Isla Dorada (iOs) Review

Hidden object fans will find much to love in the latest offering from G5 Entertainment.

Isla Dorada tells the tale of an archaeologist who has been whisked off to the mysterious Isla Dorada. Though she swears she’s never been there before, the natives all seem to know her. If she ever wants to get home, Jessica Pandora is going to have to navigate everything from vengeful gods to heartbroken mummies, picking up the pieces of a broken golden mask that holds the keys to her return along the way.

Isla Dorada is *all* about the hidden object searches – really. You won’t find yourself fumbling for where to go next in this game. While you do need to search small environments, shining stars light the way towards your next move, each entailing a new object search. You’ll be picking up needed items along the way, by completing these searches and then placing them where they need to go to open doors, help that sad little mummy, and more.

The object searches in Isla Dorada are of the standard type: you are given a fixed screen holding a riotous jumble of objects, and a list of objects you must find is given at the bottom of the screen. The jumbles are challenging, but not overly so, making it just perfect for some relaxing, causal gaming fun. If you do get stuck searching for a specific item, there is a hint feature that will help you out. It runs on a timer, so you won’t be able to use it several times in succession (but you probably wouldn’t need to anyway). Be ware of random tapping – if you mistap too many times in a row, your screen will “crack” for a few seconds as chastisement.

As I stated earlier, Jessica needs to find all the pieces of that mask in order to return home. These pieces are hidden in the rooms and environments that you visit. There is a tiny gold mask icon in the bottom right side of the screen that can be dragged around an area to help you search for the pieces. When it is near a piece, the mask begins to glow. When you spot the piece, you’ll click on it and enter a hidden object search to acquire it. Jessica knows that finding the complete mask will help her get home – but when will her questions be answered?

In addition to the many hidden object searches you’ll find in Isla Dorada, there are also some mini games throughout that add a little variety to the gameplay. These range from things like reassembling a torn picture to a memory game, ad are generally fairly simple. All of the mini games are completely skippable after a very short time, so if you only want hidden objects you can just click right past. You will get achievements for completing them without skipping, as well as for many other things, if achievements are your thing.

Isla Dorada is a paradise of hidden object jumbles with very little exploring needed. If you want object jumbles – and just object jumbles – then this is the game for you. There is enough story and environment searching to make things interesting, but not so much that it takes away from your main purpose of doing object finds and having a little relaxing fun.