Back in 2016 there was a sale on the 3DS eShop which included a few hidden object games. This wasn’t a genre I had a lot of experience with, but I quite fancied trying it; and at £1 each there wasn’t a huge financial risk. I bought Ravenhearst, and since it was only another pound, the sequel Return to Ravenhearst. I then played Ravenhearst occasionally over the next seven years or so, largely regretting my purchases.

It turns out that hidden object games are OK. I enjoy the scavenger hunts included in Two Dots; there were parts in the Layton games with similar mechanics. The issue is that I don’t like too much of them. I quickly got bored of the format, after a few puzzles, which is why it took many years to complete the first game.

The biggest issue with the Ravenhearst games is that they were made for the PC, and have been shoehorned onto the 3DS. There are lots of games which have great conversions; these aren’t a good example. The pictures you have to search for are fuzzy and indistinct; what’s more, the list of objects you have to find is frequently vague. The objects are early 20-century in style (meaning that if you are told to search for a phone it is often one that has the separate speaker), and use the American terms for things. Being asked to search for a “top” was an exercise in frustration, particularly when the eventual item looked nothing like a spinning top anyway.

The first game was restricted to the hidden objects puzzles, with occasional jigsaws which progressed the story. The sequel has expanded the scope a lot, to the point where there is now a whole map to explore, with a subterranean town accessed beneath the manor’s fireplace, and you find hidden object puzzles by searching for the sparkles. Completing the puzzle gives you an object, and you have to use these objects to progress, either directly or by using them in a different type of puzzle contraption. Again, these contraptions are very difficult to use because you often can’t see the buttons due to screen resolution. There are often clues written around the puzzles as well, but in some cases these were again unclear.

In the end I followed a walkthrough to complete the game. I got stuck at a point where I’d opened a new location, in a cemetery overlooking some cliffs, but there seemed to be nothing I needed there. I had found a puzzle over the fireplace which required a sun and a moon, and I had found the moon, but searching everywhere revealed no sun. Following the walkthrough, I was supposed to notice that the cemetery is overgrown near the tree, and then use the shears I found previously to cut it down – but I had to use them three times, and there was no noticeable difference in scenery after I used them once. Even if I had guessed this was what I had to do, after the first attempt I wouldn’t have tried again.

The game took quite some time to finish, even while following the walkthrough, and the story turned quite unpleasant. Finding the tomb for a woman and her twin daughters, who the manor’s owner had used to gain life force for him and his (unrequited) love, was pretty disturbing. Releasing their ghosts was creepy – even though I had to read about that in the walkthrough to understand what the fuzzy visuals were meant to be showing.

I don’t think I’ll bother with any of the other games in the series.

Harmoknight is best described as a rhythm platformer, although the platforming is basic at best and the rhythms are simple. You have two buttons – a jump, and an attack – and you have to either jump or attack in time with the music’s beat. In most cases it’s sufficient to react in time to seeing the gap or enemy, but on occasion the screen zooms in and reaction times are just too long; it’s at this point that you’ll lose too many lives and have to repeat the level. Each time you repeat you’ll get a bit further (usually), remembering the patterns to hit the buttons in and perfecting timing.

While that’s the core of the game, there are a few sections or levels which differ. Boss battles tend to give you a phrase to repeat, which is very reminiscent of Space Channel 5’s reliance on varying rhythms, while other levels have other characters join to introduce slightly different button requirements – pressing A or X depending on whether there’s an upper or lower enemy, for example. In order to pass a level you generally need to collect enough purple notes – from just running over them, or from hitting enemies exactly in time, or from hitting background objects as you pass them – and this awards you a Royal Note which is used to unlock new parts of the map. It’s possible to get to the end of a level and get a “so so” rating (rather than “good” or “great”), meaning you have to repeat it.

I like rhythm action games. Parappa the Rapper was a favourite at university; I enjoyed Um Jammer Lammy as well, and Vib Ribbon was bought on release day from WH Smiths in Clifton Downs. Space Channel 5 was uniquely stylish, and I still remember Owen when I play it. I’ve enjoyed the various Rhythm Heaven games I’ve played, and Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure, and of course the dance mats and bongos and plastic guitars and the maracas. I wouldn’t say that Harmoknight was the best, but it was very enjoyable. The stages were the right length, the requirements were sufficiently varied, and the game didn’t outstay its welcome. After beating the final boss there were a few bonus levels to complete, plus a new section of the map opened. As well as this, any level which you pass with a “great” rating gives you the option of playing it at a faster speed.

The game really benefits from being on the 3DS. The latency between processor and screen is known, and so the timing is spot on. Going back to replay Parappa nowadays is difficult, because of lag between the console and the TV, and the fact that the timing was never quite right in the game to start with. No such problems here – if you know which buttons to press when, you could close your eyes and hit the beat dead on. The fact that I didn’t get perfect scores on every level is my fault, not the game’s.

I’d recommend it, but with the closure of the 3DS eShop there’s now no legal way to get it. Maybe wait for the inevitable rerelease on the Switch 3.