I know at least one archaeologist who will scowl at me for saying this, but I sure do love some Indiana Jones style adventures. I was easily lured in to Relic Quest under this premise. Relic Quest is a hidden object game available on Facebook. Unlike other social games on Facebook, Relic Quest’s title gives you a good idea of what the game is about; I wasn’t disappointed to find out that Relic Quest is a story-based hidden object game.
Build your own museum in Relic Quest.
Premise: You play an assistant and you get to curate your own museum. You collect various objects, but your boss is kind of snippy and shady.
Characters: The characters in the game vary greatly in appearance and personality. Your assertive boss is female; your friendly museum associate is also a lady. The latter is especially realistic looking – she’s of average size and also happens to be the most helpful character in the game. Several female and male characters move you along in plot; you get the feeling that you’re just a pawn in their games, though you do actually get choices here and there about how you wish to proceed. This is mostly presented in interactions with your boss.
Defining Characteristics: I’ve got Relic Quest on in the background. I’m done playing it for the night, but I’m pretty into the game’s soundtrack. The score is beautiful and reflective of each quest. The graphics are also more ‘grown-up’ feeling than most Facebook games; I also appreciate the hidden bull whip and fedora as they appear in some of the scenes. Don’t worry, Indiana Jones fans, you won’t be disappointed.
The Museum: Your museum is what you build as you go along and find relics. I learned early on not to build something you like, because later it will count as a to-do item. That said, you can arrange everything the way you want it. It’s neat to learn a bit about real world cultures as you go along, too.
The Search: You get the reusable magnifying glass power up and the game difficulty is moderate compared to similar hidden object games.
Location Variations: I like the variety of locations in this game. You actually get to explore different types of ruins and environments rather than a bunch of different rooms.
Recommendations: This is definitely a female friendly game, though more gender-neutral than most apps and mobile games, which seem to be extremely targeted towards one gender or another. This game is appropriate for teens and adults.
When you log in, Relic Quest heavily encourages you to buy cash items and send requests to your friends.
Challenges: I do find the various quests that appear on the left sidebar to be rather overwhelming. They just keep piling up, and the only way to really get rid of them quickly is to spend real cash (the game reminds you of this enough). It’s a bit pushy compared to similar games and this makes the play experience a bit less relaxing than it could be. Overall, I’ll continue to play this game, but it isn’t my favorite hidden object game. Additionally, this game isn’t incredibly popular among my friends, which means completing the social goals in the game is a particular challenge.
What really wins it for me is the theme and the history. The plot and storyline could be a bit thicker; winding through the various chapters, it does feel a bit nebulous at times. Overall, the intrigue present in the storyline keeps me interested enough to play daily.
Relic Quest is made by HitPoint Inc. You can play Relic Quest on Facebook for free.
