Hidden World is a new resource management game by Alawar. It is yet another game where you run around clearing roads, collecting resources, and building your way to a myriad of level goals. The game is set in a magical world where an evil wizard Snow Fox has inflicted a Frozen Spell on Shangri La. By clearing and building your way through each level, you will return the frozen wasteland to its original beauty one step at a time. It is kind of neat to watch this happen as you go along. Your goal is to remove this spell on Shangri La by restoring the 52 levels of the frozen landscape to its former glory.
Hidden World has two gameplay modes--Active and Relaxed. Within the Active mode, you are given Main Tasks and Bonus Tasks to complete in the allotted amount of time. You cannot move on to the next level until you complete the main tasks on time but really most players will want to get both goals to feel "complete." There is a slew of trophies available, but finishing the game with all the tasks completed plus the 4 bonus levels will get you there without difficulty.
The differences between Hidden World and others in the genre (Roads of Rome and My Kingdom for the Princess and the like) are minor but unique. For one, you must click on the resources once your worker has uncovered them or a building has produced them. The other is the presence of Wizards and their portals. On levels with Wizard's portals you will have a Wizard pop up to try to freeze your buildings. You need to click on his balls of frozenness and the wizard himself to rid yourself of his temporary nastiness and eventually destroy his portal. Finally, you can click on the workers while they are building or clearing to speed them up.
I found this game to be entirely delightful to play. At times it is challenging to play but not too much so. There are a few levels where obstruction clearing order is crucial; but no fears, we have provided you with a complete Hidden World walkthrough if you get too frustrated. As usual, if you are a fan of this resource management games you will enjoy this game. While I wouldn't drop everything to play it like the aforementioned games, I would definitely recommend putting Hidden World on your list of games to play.
