Recommendations for hidden object games on PC?
June 13, 2018 3:37 PM Subscribe
I've just barely dabbled in hidden object games, but they seem like a great way to relax in the evening. But the number out there is mind-boggling! Are there any greats to recommend? Some caveats within . .
I'm not too particular on plot - I like building things, and enjoy mystery, fantasy and history. There seem to be tons of those out there. When it comes to mystery, I like more historical-based, or "a dark mysterious curse threatens the town!" rather than hard-boiled detective stuff. The only thing I would not like would be anything heavy on the interpersonal drama or romance, or horror/graphic violence.
As for gameplay, I require a game with a "relaxed mode," or one where I can turn off the timer on levels somehow. I will be playing this in the evening for de-stressing after work, and I don't like to feel hurried! I also don't mind paying a bit, in fact, would prefer paying a few bucks up front rather than being constantly pestered to make in-app purchases. Thats about it; thanks all!
I'm not too particular on plot - I like building things, and enjoy mystery, fantasy and history. There seem to be tons of those out there. When it comes to mystery, I like more historical-based, or "a dark mysterious curse threatens the town!" rather than hard-boiled detective stuff. The only thing I would not like would be anything heavy on the interpersonal drama or romance, or horror/graphic violence.
As for gameplay, I require a game with a "relaxed mode," or one where I can turn off the timer on levels somehow. I will be playing this in the evening for de-stressing after work, and I don't like to feel hurried! I also don't mind paying a bit, in fact, would prefer paying a few bucks up front rather than being constantly pestered to make in-app purchases. Thats about it; thanks all!
I've played dozens, and I can't think of any that stand out as particularly special. The Mystery Case Files and Hidden Expedition games (all by Big Fish) are probably the best known though, as they were some of the first in the genre.
Two games that intersect with the genre that I have really enjoyed are Hidden Folks and Little Things Forever. They both distil the genre down to its essence - searching for things - and omit the story element completely.
posted by pipeski at 4:13 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Two games that intersect with the genre that I have really enjoyed are Hidden Folks and Little Things Forever. They both distil the genre down to its essence - searching for things - and omit the story element completely.
posted by pipeski at 4:13 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
You might like 'The Room' and its sequels, which feature a lot of tinkering with 3d puzzle-objects in an atmosphere that's vaguely spoOOoky, but never remotely frightening.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 4:58 PM on June 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Sing Or Swim at 4:58 PM on June 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'll second the Mystery Case Files series, particularly the earlier games in the series. It seems like most of the games being made now are churned out by the same few companies and so have a degree of sameness about them.
Gamezebo.com posts reviews of these, you might want to check out their best of section.
posted by gennessee at 10:07 PM on June 13, 2018
Gamezebo.com posts reviews of these, you might want to check out their best of section.
posted by gennessee at 10:07 PM on June 13, 2018
I like the Rusty Lake "Cube" series. Mildly, weirdly spooky, with maybe a bit of a Twin Peaks-y kind of vibe. Possibly the very occasional jump-scare, but it's never really trying to shock/scare/gross you out.
posted by quinndexter at 11:16 PM on June 13, 2018
posted by quinndexter at 11:16 PM on June 13, 2018
Second Big Fish games. They have a ton and I enjoyed quite a few of them. You can usually download a demo of the game and try some of it before purchasing. I also go by their reviews, anything over 4 stars is usually solid.
I looooove The Room but it’s not exactly hidden object. It’s more kind of like an escape the room with excellent puzzles, graphics and esoteric mysterious storyline. It’s ace m, but not your typical hidden object as described in your question.
posted by like_neon at 11:21 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I looooove The Room but it’s not exactly hidden object. It’s more kind of like an escape the room with excellent puzzles, graphics and esoteric mysterious storyline. It’s ace m, but not your typical hidden object as described in your question.
posted by like_neon at 11:21 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I love Hidden Object games; I have several of them on Steam. (...Okay, I have like four dozen of them on Steam. "Hidden Object" is one of my game categories, so I can collapse them while I'm looking for other things.) I like Artifex Mundi's games--the ones they make themselves; they've licensed some that are mediocre. Alawar is also good. I put HO games on my wishlist on Steam by the dozen, and wait for sales; many of them sometimes drop down to under $5.
HO games I have liked:
1 Moment Of Time: Silentville - a few of the puzzles got frustrating (I hate anything with a timer), but this was balanced by some of the interesting "go here, do this" aspects.
Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher's Stone - I wrote a review about this one, suggesting it as a good starting point for getting into HO games.
The Secret Order series - these start at 2, because 1 was originally built on a software platform that's mostly not supported anymore. 2 and 3 are pretty good; it goes downhill from there, but not badly.
Sacra Terra: Angelic Night - my review.
Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink - This was delightful; I haven't written a review because when I finished it, it was late at night and I wasn't coherent. (I should re-play it and write a review. Maybe I'll catch all the dragons this time.)
Nightmares from the Deep series are nice light horror - there's pirates and ghosts. I've played the first two and liked them.
There's also bundles, like the Hidden Object 6-in-1 bundle - it really is 6 complete HO games. (Short-ish games, a few hours each.)
Sinister City - This one's a parody. (I really really hope this one's a parody.) It has the most unique and entertaining vampire character I have ever met.
None of these are micropayment games. Trying a few of those should give you a sense of what you like, and after that, you can read a few reviews and use them to figure out whether an unknown game has the features you care about.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:22 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
HO games I have liked:
1 Moment Of Time: Silentville - a few of the puzzles got frustrating (I hate anything with a timer), but this was balanced by some of the interesting "go here, do this" aspects.
