# Dark Realm: Lord of the Winds - Hidden Objects — user reviews > 79 indexed App Store user reviews of Dark Realm by Big Fish Games, Inc, rated 4.00/5 from 209 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-realm-lord-of-the-winds-hidden-objects/id1186918850/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-realm-lord-of-the-winds-hidden-objects/id1186918850.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 106 · 4★ 50 · 3★ 23 · 2★ 15 · 1★ 15 ## What do users think of Dark Realm? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 🎨 Stunning graphics and beautiful artwork - 📖 Creative and immersive storyline - 🧩 Varied and inventive puzzle designs - 🎮 Unique gameplay mechanics different from typical hidden object games - 🎭 Excellent voice acting and character development - 🗺️ Helpful map system for navigation - ✨ Interactive and engaging hidden object scenes - 🔄 Good replay value with complexity - 💎 High production quality overall **Cons** - 🐛 Unresponsive and buggy puzzle mechanics - ❌ Poorly explained mini-game instructions - 🎮 Unintuitive gameplay and controls - ⏱️ Slow performance and lag issues - 🔊 Sound settings don't work properly - 🎬 Excessive cutscenes and dialogue - 😕 Confusing map accessibility (buried in menu) - 🔁 Repetitive and tedious puzzle tasks - 🎯 Inconsistent hint system functionality - 💾 Game-breaking bugs preventing progression - 🖼️ Graphics glitches with visual overlays - 📊 Difficulty balancing (too easy or too hard) **Commonly reported bugs** - Puzzles unresponsive or won't complete after solving - Sound settings don't disable audio - Hint system becomes unresponsive (feathers go limp) - Game stuck at specific story points (prison cell) - Bonus chapter progression blocked by technical issues - Screen backing up to previous scenes unexpectedly - Inventory items won't combine properly - Graphics display boxes and white squares covering gameplay - Game performance stuttering and lag - Sparkle indicators missing despite settings enabled **Most requested features** - Easier map accessibility from main game screen - Better mini-game instruction clarity - Adjustable hint and skip timer settings - More hidden object scenes relative to puzzles - Reduced cutscene and dialogue length - Single difficulty level instead of multiple tiers - Ability to review game after completion - Improved performance and smoother gameplay - Better visual indicators for interactive elements ## Newest reviews (14 of 79) ### 4/5 — It’s okay. *2022-04-03, version 1.0.0* Try it. ### 4/5 — Seigneur des vents *2020-05-03, version 1.0.0* Jeu très sympa un bon moment ### 2/5 — Not intuitive *2020-05-02, version 1.0.0* I thought there were quite a few places in this game that were not intuitive enough so you knew what to do next. had to use guide several times. Also map was supposed to show where tasks needed to be completed and it did not. Only showed where you were and what was completed. Frustrating ### 2/5 — 🤔 *2020-04-19, version 1.0.0* Reasonable game, bit stilted at times, plenty puzzles, HOs a bit different from the usual, as it’s an old game, only get it when it’s on sale, not worth any more...🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 😷 ### 2/5 — Worst beautiful game I’ve seen *2020-04-15, version 1.0.0* This thing is a mess. Controls don’t work. Puzzles are way too easy, and the hidden object scenarios provide clues that are nonsensical. I don’t know how to got high rating from other users unless they like looking at the scenery more than they enjoy playing. I gave this a chance because it was on sale, now I’m sad I wasted $2.99. ### 4/5 — Great game *2020-04-13, version 1.0.0* I love how the game started. Love the art work. Displayed a little differently Haven’t gotten very far into the game but so far I like what I have seen ### 3/5 — Mini games need work *2019-08-24, version 1.0.0* I found the instructions for the mini games so vague I had to skip at least half of them. I’m almost done and just skipped one. Don’t solve them for me but at least show me how the frigging game works. ### 2/5 — Not overly impressed *2019-08-17, version 1.0.0* The games although different are not explained well, plus it doesn’t flow well. Wish I hadn’t bought it ### 4/5 — Mickeyboy *2019-08-02, version 1.0.0* Really good game. Too bad big fish isn’t offering anymore IOS games. Plus if you buy a game it’s a lie that it’s yours forever. I lost over 130 games. I’m not paying for them again. Big fish. Big rip off. And they don’t care. They blame it on iTunes. iTunes says it big fish. If game wasn’t purchased recently then no refund. So any old game that u want to re okay. You will have to re pay. Pfft ### 2/5 — Dark realm *2019-04-05, version 1.0.0* Why no new games not everyone can afford £500 for a new ipad😬 ### 2/5 — Winds *2019-03-28, version 1.0.0* The graphic are great and the story line but i have this one thing i dont like and that is the comic book, split screen and the different way it operates....just a little confusing. Too much going on in one picture ### 3/5 — Lame *2019-03-03, version 1.0.0* Boring game with mediocre graphics ### 2/5 — Lord of the Wings *2019-03-02, version 1.0.0* I don’t like the way the map is set up. Does not allow me to pick up gold leaf easily in each scene. The instructions are not well explained on strategy guide forcing me to skip mini games. ### 2/5 — I’m glad it was on sale *2019-02-26, version 1.0.0* There was no sparkle to indicate where to click, though there should have been with the settings I chose. Many of the puzzles are just repetitive and tedious—not difficult, just annoying. