Oh where, oh where have my little gnomes gone? Apparently, off to Sardinia! This time, Mateusz Skutnik transports us to the quaint Italian city of Oristano. Following in the typical mode of operation from previous adventures, 10 Gnomes yet again requires some point-and-click scavenging for our titular creatures.
Even without having played any previous episodes, an intuitive game setup encourages us to explore this new location while on the lookout for 10 Gnomes. Thoroughly compiled photographs make players feel immersed, and since these little characters have the magical ability to escape our view until the closest possible frame, we are compelled to take a closer look and soak up all the details of this unique historical site.
Game navigation is smooth and simple, as is achieving completion (with enough patience and thoroughness!); however, for those who are directionally challenged, keeping track of where you've been and where you'll go can be quite a brain teaser.
Ample layers of exploration make 10 Gnomes in Oristano so engaging. We can zoom in, further and further to inspect every nook and cranny, then zoom all the way out again and appreciate the contrasting view, forgetting how lost in the weeds we had become. While the game's objective is to uncover all 10 Gnomes, its true gem is an offering of perspective.
Now, I've never been to the island of Sardinia - but when I do go, I'll remember what 10 Gnomes in Oristano taught me, and I'll stop to smell the roses.
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This is perhaps the worst game of the series in terms of visual content. I assume everybody's used to spending half an hour finding the last screen (and this time it was due to a hotspot that's half the size it should be), but having to carefully sweep your mouse over 50+ screens of stone bricks is extra painful.
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