Hidden around the World

[b]Note:[/b] I had the chance to try out this game, thanks to a wonderful friend. ^^ [h1]A cozy HOG in which you can travel around the world from the comforts of home. XD[/h1] [h2]Introduction[/h2] [i]Hidden around the World[/i] is a cozy, relaxing hidden object game developed and published by Ogre Pixel. As you travel to various famous cities around the world, ranging from Paris to Sydney, you're tasked with finding items, recreating photos, and finding tiny sparkling fairies. There are various gameplay elements. The hidden object item finding aspect is pretty standard. If you have difficulties finding an item, you can click on the item in the search bar and a helper (yes, the hint button) will take you to its location. Also, there are the usual functions, like zooming via the mouse wheel. As for the photos/snapshots, you can recreate them by moving the items needed for them. There's the option to click and drag items elsewhere (unless the place where you wish to move the item is marked in red). Once you feel that you have all the items correctly placed, then you can take the photo by clicking on the camera icon in the lower left of the screen. As for fairies, a few items in the cities will have a light purple sparkle, so by simply moving the items, the fairy will be revealed. In addition, you can find random treasure chests that will reveal coins and possibly, tickets. You can earn coins, though, by clicking on the cute animals found in the cities. Coins can be used to purchase items in the shop, and tickets are used to play the gacha machine, which can win you items. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3705160604 In addition to the 12 levels that are available, you can create your own cities and upload them, using items that you win and/or purchase in the shop. Also, you can play cities that other players have uploaded. I should note that only full screen mode is available. Steam achievements are available, but they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "Steam is learning about this game". [h2]Review[/h2] I must admit that I didn't know about this cozy gem until a friend gifted me a copy of the game, so I'm very grateful that it was brought to my attention. As one of the games in the [b][url=https://store.steampowered.com/category/hidden_object]Hidden Object Fest[/url][/b] that's currently going on at the time of this review, I was looking for a HOG to play, so I decided to give this a try. ^^ There isn't much of a story here, but it's really the gameplay that's the focus. I like how you start off in Paris and each new city gets unlocked as you find all of the main hidden object items. A tutorial is present to guide you, and that helped, as this is the first HOG by Ogre Pixel that I played. While finding the items is pretty self-explanatory as well as finding the purple fairies, recreating the snapshots can be a bit troublesome. While all the items can be found in a city, I found it a little annoying when it came to taking the pictures. I'd have all of the items placed correctly and in frame, but when I clicked on the camera item, I'd get an error message that something is missing in the picture. This part of the game is very picky, but the devs are aware of this, so hopefully, there will be a future update that will allow for more flexibility. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3705160403 However, I did like the shop feature, and I had no issues earning plenty of coins to purchase items. Since levels are replayable, money isn't an issue. Also, the gacha machine is quite fun to play, and it isn't too much of a grind to obtain all the items. In addition, the option to create your own cities and upload them was very fun, and I tried it out, mainly to get a certain Steam achievement. You can also download and play levels that others have created as well as rate them. This makes the game a bit interactive and you feel like you're part of a community who enjoys cozy HOGs. ^^ All Steam achievements are obtainable, so there's no issue in 100% completing the game. I should note, though, that the game really needs a workable windowed mode. Even though you can press Alt + Enter to change the game to windowed mode, there's no way to resize the game screen. As for the art, it has a very cutesy, cozy style that feels perfect for this game. The colors are bright, making the cities come to life. What I found to be a great feature is that you can choose different color schemes (a.k.a. brightness, combinations) and choose the time of day (morning, afternoon, night) for the cities. These features can help since changing one or both can make finding objects easier. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3705160163 With the music, the tracks are relaxing to listen to, and there's a great variety. They're perfectly placed with the cities they show up in, making you feel like you're in that city. My personal favorite track is the Cairo one. XD [h2]Conclusion[/h2] Would I recommend [i]Hidden around the World[/i]? If you're looking for a cozy, hidden object game to play, you'd like to play one that will take a bit of time but is still on the short side, and/or you enjoy looking for all those Steam achievements, then this is worth trying out. The game has a few technical issues, but they're on the very minor side, and it's very fun and enjoyable. For the asking price, it's definitely worth getting, but you can always wait for a sale. ^^ [quote]For more detailed, fully complete, high quality reviews like this, please follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url], prioritizing heart and soul always. ^^[/quote]