The Christmas Spirit: Trouble in Oz – Review

You have been invited to join Oz and his friends in his first Christmas celebration! But the celebration did not go smoothly as planned when the naughty goblins stole all of Oz’s presents. Explore the reimagined Emerald City in this new holiday extravaganza from Domini Games.

The classic story of the Wizard of Oz has probably been told a hundred times before, in various editions, throughout the history of HOPAs. However, The Christmas Spirit: Trouble in Oz manages to present it in a new light, mixing in some charming Christmas flair. We found the storyline to be quite fascinating, although when compared to a veteran holiday series like Christmas Stories, this game is still lacking in Christmas “magic”.

The graphics in The Christmas Spirit: Trouble in Oz are definitely up to Domini Games’ usual high standards. The artwork is impressive and detailed, and when combined with the fancy special effects, The Christmas Spirit looks nothing short of stunning. On the music side, the melodic soundtracks give the game the appropriate enchanting vibe, while the voice-overs are pleasant and easy-to-follow. If there is one problem we have regarding the sights and sounds, that would be the overuse of blue hue in the visuals. Otherwise, the production is pretty much perfect.

Don’t expect much originality when it comes to the gameplay of The Christmas Spirit: Trouble in Oz. Regardless of how well-engineered the game is, there is no denying that Domini Games plays it a little too safe with this one. The tasks to be completed are redundant and predictable, the puzzles are what we have all seen before, and the hidden object scenes are simply not complex enough, even though we did enjoy them. In addition, we also have Toto as our pet helper, another rehashed feature that fails to excite us.

The Christmas Spirit: Trouble in Oz has a typical length of around four hours and the bonus chapter is about an hour long. For those who look forward to the extras in the Collector’s Edition, the good news is that this game is packed! The game includes a strategy guide, wallpapers, concept art, soundtracks, videos, replayable hidden object games, replayable mini-games, achievements, collectibles, a customizable Christmas Tree, and personalized firework display.

Despite being loaded with HOPA cliches, The Christmas Spirit: Trouble in Oz nicely balances the well-known fairy tale with the holiday theme.