Of Nooks and Nonsense: A Pirate Hidden Object Game Огляд (PC)

Being a stone’s throw away from Blackbeard’s place of birth, it’s pretty difficult for me to walk outside and not see something that leans into the Golden Age of Piracy. And yet, even though I have an ocean of tourist traps and a starboard full of black flag merchandise on the foot of my doorstep, I can’t help but embrace it like a moth to a flame. Pirates, as notorious as they once were, truly make for fascinating subjects, as do hidden object games that hoist the same colors, apparently.

Of Nooks and Nonsense: A Pirate Hidden Object Game deserves credit for its ability to lean into a beloved cliché and roll with it. With a hand-drawn locale that tugs on all of the hallmark elements of a pirate-themed timepiece, Weird Pumpkins Studios openly embraces that same tapestry of tropes, with the typecast, hook-handed pirate lords, the swashbuckling privateers, and the nautical corners that might as well be named Shipwreck Cove. Consequently, it doesn’t aim to challenge history, but to frame the illusion that all pirate folk were advocates for the signature catchphrase “ARRGH!”—a vocal stim that, funnily enough, stemmed from a Bristolian accent and their known pronunciation of the letter R. The more you know, right?

I can’t help but praise a game like Of Nooks and Nonsense. Given that we’ve sadly reached a point in time where AI confidently commands most artwork, it does make for a pleasant surprise to see the odd indie jewel still hoisting the hand-crafted flag. Sure, it’s a little iffy in parts, but if there’s one thing that Of Nooks and Nonsense does, it breathes creative expression and independent wizardry into a beloved time period. And if there’s one thing that I truly appreciate in gaming, it’s original artwork and the lengths a local artist travels to establish their creative vision on a much, much smaller canvas. Of Nooks and Nonsense delivers that, as does it leave its own signature on an otherwise oh-so-familiar theme.

As hidden object games are both conceptually and mechanically transparent, Of Nooks and Nonsense isn’t a game that you need to think too deeply about in order to come to grips with. Like the rest of its kin, it builds its premise around a simple search-and-find blueprint—a design that primarily focuses on easy-to-grasp controls, basic scrubbing techniques, and intricate details that, when found, fill you with a sense of accomplishment. The component that sets this nautical scenescape apart from its swashbuckling peers, of course, is its setting. The usual feline friends and amphibian subjects are out, and the privateers of Davy Jones’ locker are suddenly all the rage.

As its title proudly implies, Of Nooks and Nonsense opts to sneak the odd slither of eccentricity into its world. Nonsense, being the operative word here, is partly what makes up its ocean, as is its use of humorous touches and well-placed details that bulk out the nooks and crannies. A kraken with a beachball; a sailor in a bathtub; a ghost on a rowboat — you get the idea. Alas, this isn’t your classical take on a time-appropriate pirate scene, but a cartoon imitation that actively chooses to inflate the usual cliches. But, you know, it works. 

Gameplay-wise, Of Nooks and Nonsense is an easy game to wade through. Like all hidden object flicks, it boils its mechanics down to a simple-to-digest palette of scrubbable tools. Naturally, you can comb through the scene, magnify objects, and highlight areas of interest, all whilst checking off dozens of subjects from your to-do list. With that, it isn’t a game that reinvents the wheel, but one that steers its ship in the direction of the same ripples. Not that this is a bad thing, mind you. If anything, I enjoy the similarities that it shares with its kin. At least you know what you’re getting.

While Of Nooks and Nonsense might not boast the heftiest canvas or the most hidden objects in the search-and-find sphere, it does bring a lot of neat ideas to the table, with dozens of signature details, comical situations, and a fitting soundtrack to frame its swashbuckling aesthetic. Although rather short and lacking in depth and complexity, the game itself harbors some brilliant features and artsy effects. Clearly, it’s still a small game, and therefore it’s easier to treat it as such. It might lack the thousand-plus subjects and the multi-layer world, but to give credit where it’s due, it does make for a thoroughly engaging hidden object game.

The only downside to Of Nooks and Nonsense is that it is, sadly, a rather short game. As you only have the one map to explore, as well as a hundred objects to find—a list that is made up of five sets of twenty—you can quite easily sweep through it in less than fifteen or twenty minutes. To that end, I do wish that it had a bit more to offer, either in a second region or with another handful of objects. Still, for what it does bring to its canvas, it hits the nail on the head more often than others of its kind. That’s a huge plus here.

To cut a long story short, if you do have the time to spare and the gold pieces to part ways with, then you should consider dipping your paddle in Of Nooks and Nonsense’s nautical diorama. It might not line your pockets with treasure or beautiful memories, but it should, with any luck, provide you with a newfound love of all things pirate-y and nonsensical. Surely that’s worth the low admission price, right?

Verdict

Of Nooks and Nonsense: A Pirate Hidden Object Game combines swashbuckling piracy with comical elements to create a short yet on-the-button hidden object experience that, while still short and lacking in grand-scale complexity, harbors a beautifully crafted setting, score and treasure trove of time-appropriate subjects. It might not be the best of its kind, but it is a charming piece of work that manages to do a lot with so very little. It also manages to sever the bond with the usual cat or amphibian subjects — and I’m more than happy about that.