Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher's Stone

About

In "Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher's Stone," Emma, the protagonist, embarks on a journey to find her missing uncle who has vanished while working on a mythical portal. She steps into the unknown, entering a world of five elements, solving 48 puzzles and 21 hidden object scenes to uncover the mystery. With hand-painted locations and an immersive storyline, the game offers an engaging hidden object adventure experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher's Stone screenshot

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 184 reviews

story44 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

Beautiful hand-painted graphics and relaxing music create an immersive experience.
Variety of puzzles and hidden object scenes keep gameplay engaging and enjoyable.
The story, while familiar, offers interesting twists and a captivating adventure through elemental realms.

Voice acting is often criticized for being wooden and lacking emotion.
Some puzzles can be illogical or frustrating, leading to confusion during gameplay.
The story may feel clichéd and lacks depth, with certain plot points left unexplained.

story
155 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
8%
The story in the game is generally considered average, with many reviewers noting its predictability and reliance on familiar tropes typical of hidden object games. While some players appreciated the intriguing elements and beautiful visuals, others criticized the lack of depth, coherence, and engaging character development, often describing the narrative as thin or clichéd. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling driving force, with mixed opinions on its execution and voice acting quality.
- “As the story continues, it becomes clear that her uncle is a bad guy who desires the ability of the philosopher's stone to control the elements for his own selfish purposes.”
- “I enjoyed the story--the music and voices are good--and the artwork is well done.”
- “The story is intriguing enough to keep me playing, and the artwork is gorgeous as usual.”
- “The story is average: it has no significant plot points and ends with a generic twist.”
- “The bad voice acting may have had a lot to do with my growing disinterest in the story the more I progressed.”
- “The story was especially poor, in my opinion.”
graphics
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
32%
4%
The graphics in the game are generally well-received, with many users praising the beautiful artwork, detailed environments, and vibrant character designs. However, some reviews note that the visuals can feel dated or inconsistent, with occasional graphical glitches and issues like lack of mouth movement during voiceovers. Overall, while the graphics range from mediocre to stunning, they contribute positively to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
- “The graphics are quite beautiful, given the different worlds visited.”
- “Splendid graphics, wonderful atmosphere, lots of magic and fairy.”
- “The artwork is gorgeous.”
- “The graphics are very poor, the voice acting is atrocious and the overall mechanics are outdated.”
- “Graphics: 5/10 - looks more like it was made in 2001 than 2014, pixelated cut scenes.”
- “This game has at the moment graphical glitches that make it hard to play.”
music
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
42%
9%
The music in the game is generally praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, with many reviewers noting that it enhances the overall experience and fits well with the game's themes and visuals. However, some criticism arises regarding its repetitiveness and occasional technical issues, such as music stopping unexpectedly. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered decent and enjoyable, it may not stand out as particularly memorable or diverse.
- “It's the music and exquisite, hand-painted scenes that make this a beautiful and relaxing game.”
- “The music throughout the entire game gave me goosebumps; honestly, I would buy the soundtrack for this game if it was available!”
- “The game also uses music that fits each scene, helping to create a very mystical vibe or adding to the drama where it’s needed.”
- “Background music is repetitive, however.”
- “Nothing is bad with the soundtrack but it is a bit underwhelming, kind of repetitive.”
- “It's pretty, and each world has its own fitting music, but most of it is generic.”
gameplay
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
53%
8%
The gameplay is generally well-received, featuring a mix of hidden object scenes and puzzles that are engaging, though some mechanics feel outdated and familiar to fans of the genre. While the game offers a decent length of around 5 hours and introduces some new elements, it suffers from repetitive puzzles and a lackluster narrative that detracts from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the visuals, sound design, and core mechanics are praised, making it a solid choice for casual puzzle enthusiasts.
- “The ambient sound effects and background music blend in seamlessly with the graphics and gameplay, and add to the enjoyment.”
- “But the gameplay itself is very nice; the game is divided into element-themed chapters, the hidden object scenes are nicely made and varied, and the developers have obviously put effort into making other minigames interesting. On these fronts, this is one of the better Artifex Mundi games.”
- “Decent variety in terms of gameplay: multiple creative puzzles to solve, different types of hidden object scenes to search through, and numerous item or element-based obstacles to overcome.”
- “The graphics are very poor, the voice acting is atrocious, and the overall mechanics are outdated.”
- “Tldr: even higher quality hidden object games end up recycling the same minigames and mechanics and reskinning different art and simple thin storylines on each.”
- “Any longer and I'd personally get bored from the repetitive nature of the gameplay, and any shorter and I'd feel like my money wouldn't be well spent.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with some players noting limited value beyond the initial experience. However, the inclusion of relaxing puzzles, hidden object scenes, and bonus content like concept art and music provides enough incentive for a few additional playthroughs, making it a worthwhile purchase for some.
- “Replayable hidden object scenes and mini-games are also a part of the bonus content, as well as concept art, wallpapers, and music.”
- “The replay value for the game is low.”
- “There is some replay value in regards to the relaxing puzzles and cozy backgrounds and atmosphere, so I don't regret buying this at all.”
- “Replayable hidden object scenes and mini games are also part of the bonus content, as well as concept art, wallpapers, and music.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Overall, user experiences with stability are mixed; while some report no glitches or technical issues, others have encountered significant graphical glitches that hinder gameplay.
- “The game runs smoothly with no glitches or technical problems.”
- “I experienced no crashes or bugs during my playthrough, which made for a very stable gaming experience.”
- “The stability of the game is impressive; everything works as intended without any interruptions.”
- “This game has, at the moment, graphical glitches that make it hard to play.”
- “No glitches or technical problems.”
- “Glitches / bugs”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its splendid graphics and enchanting, mystical worlds, creating a magical and cozy experience. Players appreciate the relaxing puzzles and the overall immersive environment, making it a worthwhile purchase, especially when on sale.
- “An atmospheric casual point-and-click adventure that will take you to well-realized mystical worlds.”
- “My advice: buy it on sale, go in for the puzzles, atmosphere, and with an open mind.”
- “There is some replay value in regards to the relaxing puzzles and cozy backgrounds and atmosphere, so I don't regret buying this at all.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by clever personal commentary and unintentional comedic moments, particularly in the voice acting. While it draws inspiration from popular concepts, this familiarity enhances the comedic experience. Overall, the humor is a blend of intentional jokes and amusing quirks that contribute to the game's charm.
- “It does take a lot of inspiration from other popular ideas (totally not a Stargate), but that just makes for great personal humorous commentary.”
- “The art is quite nice, the hops are fine, there are okay minigames as well, and the voice acting is unintentionally funny at points.”
- “Many of the moments are humorous, with a few being necessary to continue along the storyline.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is highlighted by impressive character designs and animations, though a notable drawback is the lack of mouth movement during dialogue. The richly-detailed backgrounds and well-crafted puzzle and hidden object scenes contribute positively to the overall experience.
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in later minigames, leading some to skip them altogether. The absence of a frustrating rescue mission is noted, but it doesn't significantly alleviate the overall grind.
- “After that, I skipped several minigames because the later ones are tedious overall.”
- “The grinding feels endless and becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
- “I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which made the experience feel monotonous.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its wild and unpredictable narrative, featuring a blend of fantastical elements like mermaids and dragons, culminating in a space adventure that keeps players engaged and invested in the story.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users reporting smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others experience significant lag and technical issues. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary widely depending on individual system configurations.