Good gravy, is it really time for another hidden object game? We must be in some kind of golden age, as Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes is the third released in the past thirty days. What makes Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes so different from your common-or-garden hidden object game, though, is that it’s not from ubiquitous publisher Artifex Mundi. This one is an 8floor joint, and it’s out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, joining previous releases on PS4, PS5 and PC.
We’re trying hard to unravel the plot from the store information (check it out below: it’s like new-age poetry), but it seems to centre on Vanessa Van Helsing (we’re undecided if that’s awful or brilliance), who is the daughter of a member of the Secret Order of Light, a collective who’s purpose is to protect a gate that hold back nefarious beasties. As often happens with these kinds of setups, something has failed and baddies are spewing forth, including a hunchback ghost, because of course.
Your job is to find some stolen runes that will return the gate to its previous state. Or some stamps: we’re not quite sure from the plot we’ve been given. Regardless, you have access to other worlds and other eras to get them back, as the macguffins have been taken far and wide.
At the very least, it’s more bonkers and varied than the average Artifex Mundi plot, so we’re intrigued. The trailer has some pretty reasonable cinematics, and we’re reliably informed that there are 42 scenes in total. In fact, there’s a reasonable increase across the board, as Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes has 60 locations, 45 minigames and 26 hidden object scenes to scan, which is a hike on what we normally see from an Artifex release. It looks like this may be substantial.
Hidden object games have their rabid fanbases, so you likely already know if this is your bag. It’s a PC release from 2015, so we’re mostly wary of whether that age shows, but then the reviews on Steam are Mostly Positive. From trailers, the interfaces in particular look a bit hokey. Still, we will reserve judgment until our review, which is impending.
Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and starts at £7.49 from the Xbox Store. It’s also out on PS4, PS5 and PC.
Game Description:
The gates to another world will open soon! You can stop the impending disaster, but to do so at all costs to return the stolen stamps! Vanessa is the only heiress of Abraham Van Helsing, a member of the secret order of light guarding the peace of our world. And now it has to find a stolen the runes that were sealed the gate, behind which lurks an ancient evil. Vanessa comes to Italy at the invitation of Archbishop Benedict, also comprised in the order of light. Using clues left by his grandfather, she can open the doors to other worlds and times where it will have to seek the powerful printing. In addition, Vanessa learns how to relate this story with her mysterious visions and the ghost of a mysterious a hunchback.
