Create a Hidden Object Game

Use this guide to plan a hidden object game in Talescape. Hidden object design depends on visual search, object readability, discovery feedback, progress tracking and a satisfying completion rule.

The work centers on the Scene Editor, items, variables, actions, conditions, story preview and automated checks.

Start by deciding what kind of search experience you want. A hidden object game can be calm, mysterious, tense, investigative, timed, story-driven or puzzle-heavy. Decide whether the player is finding objects for atmosphere, clues, progress, score or story consequences.

When you create the story, choose a title, base language and dream type that match the tone. Before placing objects, define what completion means: finding all required objects, reaching a score, discovering enough clues, making a final interaction available or opening a new scene.

Plan the structure around search areas and outcomes. A small project might use one searchable scene and one completion scene. A larger project might use several rooms, chapters, optional search areas or repeated object hunts with different goals.

In each search scene, the background carries most of the player's attention. Decide which objects are part of the environment, which are discoverable and which only provide clues or flavor. Keep clickable areas large enough that players can select them comfortably.

Hidden object games combine a few systems:

• Scene elements: Define what can be clicked, inspected, collected or changed.
• Items: Represent objects the player should keep, inspect or use later.
• Variables: Track progress, score, discovered categories or completion state.
• Actions: Give feedback, update state, hide found objects or make next steps available.
• Conditions: Reveal completion interactions or alternate content after enough progress.

Decide whether each discovered object should appear in the player's inventory. Story clues often benefit from being inspectable later, while internal progress markers can stay hidden.

Build the flow around discovery feedback. When the player finds something, they should understand that the click mattered. Feedback can be an inventory item, a changed image, a message, a sound, a variable stat, a new interaction or a line of dialogue.

Consider how visible the goal should be. Some hidden object games show a list or progress counter. Others keep the goal hidden and let the scene, dialogue or story logic reveal when enough has been found.

Use variables to track progress. This might be a number such as clues_found, a set of choice variables for individual discoveries or a broader state such as search_complete.

A discovery interaction often uses several focused actions:

1. Give an item or mark a variable.
2. Update progress.
3. Hide, disable or visually change the found object.
4. Show feedback through text, sound, dialogue or scene changes.

Use Run Once behavior where appropriate so the same object cannot be collected repeatedly.

Polish should make the search fair. Objects can be hidden, but they should not feel impossible to select or visually misleading unless that is the intended challenge.

Use visual contrast, object size, scene composition and optional hints carefully. If the player finds enough objects, make the completed state visible through a new exit, message, dialogue line, changed scene element or available interaction.

Preview the search experience from multiple states:

• No objects found.
• Some objects found.
• All required objects found.
• Optional objects missed.
• Completion available.
• Completion still blocked when progress is incomplete.

Use the Debug Menu inventory and variables tabs to adjust item quantities and progress values without replaying the whole search. Check that found objects cannot be collected twice unless repeat collection is intentional.

Run checks and fix missing media, invalid item references, unreachable scenes, broken completion conditions or incomplete marketplace details. Hidden object games depend heavily on readable visuals, so choose marketplace screenshots that show the search style clearly without giving away every solution.

Complete story metadata, tags, content warnings and screenshots before starting the Release Workflow. To go deeper, review:

• Scene Editor for layered search layouts.
• Items & Recipes for clue collections and combinations.
• Variables for progress tracking.
• Automated Validation before release.