Anomalies

Anomalies randomly appear in Hidden Object Locations as you play the Seeker's Notes: Mysteries of Darkwood game. Anomalies do not affect Puzzles.

There are 4 types of Anomalies in the game. Each one adds its own unique challenge to the Hidden Object Location.

Exploring a Location with an Anomaly in it will cost more Energy points than Exploring the same Location without the Anomaly, but winning that game will also give extra Experience points, Coins and potentially extra rewards such as Fixers needed to combine Artifacts. Anagram Mode always appears in a Location as the next mode after a winning the Location with an Anomaly.

It is also possible to Dispel the Anomaly from the Location before you play using special tools you can win in the game. Dispelling the Anomaly will remove it from the Location and give you rewards. The rewards are the same items that could have been won from playing the Location with the Anomaly. Text mode always appears in the Location after you Dispel an Anomaly from it.

Types of Anomalies
There are currently 4 types of Anomalies that can appear in Hidden Object Locations in the game. Each anomaly has its own unique effect designed to make the Hidden Object game more difficult.

Reflection
The symbol for the Reflection Anomaly is a dark hand mirror in the top left hand corner of the photo of the Location in the Darkwood Town Map.

The Reflection Anomaly is a mirror image of the game in Text mode. The image of the Location itself is inverted, as are the names of the items you must find.

When the Reflection Anomaly is in a Location, the game you play is very similar to Text mode. You must find the items listed in the brown banner at the bottom of the screen within a 3 minute time limit. The difference is all the words are printed backwards (in it's 'mirror image'), so you must first figure out what the word is before searching for the items.

The regular Tools, Talismans and Artifacts can be used as normal when playing a Location with the Reflection Anomaly. Magical Lanterns may not be used.

The Hand Mirror item is used to Dispel the Reflection Anomaly from a specific Location, and the Cracked Mirror item can be used to Summon the Reflection Anomaly to a random Location on the Darkwood Town Map.

Dark Entities
The symbol for Dark Entities is a cauldron with dark smoke coming out in the top left hand corner of the photo of the Location in the Darkwood Town Map. The Dark Entities is moving dark smoke clouds that partially obscure the photo of the Location.

When Dark Entities is in a Location, the game you play is very similar to Text mode. You must find all the items listed in the brown banner at the bottom of the screen within a 3 minute time limit. The difference is clouds of black smoke move across the screen obstructing your view of the picture. Since the clouds move, you will be able to see the whole picture of the Location to find items, just not all at once.

The regular Tools, Talismans and Artifacts can be used as normal when playing a Location with the Dark Entities Anomaly. Magical Lanterns may not be used.

The Flask of Fireflies item is used to Dispel the Dark Entities Anomaly from a specific Location, and the Sphere of Darkness item can be used to Summon the Dark Entities Anomaly to a random Location on the Darkwood Town Map.

Time Shift
The symbol for the Time Shift Anomaly is a stopwatch in the top left hand corner of the photo of the Location in the Darkwood Town Map.

When Time Shift is in a Location, the game you play is exactly like Text mode. You must find all the items listed in the brown banner at the bottom of the screen within a 3 minute time limit.

The difference is the 3 minute timer counts down faster than normal. It actually takes 2 minutes 40 seconds for the timer to run out. This means that Exploring a Location with Time Shift is basically Exploring the Location in Text mode but you get 20 fewer seconds to play and the game costs you more energy points (and also rewards more Experience points and Coins).

The regular Tools, Talismans and Artifacts can be used as normal when playing a Location with the Time Shift Anomaly. Magical Lanterns may not be used.

The Metronome item is used to Dispel the Time Shift Anomaly from a specific Location, and the Time Violator item can be used to Summon the Time Shift Anomaly to a random Location on the Darkwood Town Map.

Gargoyle
The symbol for the Gargoyle Anomaly is a Gargoyle in the top left hand corner of the photo of the Location in the Darkwood Town Map. The Gargoyle Anomaly is a stone feature that obstructs the list of items you need to find to win the Hidden Object game.

When Gargoyle is in a Location, the game you play is very similar to Text mode. You must find all the items listed in the brown banner at the bottom of the screen within a 3 minute time limit.

The difference is only one item appears on the list at a time. You must find the current listed item before you can find another item. This makes finding objects slower than in normal Text mode, where 6 items appear on the list and can be found at any one time.

The regular Tools, Talismans and Artifacts can be used as normal when playing a Location with the Gargoyle Anomaly. Magical Lanterns may not be used.

The Rock Crusher item is used to Dispel the Gargoyle Anomaly from a specific Location, and the Stone Heart item can be used to Summon the Gargoyle Anomaly to a random Location on the Darkwood Town Map.

Exploring Hidden Object Locations with Anomalies
When a Location has an Anomaly in it, you will see a symbol representing the anomaly in the photo of the Location on your Darkwood Town Map. Pressing a picture will bring up the 'Explore Window' for that Location. A blown up version of the Anomaly symbol will appear in the photo of the Location in the Explore Window.



As you open the Explore Window, you will see the Energy required to play listed in the Costs section increase from the normal amount required to play. This is a percentage increase, so the more Energy points that the Location normally requires, the bigger the increase you will see. The more advanced the Location's Rank is, the more energy points it normally takes to play, so the more Energy points will be added if an anomaly is present.

