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As the year comes to a close . . .
T’is the season of holiday hassle, big exams, and working life crunch time. Post-October may be the most stressful time of year for most of us. Plus, the days grow dimmer and colder. Why not kick back, cuddle up on the sofa with lots of blankets and a warm beverage, and play a cozy video game?
Indie developer Ogre Pixel released Hidden in My Paradise in early October: a cute, comfy, puzzle-based hidden objects game designed to give players a short and sweet romp of mental stimulation.
Play Hidden in My Paradise on Steam, the PC, the Nintendo Switch, or mobile app stores.
Fae, fauna, and flora, oh my!
Tour around various landscapes with blue-haired amateur photographer Laly and her little fairy friend, Coronya. Explore magnificently detailed scenes and find hidden flowers, camp items, and critters galore, snap an assortment of adorable pictures, and immerse yourself in a cozy, little world.
There are 25 levels (or “paradises”) in total. Players will journey through forests, beaches, cityscapes, farms, and even recently added Halloween stages. Players must find a set amount of hidden objects, find secret fairies by dragging around items (usually behind bushes and flowers), and recreate provided photogenic scenes. While the game is not difficult, if players have trouble finding an object, click on Coronya the fairy as she will provide helpful hints and tips.
A little slice of paradise
Mechanically, the game is quite simple. All players need to do is point and click objects to find them. You can also drag things around and rotate them, which is particularly useful for finding fairies and recreating photos. The game itself is short, but each level may take some time–perhaps 15 to 30 minutes–at your leisure. It is not too hard at all to 100% all of the tasks, but it might take a keen eye.
Each and every paradise can be overlayed with a filter, like sepia, cool color boost, inverted, or you can even make the scene all green. Levels will be automatically set in the morning, evening, or at night, but players are able to freely adjust this setting for better visibility, or just for aesthetic purposes.
Another neat feature of Hidden in My Paradise is the Mario Maker-esque sandbox tools. Create your very own levels or play other players’ creations online! To unlock more items for designing these levels, accrue coins by playing the main game and by finding hidden treasure chests. Players can also play the gacha machine with in-game tickets to receive more unique items. The sandbox feature is loads of fun and easy to use. I personally enjoy spamming the animal who surely looks like a nod to Eevee . . .
Through the looking glass
The game has a cute, childlike chibi style with pops of color, like a more charming and soft Toca Boca game. Even if scenes are hard to see, players can easily change the filter settings as aforementioned. The paradises are not overwhelming or chaotic at all; all the visuals blend together to make a complete, crisp, picturesque landscape.
The only gripe is the sound design, or lack thereof. The squishy sound effect when clicking objects is nice, but pretty much the same background track plays on a constant loop. This gets annoying after a while, so it may be best to play on mute and make your own cozy soundtrack.
Final thoughts
Hidden in My Paradise is full of charm and can easily be played in short bursts, or as a long-term investment to wind down after a tough day at work or school. The game itself is relatively short, but there is lots to it: the sandbox mode, bonus Halloween levels, and the enjoyable struggle of a portrait setup.
The innovative assortment of tasks makes each level even more interesting, making this hidden objects title stand out from the rest. Hidden in My Paradise is definitely worth a try, and might be a great option to chill out and escape from the world even for just a sliver of a second . . .
