A hidden object game, also called hidden picture or hidden object puzzle adventure (HOPA), is a subgenre of puzzle video games in which the player must find items from a list that are hidden within a scene. Hidden object games are a popular trend in casual gaming. [1] [2] Time-limited trial versions of these games are usually available for download, although many are free to download on app stores. Popular themes include detective crime stories, adventure, gothic romance, and mystery. [3]
In a hidden object game, the player wanders from one place to another to discover objects that allow the player to finish the game. The player adds objects to their inventory. A hidden object puzzle within the game provides more objects or clues that will assist the playing in completing the game. [4]
Hidden objects generally tend to feature: [4]
Hidden object games originated in print publications such as the I Spy books or a regular feature in Highlights for Children , in which the reader was given a list of objects to find hidden in a cluttered illustration or photograph. [3] An early hidden object game was Mother Goose: Hidden Pictures, released for the CD-i in 1991. Other early incarnations are the video game adaptations of the I Spy books published by Scholastic Corporation since 1997. [3]
Mystery Case Files: Huntsville , released by Big Fish Games in 2005, came at the rise of casual gaming in the mid-2000s. Mystery Case Files: Huntsville established many of the principles in both game play and narrative that would be predominant in hidden object games since then. [3]
More recently within indie games, new takes on the hidden object genre have changed the approach these take. For example, Hidden Folks is considered more of a searching game, as to find one character among hundreds on the screen that look similar to each other, similar to Where's Wally . [3]
Huntsville broke prior sales of casual games, and the series' third iteration Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst was the third best-selling game on personal computers during the end-of-year sales period of 2007. This motivated gaming companies to expend in this sort of storytelling that focuses on still puzzles with little animation. [3]
Hidden object games draw players who were fans of games like Myst. [3] In 2021, Big Fish Games' player base was 85% female, 76% of whom were over the age of 55. [3]
Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, spatial recognition, and word completion. Many puzzle games involve a real-time element and require quick thinking, such as Tetris (1985) and Lemmings (1991).
A casual game is a video game targeted at a mass market audience, as opposed to a hardcore game, which is targeted at hobbyist gamers. Casual games may exhibit any type of gameplay and genre. They generally involve simpler rules, shorter sessions, and require less learned skill. They do not expect familiarity with a standard set of mechanics, controls, and tropes.
An escape room video game, also known as escape the room, room escape, or escape game, is a subgenre of point-and-click adventure game which requires a player to escape from imprisonment by exploiting their surroundings. The room usually consists of a locked door, objects to manipulate, and hidden clues or secret compartments. The player must use the objects to interact with other items in the room to reveal a way to escape. Escape the room games were born out of freeware browser games created in Adobe Flash, but have since become most popular as mobile games for iOS and Android. Some examples include Crimson Room, Viridian Room, MOTAS, and Droom. The popularity of these online games has led to the development of real-life escape rooms all around the world.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a puzzle adventure video game for the Nintendo DS system. It was developed and published by Level-5 in Japan and published by Nintendo worldwide. It was released in Japan in 2007 and worldwide the following year. It was re-released in Australia using the British English localisation and European artwork to replace the previously released North American localisation. Curious Village is the first game in the Professor Layton series, followed by Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. An enhanced mobile port of Curious Village featuring additional cutscenes, subtitled "HD for Mobile", was released in 2018.
Azada is an adventure-puzzle casual game developed by Big Fish Studios Europe, and distributed by Big Fish Games.
Blue Tea Games is a casual computer games development studio, founded on January 24, 2003 by Steven Zhao.
Mystery Case Files is a video game series originally developed by the internal studios of Big Fish Games. Some installments were developed by Eipix Entertainment between 2015 and 2019 and Elephant Games who developed sequels from 2013 to 2014. The newest installments were developed by GrandMA Studios. The Mystery Case Files series is known for its hidden object puzzles where, in order to progress through a game, the player plays the role of a Master Detective and must find a certain number of items hidden somewhere on a painted scene.
Hidden Expedition is a series of single-player hidden object casual games developed by the internal studios of Big Fish Games for the first five installments, and by Eipix Entertainment for all subsequent installments. Two latest installment was developed by Domini Games. As of 2018, a total of seventeen games in the series have been released. The Hidden Expedition series marks the second major hidden object game brand from Big Fish Games. The second game in the series, Hidden Expedition: Everest, would go on to be the first game Big Fish released on the iPhone.
Dream Chronicles is a 2007 adventure, hidden object, and puzzle casual game developed by KatGames and published by PlayFirst. It is the first installment in the series.
Boomzap Entertainment is a casual games developer registered in Singapore with a virtual office environment. It was formed in 2005 and has released 50 games to date that are ported on various platforms. Boomzap has developed for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Nintendo DS, Wii, iOS, and Android. Its games are available on games portals such as Big Fish Games, Yahoo!, WildTangent, GameHouse, Google Play, Amazon, iTunes, Steam and others.
Dream Chronicles: The Book of Air is a 2010 adventure and puzzle casual game developed by KatGames, originally published by PlayFirst. It is the fourth installment in the Dream Chronicles series, the third sequel to 2007's award-winning game Dream Chronicles, and the opening part of the second unfinished trilogy titled Lyra's Destiny.
Dream Chronicles, first released in 2007, is a series of adventure, hidden object and puzzle casual games. It was created by Miguel Angel Tartaj for KatGames and published by PlayFirst. It's also the name of the first game in the series.
Drawn is a casual game series developed by Big Fish Studios and distributed by Big Fish Games through their digital distribution portal. The games are adventure games, with Hidden Objects and Puzzles elements.
Mystery Trackers is a casual game series developed by Elephant Games and distributed by Big Fish Games. The Mystery Trackers series are ‘Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure’ puzzles (HOPA), where to progress through a game, the player must find a certain number of items hidden somewhere on a painted scene.
Awakening is a casual hidden object puzzle adventure game series developed by Boomzap Entertainment and published by Big Fish Games. In order to progress through each game, the player must solve puzzles and find hidden objects. It is available on PC, Mac, iPhone and iPad platforms. The games are released in several languages with both Standard Editions and Collector's Editions, the latter including additional features.
Dana Knightstone is a series of casual hidden object puzzle adventure games with a mystery novel storyline. It was developed by Boomzap Entertainment and published by Big Fish Games. It is available on PC, Mac, iPhone and iPad platforms. The franchise draws it title from the main character, Dana Knightstone, a fiction novelist.
Otherworld is a series of casual hidden object puzzle adventure games with a dark fantasy theme. It was developed by Boomzap Entertainment and published exclusively by Big Fish Games. The games are available on PC and Mac platforms and with free versions for the iPhone and iPad devices.
Botanica is a series of casual hidden object puzzle adventure games that is a combination of fantasy and science fiction. It was developed by Boomzap Entertainment and published exclusively by Big Fish Games. The games are available on PC and Mac platforms and with iPhone and iPad versions for the first title.
Eipix Entertainment is a Serbian video game developer based in Novi Sad. The company was founded in 2005 and develops casual games for PC, Mac, iOS and Android, as well as virtual reality games. As of December 2019, Eipix is part of Playrix.
Mystery titles, particularly hidden-object games, have become a hugely popular segment of the casual-game market.
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