hidden-object search game from Rogueside, sending the player through hand-drawn historical scenes in the hunt for listed objects. The full package was completed, with the main story mode and all five DLC packs cleared to one hundred per cent.
The hint writing earns its keep by cutting down the search space, with statements about trees or settings narrowing what needs to be examined. Some hints make object locations fairly obvious, which is exactly the point of a genre built on restraint.
The historical-era framing keeps every level distinct, with four eras in the main game and five themed DLC packs covering Norse mythology, Japan, Rome, pirates and the Aztecs. Each setting brings its own set dressing, characters and object roster.
The colour palette is a genuine design benefit, since the coloured scenes make objects far easier to spot than the monochrome art of Hidden Folks. The game is significantly easier than Hidden Folks as a result, which is not a bad thing.
The jokes in the level descriptions are a recurring delight, from the bloody yellow scorpion to the creature that is not a troll but a Kappa. The pleasant music, particularly during the pirate DLC, adds a light touch throughout.
The main campaign is short at around ninety minutes, and each DLC pack lasts about twenty minutes, with the whole package finishing in under four hours. Objects repeatedly blend into the scenery, with camouflage forming the core difficulty, and the container-search habit causes misses when hidden objects sit inside opened items.
Overall, the hint writing, the era framing and the gentle difficulty make this a fun hidden-object game. The brevity is the only real caveat, and returning to it remains an easy decision.