Review Date: June 11, 2010
Developer: Skunk Studios
Publisher: Big Fish Games
Platform: PC
Genre: Hidden Object
Flux Family Secrets: The Rabbit Hole is the second game in the hidden object series, and continues the story of Jessie, a young woman who stumbles into a world full of time travel and mystery. The Rabbit Hole picks up just where the first game left off and looks and plays almost exactly like its predecessor. But when the first game was so good, this isn't really a problem.
Down The Rabbit Hole
In the first game, Jessie came into contact with the curious Flux family and dove head first into the world of time travel, visiting numerous historical figures and locations along the way. Unfortunately, at the end of the game she found herself trapped in the 1980's, 30 years in the past, unable to get back to her own time. And this is right where The Rabbit Hole begins, with Jessie trying to find her way back, aided by her eccentric grandfather and a much younger version of herself.
To get back, she'll first have to right a few wrongs, travelling back in time in order to fix some historical changes caused by her travels in the first game. Along the way she'll meet legendary figures like Abraham Lincoln and Henry Ford, and do everything she can to make sure that events unfold the way that they're supposed to. There aren't as many locations to visit or characters to meet this time around, but the game does a good job of weaving an interesting tale. There's also plenty of optional story in the form of letters and notes you'll find lying around the various scenes. These aren't necessary for following the story, but provide some nice extra detail for those who are interested.
Travel Back In Time
The game itself plays like as a cross between a hidden object game and a point and click adventure and will feel intimately familiar for those who played the first entry in the series. You'll be exploring different areas, each of which is comprised of several scenes, finding objects and solving puzzles. Most of the time you'll be collecting pieces of objects, which will later be used to solve a puzzle or help you progress in some other way. There are also more traditional HOG scenes where you'll have to find every item on a list.
For the most part the HOG portions of the game are challenging without being too frustrating, though there are some objects that are incredibly hard to find. Thankfully, The Rabbit Hole features an almost too useful hint system that recharges very quickly, making it very easy to get out of any situation where you can't find a particular object.
To help break up the action the game also features a variety of mini-games, though this portion of the game is pretty uneven. There are a couple of stand out games, such as one that has you tapping out a message in Morse code, but many of them are actually the same mini-games that seem to show up in every HOG. Expect to play the usual assortment of sliding block puzzles and Simon-style memory games.
The Bottom Line
The first Flux Family Secrets game was excellent, and The Rabbit Hole doesn't mess with the formula. It offers up some solid HOG gameplay, an intriguing story, and a lengthy adventure that spans 12 chapters (plus a bonus six if you choose to pick up the collector's edition). You'll also get the same gorgeous visuals as the first game, though this time around you'll also have the option to play in glorious HD if you have a capable set up. But either way, the game looks gorgeous.
Overall The Rabbit Hole is an excellent experience and one that will leave you hoping for another sequel.