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Publisher G5 Entertainment
Developer
Released: January 26, 2012
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Genre: Adventure Players: 1 Also on: iPhone
Supported Features:
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Review Scores: (?) 9 - Gameplay 10 - Graphics 9 - Sound 8 - Value FINAL SCORE:
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Spirit of Wandering: The Legend HD Hidden Object games are quickly becoming the most prolific genre on the iTunes store, and why not. They are extremely easy to produce. You only need a few talented artists who can create a few hundred gorgeous screens and maybe a writer to craft a minimal story to string these screens together and you have just created an addictive “adventure” game that millions of potential tablet gamers are going to blindly download. G5 Entertainment is one such publisher that offers a large library of hidden object games including one of my favorites, the Treasure Seekers series, but Spirit of Wandering: The Legend has just surpassed that series and possibly all others as my new favorite hidden object adventure. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a good ole swashbuckling adventure or perhaps I am completely in love with the insanely gorgeous graphics waiting for you once you take to the high seas with a pirate captain in search of her missing love. Yes, the story does play out like some cheesy romance novel, perhaps in an effort to attract female gamers. After an attack by the Flying Dutchman, the crew of the Spirit of Wandering and captain’s companion, Jack, were imprisoned in the spirit world. Use powerful tools such as the Crystal Orb, a trusty compass and the help of fellow prisoners to find hidden objects that are drifting between the two worlds. Remove the lingering curse and save those stuck in the spirit world.
After you find the basic items on the list you will then need to find a specific Cherished item. There are 90 of these in the entire game with several hidden away in each location. To find these items you need to move around a Crystal Orb that will start to hum and glow when near or over the required item. This helps narrow down the search greatly. You then repeat the process of finding more basic items, another Cherished item, until all slots in the menu are filled at which point the story progresses and you move on to a new location. Often, a stylish pirate map will allow you to choose your next destination from several land, sea, or under-the-sea locations. Each gameplay area offers a stunning background that is alive with subtle animations and full of so much detail it’s amazing you can ever find anything you’re looking for. This is truly the most spectacular visual experience I’ve ever had in a hidden object adventure. Simply remarkable! Aside from a few environmental sound effects unique to each location, Spirit of Wandering leaves you only with the soft gentle melodies of impressive background music to sooth your ears while you strain your eyes on your item quest. The splash screen, menu, and map music is adventurous fare, reminiscent of the Indiana Jones score. While I refuse to allow hidden object games admittance into the adventure game genre, Spirit of Wandering: The Legend is about as adventurous as it comes thanks to its great swashbuckling premise and a somewhat interesting story clearly targeted towards the female demographic. So help this pirate captain find her missing love and explore some of the most breathtaking scenery ever seen on your iPad with yet another great hidden object game from G5 Entertainment. Screenshots  
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Spirit of Wandering takes you to six amazing settings that are home to 24 locations hiding more than 450 treasures, artifacts, and other collectible knickknacks. One particularly unique game design concept comes in the way your collection list is presented. You have these carved out shapes in the wooden side menu that hint at what you are looking for, but these shapes are not always going to match the exact shape of the item as it appears within the world. This was one of the first hidden object games where I actually had to resort to using the built-in hint system, and even that becomes a clever game of moving around this magic compass and following the needle as it points to the desired item.
