Hidden Folks Plus Review: Back to the Drawing Board (iPhone)

Developed by Adriaan de Jongh, Hidden Folks Plus is the updated version of the locate and find game Hidden Folks. It has been released for Apple Arcade. Once I saw the images of the game, I instantly had flashbacks as a kid playing around in Where’s Waldo and Find Freddie books. And believe me when I say…It had ultimate nostalgia written all over it!

This kind of search and grab type of game is old school, and highly addictive. Trying to skim through the locations, hoping that you didn’t miss anything. Trying to weed out those with three scoops of ice cream versus those with two. Ensure the chicken is next to an egg instead of a tree stump. Checking off the objects, you have discovered with glee, as you try to find the next one on the list. Enjoying the current level that you find yourself on, and can’t wait to get to the next area to do it all over again. Good times! Enough procrastinating…Let’s dive into the review! 

Hidden Folks Plus is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

What’s that? Do you want more point-and-click games? Well, there are plenty at your fingertips! 

Story – Hide & Seek

The concept is straightforward. Try to locate the items that the game instructs you to find. Look at Hidden Folks Plus as an Easter egg hunt. The more things the player obtains, the more you advance in the game. The simplicity of what the player has to do throughout the game is a nice pace from other games. The overall feel is decent to what a search-and-find game needs to be. The player has to look throughout the many lands inside the game to unlock levels. The areas are nicely done, and properly categorized on the main menu screen. 

Gameplay – Item Search

Hidden Folks Plus takes incredible focus and determination to search and gather the necessary characters and items to complete the list of things that needs to be found. The game has a location-select menu that will unlock new areas once the player has uncovered the number it takes to move forward in the game. Look at the bottom of the screen on each level to see which items need to be found. Tap on anything that you find suspicious throughout the land.

The gameplay is simple, and people can grasp it fairly quickly. In some places that a player taps, there will be times that area must be re-tapped multiple times to see if anything is lurking in that particular section of the level. Some items are harder to find than others, and some are easily detectable. Don’t get discouraged if some levels are more challenging than others. 

The Jungle Level in Hidden Folks Plus

Finding items

Objects that are found will be checked off in the key list. This will come in handy because the player will keep track of what they have already found and what still needs to be picked up. The player can zoom in and zoom out in locations. This is handy, as some items require a microscopic approach, and others only need a glance. Also, some places in the areas may need a couple of taps to complete the animation in that spot to see what is behind particular objects. The tapping is easy and smooth throughout the game. No animation gets stuck, which is nice. You can slash through bushes, pull back leaves in trees, and move boats in the water. Once the game has determined that the player has reached the number of items they need in order to move on, it will unlock the next location area.

The game will tell the player once they have found one of the required items on the list by showing them the character’s name, followed by a checkmark under the object. During the game, if the player wants more information on what items they are looking for, they can tap on the individual item on the key list. This will be on a level at the bottom of the screen. An info-talking bubble and details about the object will appear above the item. 

Settings

Players can go to the settings section by the settings button on the main menu screen, or by tapping the gear icon in a level. People can move the volume or brightness sliders to match their preferences. You can also change the language and play with or without the vibration. Vibration is used for players to feel when they have found something useful throughout the game. You can also hit the credits button, and see who was behind Hidden Folks Plus. The settings feature is lovely to have. 

Audio & Graphics – Hand Drawn Fun 

Hidden Folks Plus has great simplistic qualities to it. Feel good, down to earth, attributes. Anyone in the family can pick this game up, and give it a go. There are many places to discover throughout the game, and the sound intertwined with the graphics of Hidden Folks Plus helps showcase the video game to the audience. Watching and listening to what is happening adds much more to the point-and-click puzzle game. 

The main screen of the game

Audio

As for the concept of being a simplistic game…nothing fits the bill quite like the sound of the game. Almost everything sound-related in the game seems to be done by the same person. Although this is the case, the way it is done is not overbearing. You can see the different aspects of what the sounds are trying to convey to the audience. None of the sounds was mistaken for another. You can tell when a bee buzzes, and when a blade of grass is being sliced in half. I enjoy the voice-over making a “ding” noise once the item is found and checked off your list. Throughout the game, you get little treats like that not just in sound but also in the animation department.

Graphics

The graphics in Hidden Folks Plus is laid back goodness. Its animation compliments this as well. Both animation that is done on its own and those that happen when the player clicks on something are well done. The pacing of the animation during the game has the right speed to it, making it light-hearted. Keeping with the family-friendly theme, the graphics is relatable to all who play it. I enjoyed the placement of objects as well. A little bunny rabbit that comes out, and runs out of a rabbit hole into another rabbit hole was fun to witness. Opening up a tent to discover random items inside was interesting, and added an element of animation needed to help clarify the overall story. 

This review was done playing Hidden Folks Plus on an iPhone.