Wanderlust: Shadow of the Monolith – Review

Wanderlust: Shadow of the Monolith Review – An Adventurous Hidden Object Game

Jane and her brother Victor were invited to speak about their recent discovery at an archaeology lecture. However, your academic trip suddenly turned upside down when your brother was kidnapped by a dangerous group of criminals who wants to crack the power of a sacred monolith. Can you save your brother and humanity itself from the untold power of the monolith in Wanderlust: Shadow of the Monolith?

Wanderlust is slowly becoming one of my favorite series from Mad Head Games, and that’s a high bar to reach. After two wonderful sequels (What Lies Beneath and The City of Mists), the chart-topping adventure series returns with an equally-wonderfull third installment. Wanderlust: Shadow of the Monolith excels in the story department. Although the storyline is not wholly original, the creative and fast-paced storytelling makes it constantly refreshing and exciting.

Wanderlust: Shadow of the Monolith would not have been a success if it was not for its breathtaking world-building. The visual style and ideas strike the perfect mythic, otherworldly tone – mixing grounded real-life elements as used in the Hidden Expedition series with more fantastical experimental elements that reminisce the dearly-missed Amaranthine Voyage series. In addition, the quality of the production is second to none. From imaginative graphics and stunning animations to strong voice-acting and captivating background music, this new Wanderlust game surely does not disappoint.

The gameplay of Wanderlust: Shadow of the Monolith is closely tied to its storyline. While this might translate to a linear and easy gameplay for some other games, the gameplay here is expansive and offers solid challenges. The adventure part of the game is often busy, with lots of tasks to complete in a single scene and plenty of backtracking. The hidden object scenes are highly interactive and fun and the puzzles and abundant and thoughtful. To the dread of some and to the delight of others, Wanderlust: Shadow of the Monolith comes with a translation book gadget. This gadget is used quite often in the game and requires you to complete a symbol search mini-game, which can become quite repetitive after several plays.

With its four-hour runtime, Wanderlust: Shadow of the Monolith was not a short game, but I still did not want the expedition to end. Luckily, the Collector’s Edition comes with a lengthy 90-minute bonus chapter. Other extra items include a strategy guide, wallpapers, concept art, soundtracks, an ultimate puzzle, replayable hidden object scenes, an ultimate hidden object scene, achievements, collectibles, and morphing objects.

Wanderlust: Shadow of the Monolith takes you on an exhilarating expedition, with gorgeous sceneries and sophisticated gameplay as complements.