If you have a Gamersgate account, there are two hidden object bundles on sale right now...


<span class="bold">Alawar Hidden Object Best 5-in-1 Pack</span> - $1.25

▪ Eternal Journey: New Atlantis (DRM Free)
▪ Forbidden Secrets: Alien Town (DRM Free)
▪ Snark Busters 3: High Society (DRM Free)
▪ The Gift (DRM Free)
▪ Twisted Lands: Origin (DRM Free)


<span class="bold">Alawar Hidden Object Top New 5-in-1 Pack</span> - $1.75

▪ Cruel Games: Red Riding Hood (DRM Free)
▪ Deadly Voltage: Rise of the Invincible (DRM Free)
▪ Motor Town: Soul of the Machine (DRM Free)
▪ The Lake House: Children of Silence (DRM Free)
▪ The Saint: Abyss of Despair (DRM Free)

The HOG genre is 'casual', so there is not much difference between the worst and the best ones, since they aim straight at mediocrity (which I crave at times, thanks for the recommendations!)

Most people are blisfully ignorant of the craftmanship and deeper mechanics of media products that are 'mainstream' or 'casual', like the visual style of Michael Bay. In the case of the HOG genre, its simplicity sort of amaze me. it's the most minimalistic of all non-realtime games and if you describe the raw gameplay, it sounds more like some high-brow art experience: The player stares at a static screen, and tries to spot specific objects. When he have spotted the object, he clicks on it with his mouse. Repeat. That's the gameplay. Still, the genre is actually mainstream!

There's not much difference between the worst and best FPS games either.
Damn you, tempter!

Wow, this forum actually does eat your posts from time to time. Now it's happened to me, too. :/

Yes, sometimes the older simpler games can be very relaxing. My faves among the purely Hidden Objects would include the Mystery Case Files (Huntsville, Prime Suspects), Mystery PI series, Hidden Expedition series, Big City Adventure series, and Christmas Wonderland series (which is cheerfully seasonal) I'd say most Hidden Objects are at least trying to be HOPAs now, and some are far more adventure than puzzle game (looking at you, Mortimer Beckett & Dream Chronicles.) I like the Midnight Mysteries and House of a Thousand Door games too. Despite the silly storylines they are great fun and can hold my attention for hours at a time.

Christmas Stories are fun seasonal HOPAs. with a silly but vividly displayed story, speaking characters, and lots of interactive bits. If you compare Christmas Stories with Christmas Wonderland, you will see the sharp difference between the styles, but both can be fun and relaxing.

I have to agree with those who said that quite a few recent HOPAs seem to be recycling more popular storylines into a Mum-friendly format. I've thought the same thing, I didn't really mind that, but then again, I am a Mom. lol

Just played a HOPA called Sinister City with Mel. A few weeks ago we started it, but abandoned it because of what we thought at the time was a game-breaking bug. Also, it is a terrible game. It got patched a few days ago, so we decided to give it another go. It is still a terrible game, even by bad HOPA standards, but it is enjoyable. Mostly because it is designed to be terrible. It is "B" by design. This aspect of it makes it far more entertaining than it deserves to be. Yes, it is still possibly one of the worst games we have played for a long while, but its self awareness made it worth finishing.

If you like "B" grade stuff, this is worth a go. If you like cringing while you laugh, it is definitely worth a go. It takes a while to click into place. It starts off quite subtle with the camp and crappy, but the further you get into it the more obvious it becomes that it is all supposed to be terrible. Of course if you have no tolerance for crap then avoid.

Think of it as Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein: the High School Drama Club version.

The only ones I have played are the Artifex Mundi ones, which are a mixture of poin&click adventure game and hidden object game. As other say it's casual gameplay. The story is not really deep and the games are not difficult at all, but they can be fun. Don't expect a gem, but they are entertaining. Enigmatis: Mist of the Ravenwood is the one I think I enjoyed the most.

Just finished Them: The Summoning. It was very similar to Black Viper: Sophia's Fate, only not as good, and ended on a cliffhanger! Did not even realise it was episodic until that happened. It is a shame, as it had a real interesting horror / Dan Brown-ish sort of thing going on with hauntings and conspiracies etc. I'll probably play the others if I get them "free" (ie, but a bundle they are in, for something else in the bundle) but it really was quite sub-par. Not recommended.

GIANT hello to the HOPA community,

On behalf of Brave Giant, an Indie development studio from Novi Sad, Serbia, I would like to share with you Brave Giant’s LIMITED TIME OFFER on ALL our PC games!

This 93% discount provides you with 23 thrillingly engaging games.
For the low price of 29.99$, you can purchase our 23 game bundle valued at 459$.

Embark on exciting journeys with games such as Hidden investigation, Family mystery, Ghost Files, Demon Hunter, Tiny Tales and our latest award-winning game family Mysteries 2: Echoes of Tomorrow, for only 29.99$ (459.77$)

If you’ve ever desired to try one of our games, why not try them all for this discounted price?

Don’t miss your chance and grab it while you can! - bravegiant.com

We’re looking forward to your reviews, experiences and comments on our games.
By purchasing this bundle you are supporting all our brave giants that are dedicated to providing you with high-quality digital entertainment.

Lots of love from all of us at Brave Giant,
Happy gaming!