As a fan of hidden object and puzzle games, I was pleased to be able to review Kuros, the newest game from Sandlot Games. You begin the game as Katya, a young woman who finds herself in a mysterious land with no recollection of whom she is or why she is there. As she sets out to regain her memories, she finds herself solving the problems that have arisen in the strange land.

The game consists mostly of locations in which you must discover hidden objects throughout each landscape. Each area consists of an Elemental Glyph (Fire, Water, etc...) in which you must free and solve its puzzle to move to the next land. But before you can free the Glyphs, you must help characters of each land. Hidden items one finds can be used to repair machines, create important objects, and even solve puzzles. Throughout each area, you are also tasked to find map fragments, with which help open other locations and lands.

The puzzles in the game vary in style and difficulty. Some puzzles are arranging puzzle pieces, finding the differences in images, memorization of colors, and recognizing patterns. They also range in difficulty, but never come off as frustratingly impossible. I found some to be easily solved, while others took a good amount of thought and concentration.

While there is very limited animation, the graphics and design of the locations and level is very well done. One thing that I found refreshing was the fact that hidden objects rarely had that cartoon feel to them. The cartoon feel I speak of is when there is an interactive object on a static background and it is easily noticeable in its look on the background.

I really found myself enjoying the music and sound effects implemented in the game. It was very soothing and helped set the tone for each land. My only issue was the voice acting in the game. Many times I found myself wondering at some of the decisions in voices, but one does not expect the talent of a Final Fantasy in a more casual style PC game. Don't get me wrong though, none of the voices ever caused my ears to bleed like a badly dubbed anime.

Overall Kuros is a very well crafted casual game with hardcore elements mixed in. The puzzles will make you think, some of the objects will make you scratch your head as to where they could be, and the story will suck you in. I didn't expect a long game, but surprisingly found myself wishing for more as the game came to its close. It is obviously set up for a sequel, which I anticipate greatly after having so much fun with what seems to be the first installment in a new series. I have to highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a break from the shooting and fighting in other games. Sit back, relax and start your journey in the mysterious land of Kuros.

Kuros is available now and can be purchased from Sandlot Games for $9.99.