Hidden object games are here to stay. Many of us may have graduated from these titles, preferring to play more complex experiences. However, these games are still the favorites of many casual gamers. It also helps that many hidden object games are relatively accessible and easy to pick up and play, with many of them now available on mobile.

However, innovation breeds new tastes, and, in turn, people will try out new experiences, thus changing their preferences. If you stay the same after all these years, gamers won’t patronize you anymore. The whole situation leads us to ask: should hidden object games infuse other gameplay mechanics?

You could say this defeats the purpose of having gaming genres, but if HoG games wish to remain competitive in the ever-evolving game industry, this is a necessity. Here’s why:

Other game genres have tried it, and it’s a success

So yes, HoGs should include new gameplay elements into the mix

Most games today are multifaceted experiences with several gameplay elements. Even platformers and roguelike games have in-depth RPG elements. In the world of casual and highly accessible games, like match-3 and bubble shooter games, they’ve infused simplified small sequences of puzzles and even hidden object minigames to give a rather varied experience.

Though you could say they are not staying true to the genre of their choice, there is a good reason for this. Monotony is a common complaint and is a product of bad game design. For example, No Man's Sky's early, immediate post-release build was considered boring and monotonous despite having thousands of planets and lots to do.

Of course, we don’t want hidden object games to fall into this hole. You can argue that there’s a massive difference in audience and player types, but nobody would want to play the same old game, right?

How would it work?

There are many ways hidden object games can diversify themselves and infuse other gameplay elements.

For one, HoGs can take advantage of story elements and turn them into an open-ended “choose your story” type of game. This can be the case when it comes to horror and supernatural settings like The Mystery Mansion, or any other type of thrillers, especially those involving detectives.

Moreover, many of these games can also include elements from other genres. For example, it would be good to have puzzle sequences that may consist of jigsaw-like activities. Plus, match-3 mechanics could be part of it. Some developers even created hybrids of HoGs and design simulation games; the loop involves players tasked to find objects they can place inside their virtual homes.

Is this a necessity?

Match-3 sequences in HoGs would be excellent

Absolutely. Hidden object games need to infuse other gameplay mechanics considering our ever-shrinking attention spans and inherent urges to try something new now and then. After all, developers need to make them evolve if they wish to both maintain their current player base while attempting to appeal to new players.

In your case, what do you think? Should HoGs remain “pure,” or should they branch out and include more gameplay elements?