Piles of miscellaneous junk are rarely charming in real life, but Little Things Forever makes the task of wading through a sea of clutter in search of a few specific treasures a pleasant brain-teasing experience. With its simple interface and creative approach, this fun sequel to the original hidden object puzzler captivates the senses.
Like with other seek-and-find games, each stage gives you a laundry list of objects to hunt for amidst a screen full of debris. The challenge comes from quickly training your eyes to separate the target items from the chaotic detritus. Finding everything in short order earns you a better score, though the lack of an on-screen timer keeps the pressure to a minimum. A quick pinch lets you zoom in and out for a closer look at the scene, and the sometimes necessary hint option spotlights the general area of a hidden object if you get stumped. The familiar puzzle approach is light and accessible.
Instead of leaning towards innovation in the gameplay department, Little Things Forever uses an inventive presentation to keep everything feeling fresh. Each playing field is made up of hundreds of small items arranged and color-coded to form bigger objects, like a vulture, a cheeseburger, a rock guitar, or a fire hydrant, for example. Artful arrangements make the scenes pop with personality, and it's neat to zoom out to see the bigger picture after spending time scrutinizing everything close-up.
Stages and items lists cycle randomly between the available levels you've unlocked, and they grow more elaborate the more you play. Even with the random item lists, playing the same handful of stages repeatedly gets a little monotonous, but every stage you complete earns you a special puzzle piece that can later be combined into sliding puzzles that unlock new boards to play on.
The bottom line. A new twist on a classic formula, Little Things Forever has infinite replay potential and a super sense of style that help round out its familiar, but enjoyable gameplay.
of 5
iPod or iPad running iOS 4.3 or later
Awesome stylish presentation. High replayability. Tons of items to hunt for.
Limited play modes. Some repetition required to unlock more stages.
