Auryn HD - Mitzi’s World Review

Auryn HD - Mitzi’s World is a charming app for iPad, an adaptation of the previously published seek-and-find book of the same name.

Mitzi’s World contains 15 wonderfully illustrated paintings which contain a grand amount of details to search for in each of these Americana-themed images.

Covering all of the four seasons, pages also contain a short poem of sorts entailing what hidden objects one is looking for, with this list always ending on the little dog Mitzi, included throughout each painting.

The art work included is lovingly styled and beautiful, consisting of painting of days past as children and adults explore motifs such as a vintage-looking Christmas scene, people riding turn-of-the-century bikes and a period scene taking place on a boardwalk - each lovingly painted by the highly regarded folk artist, Jane Wooster.

I appreciate how the pages of this book have been developed, as originally this book included one page dedicated to the text, while the opposite page contained the painting. Here, one will find a pull-down window including the poem of the object to be found, sweetly narrated by a child.

One can close this window, allowing only a single object to be listed as users search for these objects individually. Pinch and zoom with one’s fingers to enlarge for details as well as zoom out to see these paintings as a whole.

Once an image is found, slight animation or a sound effect will be triggered as a simple yet effective reward to let users know that they have succeeded in their search. If stuck, players can skip over a clue to the next, or tap the question mark for a hint, panning this app to the general section where the object is to be found.

I really appreciate being able to enlarge these painting on our iPad - not just to hunt for hidden objects, but to see all the included details up close. The included narration is charming as well as the basic hints for those who need help - elements new to this title.

I would like, however, to be able to tap for hints over and over again, leading closer and closer to the object in question to help children find what they are looking for.

I am also not fond of the fact that one must look for the items in the order they are listed in the text, as tapping an object out of turn will not trigger the audio or animated effects and will not be marked as found on the list that one is working from.

It would be also nice to see more of a difference between objects found as opposed to those that users are still are looking for because the only difference presented is that found items become bold next to the normal typeface used.

Because of this, it is not easy to remember which ones are being looking for vs. already found, especially if walking away from this app for a few days or longer, but I do very much like that this app saves one’s progress as well as has the ability to re-set the puzzles within.

This issue aside, children and their families who enjoy art will also get much from this application, and this is a lovely and sweet app to share among many age ranges.

Adults who are still wary of applications for their children, favoring classic toys yet who have an iPad for themselves will not be disappointed with this application, as this very much keeps a traditional, low tech feel of enjoying a published book while including a few nice modern details.

I am also happy to say that although the clues and illustrations obviously stay the same within each painting, the sheer amount of details to look at and find - 150 items over 15 scenes - are enough to make players feel as if it is their first time with a section over and over again, making this app easy to recommend to all who love hidden picture activities, including adults.

So far, I have been delighted with the titles Auryn has acquired to develop into applications. From what I have seen, they are uniformly marvelous, and Mitzi’s World is no exception. I am very excited to see what new titles will be adapted next.