Mythic Wonders: The Philosopher's Stone - I wrote a review about this one, suggesting it as a good starting point for getting into HO games.
The Secret Order series - these start at 2, because 1 was originally built on a software platform that's mostly not supported anymore. 2 and 3 are pretty good; it goes downhill from there, but not badly.
Sacra Terra: Angelic Night - my review.
Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink - This was delightful; I haven't written a review because when I finished it, it was late at night and I wasn't coherent. (I should re-play it and write a review. Maybe I'll catch all the dragons this time.)
Nightmares from the Deep series are nice light horror - there's pirates and ghosts. I've played the first two and liked them.
There's also bundles, like the Hidden Object 6-in-1 bundle - it really is 6 complete HO games. (Short-ish games, a few hours each.)
Sinister City - This one's a parody. (I really really hope this one's a parody.) It has the most unique and entertaining vampire character I have ever met.
None of these are micropayment games. Trying a few of those should give you a sense of what you like, and after that, you can read a few reviews and use them to figure out whether an unknown game has the features you care about.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:22 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks to you all! I'm excited to get started!
posted by backwards compatible at 10:08 AM on June 14, 2018
posted by backwards compatible at 10:08 AM on June 14, 2018
I'm not sure which platform you're after - I don't tend to play them on my PC, I play them on my tablet, which is Android. My references are for things available through the Play store, but I think most of them are available in the Apple store too. I wouldn't really recommend playing them on your phone unless your eyesight is very good and your fingers small and dexterous.
I agree with the Artifex Mundi recommendation, though their games can be quite hit-and-miss, when they are good they are very very good indeed. One very good series, the Enigmatis series, actually starts on Big Fish with Enigmatis (though be warned, there is definitely some unpleasant subject matter) and then moves to Artifex Mundi for Enigmatis 2: the Mists of Ravenwood and Engimatis 3: The Shadow of Kharkala. Part 3 is one of the most beautiful games of this type I've seen, though it is also quite sad.
Other standout AM games are the Grim Legends series: The Forsaken Bride, Song of the Dark Swan and The Dark City. Clockwork Tales was nice as a foray into steampunk, though it was a lot shorter than most seem to be. And Time Mysteries 2 & 3 were good though do skip the first one, it's awful. The Secret Order ones were not bad, though I think again they peaked around 2 or 3, the later ones have been ok but nothing too flash.
There are some good ones on the G5 platform, my favourite of theirs was actually the first HOG I played - Graven: The Purple Moon Prophecy which was obviously good enough to get me hooked on the genre. But their games are overall not as strong. I don't care for most of the Big Fish games, though I've played a bunch; some of them are downright nasty and nightmarish.
However I am saving the best for last, and I can't believe no one has recommended them yet: Five-BN Games (yes, very memorable) which have done the fabulous New York Mysteries series (1 -3), The Lost Lands series (1 - 5), Darkness & Flame series (1 & 2) and The Legacy (1 & 2). Unlike Artifex Mundi, which as I said can be hit and miss (probably as a result of getting games from lots of other developers), the Five-BN Games are all consistently excellent. Graphics are great, music, plot - yes I know there really isn't a lot of plot in these and it's not the main point - anyway, they are all round winners. Really strongly recommended.
Have fun!
posted by Athanassiel at 4:54 PM on June 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I agree with the Artifex Mundi recommendation, though their games can be quite hit-and-miss, when they are good they are very very good indeed. One very good series, the Enigmatis series, actually starts on Big Fish with Enigmatis (though be warned, there is definitely some unpleasant subject matter) and then moves to Artifex Mundi for Enigmatis 2: the Mists of Ravenwood and Engimatis 3: The Shadow of Kharkala. Part 3 is one of the most beautiful games of this type I've seen, though it is also quite sad.
Other standout AM games are the Grim Legends series: The Forsaken Bride, Song of the Dark Swan and The Dark City. Clockwork Tales was nice as a foray into steampunk, though it was a lot shorter than most seem to be. And Time Mysteries 2 & 3 were good though do skip the first one, it's awful. The Secret Order ones were not bad, though I think again they peaked around 2 or 3, the later ones have been ok but nothing too flash.
There are some good ones on the G5 platform, my favourite of theirs was actually the first HOG I played - Graven: The Purple Moon Prophecy which was obviously good enough to get me hooked on the genre. But their games are overall not as strong. I don't care for most of the Big Fish games, though I've played a bunch; some of them are downright nasty and nightmarish.
However I am saving the best for last, and I can't believe no one has recommended them yet: Five-BN Games (yes, very memorable) which have done the fabulous New York Mysteries series (1 -3), The Lost Lands series (1 - 5), Darkness & Flame series (1 & 2) and The Legacy (1 & 2). Unlike Artifex Mundi, which as I said can be hit and miss (probably as a result of getting games from lots of other developers), the Five-BN Games are all consistently excellent. Graphics are great, music, plot - yes I know there really isn't a lot of plot in these and it's not the main point - anyway, they are all round winners. Really strongly recommended.
Have fun!
posted by Athanassiel at 4:54 PM on June 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Just realised you said in the title of your question that you're on pc. Five BN Games on Steam.
posted by Athanassiel at 8:51 AM on June 15, 2018
posted by Athanassiel at 8:51 AM on June 15, 2018
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