Hidden Dogs: In The Dog House
There are countless games on Steam that follow the familiar “find 100…” formula, with only slight variations between them. Whether a level is divided into sub-areas that fill with color when you’ve cleared all the items for that area, whether you can play co-op with a friend, or whether you’re asked to locate multiple object types in separate batches, the core (and only) mechanic remains the same: spotting hidden objects within a single, huge artwork.
Because of this, the genre doesn’t leave much room for novelty. Hidden Dogs: In the Dog House sticks to the traditional formula, yet makes an effort to distinguish itself in a few meaningful ways from its competitors. Most notably, it introduces a light-hearted story. The dogs are determined to revolutionize a gaming world that is overloaded with cats by creating a canine-focused title. To do so, they must recruit fellow developers and artists who, of course, will also be dogs. The narrative unfolds through short dialogues before and after each new character is introduced, and each of these sections contains three hidden object stages.
Another way the game sets itself apart is through its level design. The stages are short and tightly contained, making traversing the game much more approachable than in most other “find 100…” titles. While the game features over 500 objects in total, each level only tasks you with finding 20–40 dogs along with a few extra items shown in image form (similar to “Where’s Waldo?” style). The dogs themselves are fairly large but cleverly concealed, sometimes with only an ear or the tip of a tail peeking out from behind other objects. Even so, the search never feels overwhelming. A generously quick-recharging hint system helps if you get stuck, and each dog you find will play a silly little woof sound.
The main game offers 15 levels, with additional content planned for the future. Completing the existing stages takes around 1.5 hours, and the overall experience is comforting and genuinely enjoyable. In my view, Hidden Dogs: In the Dog House is a well-done addition to the genre and one of the better entries of its kind currently available on Steam.