Around the World in 80 Days Review (Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S & PC)

If this was a vacation, I’d have no issue with sticking around and watching the wonders of the world from the comfort of a veranda or a picnic bench. But, this isn’t a vacation; it’s trickery manifest—a whirlwind globe-trotting exploit that has more layers than I could ever dare to unravel. The Bank of England; a heist; and a webbing of interwoven countries and capitals that each have their own role in the grand scheme of perplexing affairs. I don’t have the time to put pen to paper; I have just eighty days to travel the world and thread the proverbial needle. There’s a mystery here that I must find the answers to, and if I am unable to connect the dots and locate all of the right jigsaw pieces for the puzzle before the sun voyages around the earth eighty times, then it’ll be the end of the line.

In case you haven’t guessed it yet, I’m talking about Around the World in 80 Days. However, this isn’t the novel that we’re referring to, but the hidden object game that takes all of the source material from Jules Verne’s worldwide expedition and, with it, develops its own tapestry of puzzle-patented canvases. Like a traditional seek-and-find game, it pulls on all of the same strings—the intricate details, the oily landscapes and the hidden objects that fit snugly into the tightest crags and crevices of each cultural landmark. In this world, however, you don’t just stick to the one city and scrub over a few details; you take your passport to a network of locations and dabble in all forms of relics, all of which pertain to an underlying mystery that you must solve. It cuts a little deeper than that, but we’ll get into the juicier details in a minute.

If you’re vaguely familiar with hidden object games, then Around the World in 80 Days probably won’t seem like an alien concept to you. It’s a simple setup, with an image, a pointer, and a list of things for you to find and scratch off. The only difference between this canvas and, say, Cats Hidden in Georgia or a textbook Where’s Waldo scrapbook puzzler, of course, is that it stretches a little further than the usual narrative of a seek-and-find experience. For instance, in each image you have a selection of items to find, several of which hold a deeper connection to a plot-twisting heist that harkens back to a robbery in the Bank of England. As the curator of hidden objects, it falls to you to scour the scenes, collect specific items, and cross reference settings to solve puzzles and establish the answers.

The good news is that Around the World in 80 Days isn’t a dull seek-and-find game with predictable gameplay mechanics. Granted, the act of scrubbing the scene and highlighting objects remains the same as most, if not all hidden object chapters that you might catch on the market. Yet, there’s a little more to this world than what initially meets the eye, and it doesn’t take all that long to realize that, despite there being a lot of familiar trappings and hooks, this tour contains vast layers with plenty of secrets to unravel.

Alongside the classic hidden object blueprint—a job that requires you to analyze scenes and locate certain items or silhouettes, Around the World in 80 Days also features a handful of logical puzzles and spot-the-difference challenges, as well as a separate timeline that allows you to revisit keystone locations around the world as an entirely different protagonist. With a fresh perspective and a treasure trove of new tasks to work through after the initial journey is complete, the game does come through with a sizable experience that, although without a lot of replay value, can keep you immersed for a handful of hours, maybe even more.

At the heart of Around the World in 80 Days is a good old-fashioned artistic style that pays tribute to the vast cultural diversity of the continents in the best possible way. In addition to boasting some clean art work with a ton of great touches and effects, each map also brings its own unique atmospheric identity to the table, with fitting soundtracks and a well-rounded sense of comfort to resonate with the casual tourist.

When all’s said and done, hidden object games will forever remain a niche product, meaning, they won’t be for everyone. And when it comes to Around the World in 80 Days, what you essentially have is an ode to classic seek-and-find puzzlers with a few additional layers, nothing more, nothing less. It’s an incredibly easy way to burn through a pocketful of hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon, if anything. However, if you are expecting an action-oriented experience that is more in sync with the movie than the original source material, then the chances are that you’ll be slightly disappointed with just how much of a slow burner this iteration is. It isn’t that it’s without its plot twists and turns and what have you; it’s that it’s a laid-back affair that doesn’t require you to overindulge in order to make the most out of its world or connect the dots. But that’s a hidden object game for you: simple, chin-scratching entertainment that rarely overstays its welcome.

Verdict

Around the World in 80 Days takes Jules Verne’s beloved novel to vast international destinations in an attempt to entwine the classic seek-and-find elements of a traditional puzzler with an extensive collection of fascinating locations that each foster their own unique cultural heritage and theme-appropriate features. With a sturdy plot and a generous portfolio of artwork to marvel at, this short yet gripping globe-trotting excursion provides all of the right materials to keep you invested from beginning to end. It’s still a familiar concept that doesn’t push the boat out when it comes to technical innovation, but where other seek-and-find games often fail to combine vast elements into the same canvas, Around the World in 80 Days does often make it seem effortless. And that’s a great thing in my books, truly.