Nemo's Secret: The Nautilus (IHOG)
Options include separate sliders for music and sound, custom cursor and full-screen. Credits are also accessible via the options menu.
The Help tab will show you the basics of game interaction, which most of us know, but would be helpful for newbies to the interactive hidden object genre.
There is a short misclick penalty (red-hot cursor) and a refillable HINT button.
Hidden objects are found via list, but they've added to the difficulty a bit by only showing eight of the items you need to find at a time. There is a counter to the right of the list that shows how many items you have left to find. ie. You see the names of eight items you need to find, and there are 24 items remaining to find. Click on any listed item to see what the outline looks like.
Some items are hidden via hot-spots. There are interactive areas during the HOG scenes where you might have to look inside cupboards, behind or under other items, etc. There are two nice things about this extra interaction: For those of us who can't stand unsolicited hints, there are no excessive sparklies! For those who prefer a bit more help, items that are hidden within the scenes are listed in the color green, so you'll know to be looking for hot-spots.
Something that I really like is that
every item you find on your list will either go into your inventory to be used later, or placed back into the scene properly. In this game everything is a mess for a reason, and finding objects "tidies" the room. The rooms start messy (but not junk-piley), and become more lovely as you progress.
Captain Nemo, via holographic device, will give you instructions periodically, and you'll have to click on the "continue" button before you can proceed. A small inconvenience. You also have a log that will add extra story and instructions, but hint-haters be warned! There are sometimes solutions that you may not have wanted to see in the log.
The game is very linear, made in classic IHOG-style with no adventure-esque wandering involved. The mini-games are skippable, but doable. Some scenes are interaction-only with no instructions at all, but there is always the log and HINT button available if you get stuck. I love that you are not bombarded with sparklies and hints, and also that they are there if I should need them.
The artwork is very nice, the music so-so and the sound effects non-invasive. There are few dark/tiny items, but overall the graphics are pretty and non-junkie. The game was nice and long, and had a logical stopping point, whilst still leaving room for a sequel. A nice solid IHOG