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Graphics *2021-02-09, version 1.0.0* The graphics are irrational, the screen has boxes that interfere with seeing the game and the sparkly parts aren’t sparkles but white squares that cover what your looking for ### 1/5 — Terrible *2020-04-16, version 1.0.0* Big fish put this on sale for a reason, apparently, but if they want people to stay faithful to their games, they should really get rid of crap like this entirely. ### 1/5 — Herrscher des Windes *2019-08-18, version 1.0.0* Wirres Spiel, reagiert schlecht. Wer denkt sich so einen Sch... aus. Ist nicht mal einen Euro wert. Breche jetzt ab. ### 1/5 — Clearly old game *2019-08-17, version 1.0.0* This game is very poorly developed and lacks the flow of newer games. The feel of gameplay along with the appearance of the environment leads one to believe this is either an old game, or a new title using an old game engine. Don’t bother. Incidentally, I have not found anything that explains why nearly all of these hidden object storyline games have a female protagonist. I get it, the older games contained nearly exclusively male lead characters, but is the solution to bias merely bias in the opposite direction? ### 1/5 — Dark Realm Lord of the Winds *2019-08-16, version 1.0.0* Did not like this game at all! After 5 minutes I gave up, dry co fusing ### 1/5 — Terrible! *2019-06-13, version 1.0.0* I deleted this game after only 10 minutes! Slow to respond and quite boring! I love most hidden object games but this one is not worth my time much less my money! ### 1/5 — Stuck in prison *2019-03-11, version 1.0.0* I am very disappointed. This was a great game until getting to the prison cell. There is no option in freeing Nathaniel from his cuffs and no skip. When asking for a hint, the feathers just go limp. I am literally stuck in prison. I would like a refund. This is my second Big Fish game I am having problems with this weekend. ### 1/5 — Horrible! *2019-03-04, version 1.0.0* Horrible! ### 1/5 — Unresponsive puzzles *2018-04-09, version 1.0.0* In order to get through the game I had to skip half (only small exaggeration) the puzzles as they were either unresponsive, would not complete after being solved or the instructions were incomprehensible. I finished the game only to get stuck in the bonus chapter. Better games to spend your money on. ### 1/5 — The sound won't turn off *2017-05-29, version 1.0.0* For me, that's a breaking point. I set my options and turned off the sound. But it came on anyway. Duh! It also won't let you turn the time for hints, and skip to less than 15 seconds. Sorry, nut when I decide I want a hint or to skip, I already thought I through. I don't need the game telling me I have to wait! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — So Good! *2025-01-30, version 1.0.0* I actually really liked this one! The story line made sense the whole way through and the games were on point - definitely worth playing! ### 5/5 — Big fish *2023-07-02, version 1.0.0* I love it ### 5/5 — Good game *2020-04-25* Nice game, not too hard, lots of puzzles and good graphics. ### 5/5 — Love this *2019-08-25, version 1.0.0* I love these types of games! They’re my favorite...I cannot believe this has 3.9! ### 5/5 — Big fish *2019-08-18, version 1.0.0* I love it ### 5/5 — Fun! *2019-03-05, version 1.0.0* Enjoyed the game but the rocking screen was very annoying ### 5/5 — Wind *2019-03-01, version 1.0.0* It was not hard to follow as another reviewer stated. Excellent graphics. Not the same old hogs. Really interesting. I recommend this game. Throughly enjoyed game. ### 5/5 — One of my fav series *2019-02-28, version 1.0.0* Decently “puzzling” ### 5/5 — Excellent game *2018-12-29, version 1.0.0* Please make more Mad Head Games and Big Fish! ### 5/5 — Creative, beautifully made series *2018-05-27, version 1.0.0* I love the entire Dark Realm series because the developers have really made an effort to create an immersive world. I appreciate their creativity and attention to small details, such as characters breaking the 4th wall and manipulating parts of my screen or the game controls; I also love it when I attempt to use an object in a scene and can watch my attempt play out and fail (instead of nothing happening at all). These details are above and beyond what I’ve seen in other hidden-object games and show the thoughtfulness of the developers. What’s more, I feel invested in the characters due to continuity throughout the series (and great voice actors). Yes, I occasionally skip puzzles, but they’re supposed to be challenging—that’s the point—and I’m grateful for custom settings so I can choose to skip or not as I like. If you want an experience that’s more than the usual click-click-clicking, I highly recommend the Dark Realm series. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-11.*