Hidden Folks (PC) Review

Watch one of those hilarious videos from Tvingle where the sound effects actually come from the mouth of simple human, next take a look at the fantastic black and white microcosms made by illustrator Sylvain Tegroeg, and now imagine those two combined in a nice little hidden object game. The insanely detailed, isometric worlds of Hidden Folks look beautiful. More importantly, though, they look unique; a rarity in gaming.

The fact that the audio-visuals are great makes ruining your eyesight while trying to find things in here much easier - just kidding, of course. While demanding, the experience is actually very casual-friendly, and, thus, perfect for a few short bursts of playtime. The concept? As simple as it is enjoyable. There's a list of different people, animals, and even objects that must be found, and, in order to do so, the only thing that is required is to just point and click - or, to be more precise, poke!

Searching around is not enough here. Experimenting with the environment by poking literally everything is required. Open doors, sewers, and tents, remove branches, leaves, and rocks, and generally try things out. Again, this sounds simplistic, silly even, but in practice it's actually a lot of fun, with the main reason being the fact that the worlds at hand have a character of their own, and, therefore, leaving no stone unturned on them turns out to be quite immersive.

An experience-enhancing detail is how, instead of just searching, you can actually get a clue about where things are hidden, and usually in a very light-hearted, humorous way. Moreover, each passing level provides even more imaginative ways of concealing things, making paying attention to even the smallest of details a must. The overall fun factor is actually so strong that, while players don't need to find everything to finish an area, doing so can be an extremely addictive challenge.

Some may find it strange that such a title even exists, but it's actually a very well-done and enjoyable one, albeit only for about 15 to 30 minutes or so per day. Is that a bad thing? Of course not! This is how this was meant to be played. It's relaxing, fun, and hard to put down… but doesn't steal much of your time. The only flaw - and, in all honesty, the only one - is how there is almost zero replay value, because once someone finds everything, all there is to do is: erase or progress, and start all over again.