Hiding Spot

About

Hiding Spot is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by Corey Martin and was released on October 16, 2018. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"Hiding Spot" is a multiplayer horror/stealth game where players take turns either hiding or seeking. The hiders must strategically move around the environment, avoiding the seeker and using various objects to conceal themselves. The seeker's goal is to locate all the hiders before the time runs out, using only a flashlight to illuminate the darkness. With permadeath and a constantly changing environment, each round is a tense, exciting experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 112 reviews

gameplay16 positive mentions

stability1 negative mentions

Hiding Spot features clever and unique puzzle mechanics that challenge players to think creatively about how to use furniture to create hiding spots.
The game has a charming atmosphere with minimalist graphics and soothing music, enhancing the overall experience.
With 55 levels that gradually introduce new mechanics, the game offers a satisfying progression and a good balance of challenge without being overly frustrating.

The lack of a tutorial or clear instructions can lead to confusion, as players may not understand how certain mechanics work until they experiment.
Some puzzles have an unbalanced difficulty curve, with certain levels being significantly easier or harder than those around them.
The game is relatively short, which may leave players wanting more content or additional levels to explore.

gameplay
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
68%
5%
The gameplay is characterized by its clever use of simple mechanics that gradually introduce new elements, keeping the experience fresh and engaging. While the puzzles are generally easy and accessible, they encourage lateral thinking and exploration of unique interactions between various furniture pieces. However, some players find the controls awkward and the lack of a tutorial can make initial understanding of mechanics challenging. Overall, it offers a satisfying puzzle experience with a good balance of complexity and creativity.
- “It ramps up its mechanics in a sensible way, nudging your brain into increasingly cantilevered acts of lateral thinking as you internalize its ruleset, and the twists on that ruleset that each different piece of furniture introduces to the moving/stacking fundamentals.”
- “Great puzzle game with varied puzzle mechanics.”
- “Each level has a new idea to puzzle you, just caused by the interactions of the previously presented mechanics, always in a very digestible way.”
- “The mechanics are slightly awkward; you'll often need to crouch or un-crouch to perform actions and there's no way to change your facing direction without a movement input.”
- “Might be hard to get into at first, as the game never really explains how the mechanics work or what the win condition is.”
- “Entire puzzles are counting on this being a problem, which is frustrating since you might see what you need to do, but you have to wrestle the game's movement mechanics in order to do it.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
53%
18%
The music in the game is described as haunting, atmospheric, and subtly enjoyable, effectively complementing the minimalistic graphics and overall aesthetic. While it may lack variation and can become repetitive during active listening, it serves well as a soothing background for puzzle-solving. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the game's eerie and charming atmosphere, making it a fitting accompaniment to the gameplay experience.
- “Add to this the atmospheric music, and the strangely haunting concept of basically hiding yourself away, and this is indeed a hidden gem ;-)”
- “Music and voxel art complement the design of each level perfectly.”
- “Thematically, the game just works really well, and the music and art that ties it all together is soothing and well-suited to the experience.”
- “The similar looking levels and setting is rather bland, but this adds to the mundane atmosphere and style, and the music complements this as well.”
- “There's not too much variation in the music, so you might get a little bit fatigued if you're actively listening to it, but as background puzzle noise, it's very suitable.”
- “No time limits, no enemies, droning music.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The graphics of "Hiding Spot" are characterized by a simple, minimalistic voxel art style that some players find charming, despite its lack of detail and occasional lag. While the visuals and music contribute to an enjoyable atmosphere, they are described as minimal and not the game's primary focus, with the well-designed puzzles taking precedence. Overall, the aesthetic complements the game's themes, creating a unique vibe that resonates with players.
- “The music is haunting and the graphics are excellent.”
- “The game's sombre art style and ambience manage to convey its psychological and mental health themes without ever explicitly acknowledging them.”
- “A simple, isometric puzzle game with chill music, minimalistic graphics and an overall charming feeling to it.”
- “For better or worse, the graphics, music, and story are also minimal.”
- “The art style is flat, the difficulty curve felt off in the middle since the game doesn't teach any of the mechanics, and it's all pretty short.”
- “Although the graphics are not super detailed, there is something charming about them.”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
18%
27%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a blend of mundane and surreal elements, creating a calm yet eerie ambiance that enhances the puzzle-solving experience. While some levels may appear bland, the atmospheric music and sound design contribute to a haunting and dreamlike quality, making it a unique and enjoyable setting for players. Overall, the strong atmosphere is a key highlight, effectively supporting the game's concept and gameplay.
- “It's also a very peaceful atmosphere, perfect for puzzle solving, with the occasional humorous moments as you perform all sorts of strange furniture-on-head balancing acts.”
- “The similar looking levels and setting is rather bland, but this adds to the mundane atmosphere and style, and the music complements this as well.”
- “Hiding spot is just plain surreal, with weird low noises in the background and a claustrophobic, dreamlike atmosphere that could be read as threatening or merely deeply odd, depending on your mood.”
- “Puzzle game with a calm yet eerie atmosphere.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game features a minimalistic story that largely relies on players' imagination, with no rich narrative or character development. While the gameplay is engaging and the puzzles are well-designed, many reviewers express a desire for more depth and variety in the storytelling aspect. Overall, the narrative is understated, focusing on the player's experience rather than a traditional plot.
- “The story is left to your own imagination: are you hiding from zombies, feeling down, or maybe just playing hide and seek.”
- “Wish there was a bit more variety and depth, and maybe a slightly interwoven story that escalated as you played or something, but besides that it is definitely an interesting twist on the sokoban genre of games.”
- “The game doesn't really have a story unless you come up with one yourself, but as an office worker I could somehow relate to the 'completing a room' animation, where your nameless character huddles up in a fetal position under the furniture and the camera zooms out.”
- “The game doesn't really have a story unless you come up with one yourself, but as an office worker, I could somehow relate to the 'completing a room' animation, where your nameless character huddles up in a fetal position under the furniture and the camera zooms out.”
- “First of all, I want to touch upon the lack of story.”
- “For better or worse, the graphics, music, and story are also minimal.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a charming blend of humor, highlighted by a hilarious end goal and a heartwarming scene that adds to the overall experience. Players enjoy a peaceful atmosphere punctuated by amusing moments, particularly during quirky furniture-balancing puzzles.
- “This is a good sokoban-style game with a hilarious end goal: you need to hide.”
- “The presentation is nicely functional, and altogether the game is a great experience, complete with a heartwarmingly funny little scene at the end.”
- “It's also a very peaceful atmosphere, perfect for puzzle solving, with the occasional humorous moments as you perform all sorts of strange furniture-on-head balancing acts.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's replayability is limited due to the absence of user-designed levels, resulting in players primarily revisiting the same environments without significant variation.
- “The game offers a variety of choices that significantly change the outcome, making each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
- “With multiple character classes and different strategies to explore, I find myself coming back for more every time.”
- “The dynamic events and random elements ensure that no two playthroughs are ever the same, keeping the experience engaging.”
- “There aren't user-designed levels, so the replay value amounts to revisiting the same levels.”
- “The lack of variety in gameplay makes it feel repetitive after just a few runs.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play again.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwarming and humorous conclusion, which adds depth to the overall experience. Players appreciate the functional presentation that enhances immersion, making the emotional moments feel more impactful.
- “The presentation is nicely functional, and altogether the game is a great experience, complete with a heartwarmingly funny little scene at the end.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report that while some furniture items experience occasional bugs, these issues can typically be resolved quickly with an undo function, indicating a generally stable experience.
- “Some of the furniture was occasionally buggy, but a quick undo would always fix it.”