Are Hidden Object Games Due for a Reinvention?
Classic Hidden Object Games have an undeniable staying power, but that also limits those who can enjoy them. What can be done to reinvent this popular type of puzzle game?
The winning formula for hidden objects games online, or offline, has been established even beyond its digital forms. Get a still 2D image heavy on details and a cluttered backdrop to force the player to separate needed items from the rest of the elements. Sometimes, the player gets a puzzle to work with, either using interactive objects or recognizing patterns that lead to a crucial item in the stage.
But a genre full of these elements isn’t meant to keep players after the initial stages. Only the most dedicated fans of the genre are willing to go through another few dozen iterations, and even then, they take a break from hidden object games once in a while.
Is it time to redefine what a hidden object game is? How should it be reinvented?
A new challenge: from ‘lists’ to ‘contexts’
Most of the classic HOGs use lists as objectives, whether they are words or the image of the targets. But what if that formula is tweaked a little to find clues? Patterns on objects, footprints on the ground, maybe pieces of paper scattered in a strange place. It’s cool, it adds more difficulty, and it makes the players feel like a detective working on an actual case or a logician in the search for patterns. There’s a dense visual, and all a player has to deploy is deductive reasoning and pattern recognition. There’s more to finding an object here, and something doesn’t end with locating something. The new tasks involve knowing why something is in the scene and how it was used to complicate the situation.
Beyond 2D
While new games have done away with the cluttered aesthetic through stylized and nature-identical backdrops, the static image has been the go-to appearance in providing visual depth. This is possible through these means, and many of them are done in other puzzle games, so HOGs won’t be lagging in these developments.
More interactive scenes mean movements that either help or mislead the player. Open doors, poke bushes, or even drag the pointer to reveal something hidden underneath. These can have a step up in challenge level by not leading somebody to an objective, but to another puzzle that needs to be solved.
A 3D diorama is also another recent option that is far from fully realized. Scenes can be panned, rotated, and zoomed to see part of the object, but the player is thrown into the next challenge of how to get the item out of its hiding place. Objectives can also be concealed by a matter of perspective, where the seeker has to view the scene from different angles to find what is needed. Weather and day/night cycles can be altered to change colors and make less obvious items better seen.
A little less detail and color
Artistic and color-saturated levels are a joy, particularly to HOG veterans and other skilled players. Color adds a layer of depth that tests the eyes and how they perceive detail. On the other hand, there’s a part of the community that prefers cozy aesthetics like simple lineart, subdued colors, and even hand-drawn appearances. Any of these results in a hidden-object game that is low-stress and less demanding of technical mastery: perfect for the gamer who wants to wind down from hyperactive graphics.
These are some ways the traditional HOG can be reinvented for a wider gaming market. As always, check out some of our free hidden object games here.
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