In the example to the right, Marketplace is at Connoisseur Rank. Normally it would cost 31 Energy points to play Marketplace at Connoisseur Rank, however it currently has the Reflection Anomaly so it costs 52 Energy points to play instead of 31.

In addition to costing more Energy points, Locations with Anomalies in them will also award additional Experience points and coins when you win the game. The extra Experience points and coins earned are listed after the '+' signs next to the normal amount awarded in the Explore Window. This is a percentage increase, so the more Experience points or coins that the Location normally awards, the bigger the increase you will see. If there are any other boosters active, then the total amount added will show after the '+'. In the example to the right, Marketplace normally awards 110 Experience points, but it has been charged by a Keeper so has 10% Experience points added (11 Experience points) as well as the boost from the anomaly (25%) so 38 additional Experience points can be won (the numbers are always rounded down when the percentage increases are added).

If you look through the 'You Can Find' list (directly above the green 'Explore' button) for the Location, you will find additional items are available to be won when you win a Hidden Object game in a Location with an anomaly in it. These are Fixers that are used to combine Artifacts. These additional items can only be won by either winning or dispelling Anomalies. You are not guaranteed to win any one of the additional items, they are just added to the pool of items you might win something from.

To play the Hidden Object Location with the Anomaly in it, simply press the green 'Explore' button. Every anomaly gives 3 minutes to play the game.

After you successfully win the game of the Location with the Anomaly in it, you will be given a random set of items from the 'You Can Find' list as a reward, in addition to the Experience points and Coins listed in the Explore Window before the game. The next mode in that picture will always be Anagram mode (unless another Anomaly appears there before you play).

Dispelling Anomalies
When you open the Explore Window for a Location with an Anomaly in it you are given the option to either play the Location with the Anomaly present, or Dispel the Anomaly from the Location.



In the Explore Window for a Location with an Anomaly in it, there will be a 'Dispel' button next to the 'Explore' button. To Dispel an Anomaly simply press the Dispel button. A confirmation Window will appear.

If you do not have the right item to Dispel the Anomaly in your inventory you will be offered to buy it with Rubies. If you do have the right item to Dispel the anomaly in your Inventory, the anomaly will be removed from the Location and you will be given a random set of game items from the 'You Can Find' list as a reward. You will not be rewarded the Experience points and Coins listed in the Explore Window.

You can then choose whether to play the Location without the Anomaly (by pressing Explore) or to close the Explore Window (by pressing the brown 'x' in the top left of the Window) and play a different Location instead.

When you Dispel an Anomaly from a Location, the next mode in that Location will always be Text mode (unless another anomaly appears there before you play).

Dispelling items
Below is a list of the Anomalies currently available in the game; the item required to Dispel that Anomaly; the Locations where that item can be found; Collections that reward that item when combined; Achievements that reward that item; and the cost of the item in the Store. See the List of Collections and List of Achievements for more details. Banishing items can also be bought in the shop for Rubies.

Summoning Anomalies
You can summon a particular Anomaly to appear in your Darkwood Town Map by using the Summoning Item for that Anomaly.

When you Summon an Anomaly, you cannot choose which Location it appears in. It will choose a Location at random.

To use a Summoning item to Summon an Anomaly, open the Inventory and go to the 'Miscellaneous' section (last tab on right,with pin, ribbon and tar symbol).

Find and tap on a Summoning item to bring up an Information Window about that item. There are two options in the Information Window - 'Use' or 'Cancel'. Pressing the green 'Use' button will use the item. The Window will close and one of the item will disappear from your inventory. If you only had one of that item, its entry will disappear altogether from the Inventory.

When you close the Inventory and return to the Darkwood Town Map, one Location will have the Anomaly that was Summoned.

Summoning Items
Below is a list of the anomalies currently available in the game; the item required to Dispel that Anomaly; Achievements that reward that item; and the price of the item in the Store. See the List of Collections and List of Achievements for more details. Banishing items can also be bought in the shop for Rubies.

Anomalies and "Anagram" Mode
Anagram mode is unique in the Hidden Object Modes available in the game, as it does not appear in normal rotation as you play a Hidden Object Location. The only way to get Anagram mode in a Location is to successfully Explore that Location when it has an Anomaly in it.

The next mode to appear in that Location after you play the Anomaly will be the Anagram mode (symbol blue 'Cba' on white background).

Triggering Anomalies During Game Play
It is not possible to force a certain anomaly to appear in a certain Location at a certain time. However, in order for anomalies to appear in any Location, you must be playing the game. If you are not playing any Locations at all, no new anomalies will be triggered in your game.

But, the more you play a certain Location, the more Anomalies will appear there. If you need an anomaly in a certain Location, keep playing that Location and Anomalies will start to appear in that Location.

Anomalies may also appear in other Locations as you play the one Location, as playing the game will Trigger Anomalies. You can choose to either leave those Anomalies in those Locations or Dispel them, but continuing to play the Location that you want the Anomaly in is the best way to trigger it there.

Related

 * SN Home
 * List of Hidden Object Locations
 * Hidden Object Modes
 * Energy
 * Quests
 * Collections
 * Achievements