Where's Mickey
Disney Find 'n Seek is a perfect road trip distraction for kids
George Ponder
Find 'n Seek is one of the latest releases from Disney and joins the hidden object puzzle genre of games. Available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, the game is a library full of puzzles themed after popular Disney movies such as Frozen, Tangled and Big Hero 6.
The free game offers a Donald Duck collection of puzzles and the other puzzle chapters are available through in-app purchase. Disney Find 'n Seek is clearly geared more towards the younger gamer, but the more seasoned gamers should also find it challenging to locate the some of the objects hidden in plain sight.
Disney Find 'n Seek opens up in a strange fashion by jumping directly into a tutorial on gameplay. The tutorial walks you through choosing the puzzle book to play from, solving a puzzle and cataloging the rare items you locate. If Disney Find 'n Seek has a main menu, it would be from an enchanted library scene where a magical book sits center screen. You can access the puzzle library by tapping on the "books" banner and tapping on the magical book opens up an achievement display. There is also two navigation buttons on this screen to go to the help screen and gaming store where you can buy additional puzzle books.
The achievements display highlight any rare objects you find and notes your progress on completing each collection of these items. The game's help screen covers gameplay mechanics and the developer credits. For some reason, this area is password protected much like parental controls are (provided four written numbers and you have to enter them numerically).
Puzzles with Disney Find 'n Seek are sorted by volumes that contain multiple puzzles. The individual volumes are themed after a Disney movie, only a book of Donald Duck puzzles is provided with the free version of the game. Additional volumes include Frozen, Toy Story, Big Hero 6, Tangled and more and are available through in-app purchase. The additional volumes run $2.99 each with bundled deals available for $4.99 to save a little when buying multiple volumes.
Gameplay with each puzzle is your typical hidden-object-style gameplay. You are presented with a scene and a list of items to find sits at the bottom of the display. A collection of power-ups and hints are nestled in the lower right corner.
Each game is timed and if the clock strikes zero before all the objects are located, you fail the level. To claim or locate an item, just tap on it. When first tapped, rare items begin dancing around the screen and require a second tap to collect.
Puzzle scenes are played multiple times and involve the same core set of objects to find (plus the rare objects). Each visit to the scene has these objects shuffled about and I have to give the developers credit with their skills at hiding things. If you do get stumped, the hint button can be used once per game and the power-ups can give you extra time, remove some of the clutter from the scene and reveal hidden objects. The power-ups require an in-app purchase, but you can save a little cash by simply waiting long enough during gameplay until one of the hidden object flashes. The downside to this strategy is that it costs you valuable time. Time is money, so it's your call.
Disney Find 'n Seek does feel as it was developed more for our younger gamers, but gameplay is challenging enough to appeal to all ages (or at least to also stump Mom and Dad when this kid's having trouble locating the final item). The Windows 10 game plays out nicely from the smaller screen of a Windows Mobile phone, as well as from the larger screen of a Windows 10 tablet or PC.
My only gripe with Disney Find 'n Seek is with the number of in-app purchases. From buying new puzzle volumes to buying power-ups, it felt as though at every turn the game presented you with a way to spend a little money. In some cases, a lot of money. Luckily, the volumes can be bundled to reduce the cost a little.
I can see Disney Find 'n Seek being a fun gaming option for road trips, distracting the kids in a restaurant, or keeping them occupied in the waiting room at the dentist. Or you can substitute yourself in there; it's okay, you'll find that hidden snow shoe soon, just look a little harder...
Download Disney Find 'n Seek for Windows 10 PC and Mobile
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