Hiding Spot
- August 12, 2018
- Corey Martin
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"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.
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Reviews
- Hiding Spot features clever and well-designed puzzles that gradually introduce new mechanics, providing a satisfying challenge without becoming overly difficult.
- The game's unique premise of creating hiding spots using furniture adds a relatable and engaging theme, enhanced by a calming atmosphere and minimalist graphics.
- Players appreciate the freedom to approach puzzles in any order and the unlimited undo feature, which encourages experimentation and reduces frustration.
- The lack of tutorials or guidance on mechanics can lead to confusion, making it difficult for players to understand how to solve certain puzzles.
- Some players found the difficulty curve inconsistent, with certain levels being significantly easier or harder than those around them, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay.
- The game's minimalistic graphics and presentation may not appeal to everyone, and some players noted that the overall aesthetic feels flat or unpolished.
- gameplay57 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a clever exploration of simple mechanics within a sokoban-style puzzle framework, gradually introducing unique interactions and challenges through various furniture pieces. While the puzzles are engaging and often clever, some players find the controls awkward and the lack of a tutorial can make initial understanding difficult. Overall, the game offers a satisfying experience with a good balance of challenge and creativity, though it may feel underdeveloped in certain aspects.
“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.”
“This is a fun puzzle game with an easy-to-understand premise that uses simple mechanics of moving furniture around to solve complex puzzles.”
“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 uncrouch 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.”
“There is no straight progression where you go from puzzle to puzzle, learning new mechanics, reinforcing them through expanded use, and then exploring a new aspect of the mechanics you've learned.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
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 may not be the main draw, they effectively complement the game's eerie atmosphere and well-designed puzzles, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience. The aesthetic choices align with the game's psychological 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.”
- music15 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as atmospheric, haunting, and subtly fitting the overall aesthetic, enhancing the experience with its minimalistic and ambient qualities. While it effectively complements the visuals and gameplay, some players noted a lack of variation that could lead to fatigue during prolonged listening. Overall, the soundtrack is praised for its ability to create a soothing and immersive environment, making it suitable as background music for puzzle-solving.
“The music is haunting and the graphics are excellent.”
“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.”
“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.”
“There's not too much variation in the music, so you might get a little fatigued if you're actively listening to it, but as background puzzle noise, it's very suitable.”
“The game also needs options to turn off the droning ambient music.”
- story10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game "Hiding Spot" features a minimalistic approach to storytelling, leaving much of the narrative to the player's imagination, with no rich or interwoven plot. Players navigate a multistory building, arranging furniture to hide from an unspecified threat, but the experience is more about puzzle-solving than narrative depth. While the game captures a relatable sense of isolation, it ultimately lacks a substantial story, feeling more like a short vignette than a fully developed narrative.
“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.”
“For better or worse, the graphics, music, and story are also minimal.”
“First of all, I want to touch upon the lack of story.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as surreal and dreamlike, blending calmness with an eerie undertone that enhances the puzzle-solving experience. Users appreciate the subtle yet effective music and sound design, which contribute to a strong, immersive ambiance that balances peacefulness with moments of humor. Overall, the setting plays a crucial role in elevating the gameplay, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The puzzles are intuitive and the atmosphere is spot on.”
“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.”
“Goes to show how much setting and atmosphere matters for a puzzle game.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a heartwarming and humorous ending scene, complemented by occasional funny moments during gameplay, particularly while engaging in quirky furniture-balancing puzzles. Overall, the humor enhances the peaceful atmosphere, contributing to a delightful gaming experience.
“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.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
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 skill trees, every run can be a completely different experience.”
“The dynamic events and random elements ensure that no two playthroughs are ever the same, keeping the game engaging.”
“There aren't user-designed levels, so the replay value amounts to revisiting the same levels.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play through it again.”
“The lack of variety in gameplay mechanics makes replaying feel tedious and uninteresting.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game delivers a well-rounded emotional experience, highlighted by a functional presentation and a heartwarming, humorous scene at the conclusion that leaves players feeling satisfied.
“The presentation is nicely functional, and altogether the game is a great experience, complete with a heartwarmingly funny little scene at the end.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that while some furniture items experience occasional bugs, these issues can typically be resolved quickly with the undo function, indicating a generally stable experience.
“Some of the furniture was occasionally buggy, but a quick undo would always resolve the issue.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
“I encountered several glitches that disrupted gameplay and made it frustrating.”
