Hidden City®: Hidden Objects & Pictures

Welcome to the City of Shadows, detective! Start the mystery adventure in Hidden City, the popular hidden object game, with this simple guide. Hidden City is a casual adventure title with a rich storyline, numerous intriguing characters, and a ton of gameplay content like different levels, game modes, locations, collections, and mini-games.

Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure Lore

You start off as a detective, working in an agency alongside a good friend named Jacob. However, things take an unexpected turn when mirages of an unknown mystery city begin appearing all around the world, leaving everyone puzzled and clueless. You and Jacob are out on a quest to find out what is going on.

Delving deeper into the mystery, Jacob is suddenly engulfed by mysterious black smoke and taken into the phantom city. You are left all alone to figure out how to save a friend and uncover the truth behind this strange and perplexing case.

Embark on a perilous journey to free Jacob and unravel the secrets of the phantom city. The path ahead is fraught with danger and uncertainty, yet the fate of your friend and the world itself rests in your hands. Rise to the challenge and emerge victorious over the forces of evil!

Upon entering the City of Shadows, you find yourself in a mysterious fantasy realm that is shrouded in an eerie fog that makes it difficult to see what lies ahead. The city is a bizarre place where science, magic, alchemy, and witchcraft all seem to work in harmony, leading to some of the most incredible phenomena ever encountered. Despite its outward appearance, the City of Shadows is not your ordinary European city from the Victorian era. It is full of surreal features, uncanny inhabitants, and mysteries that are waiting to be unraveled.

Unraveling these mysteries will take you through numerous stunning locations scattered across the vast city, each with its own unique vibe and aesthetic: from lush and sunny parks to abandoned labs and foreboding alleys. Take up the challenge of exploring these locations in different modes (more on that below) to receive clues and new leads in the investigation, helping you get closer to completing the quest of saving your partner.

During your investigation, you will come across a plethora of colorful fantasy characters who have made the City of Shadows their home. These residents are all searching for answers to the same questions: what is the city, why were they taken to it, and how can they break free? However, getting them to share information and helping seek Jacob may be a challenging task. Nonetheless, their insights into how the city works and the forces at play can be instrumental in saving your life.

Mighty Adversaries

Apart from individual characters living here, several influential groups are fighting for control of the ethereal city. Some groups, like the Order of Five, seek to protect the borders between the shadow world and the real world, preventing evil forces from leaking into reality. In contrast, others like the Shadow Cult seek to expand their influence into both worlds and harness unsuspecting people's life force for their sinister agendas. Finding the right approach to both of them will be a real brain teaser.

The story of Hidden City

Hidden City was developed by G5 Games and saw its worldwide release in February 2014. The new update of the game (version 1.59) featuring great brain puzzles and riddles came out just a few days prior to posting this guide - on June 19, 2023.

What are hidden object games?

Hidden object games (HOGs) are a popular subgenre of casual games, ones enjoyed by a wide audience due to their simple rules and streamlined gameplay. HOGs usually require players to spot all the listed objects on the picture (screen) before time runs out. It's that simple.

General Information

Levels

The game world is nothing short of huge, and it features close to 100 various locations, including event locations. Each of the locations offers a number of levels to complete in various game modes and with various difficulties. The number of levels is constantly increasing, but at the time of writing this guide, it was well over 8300! 

Popular Locations

Some of the most popular locations in Hidden City: Hidden Objects are the ones unlocked early on. For instance: City Hall, Station of Forgotten Dreams, and Crystals (this location unlocks the first mini-game). Some higher-level fantasy locations that are popular among players include the Emperor's Palace, Palace of Wishes, and Pharaoh's Gallery.

Difficulty

Difficulty is not a setting one can choose in the menu. In Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure, the difficulty is defined by the specific challenges of each level. At the start of your journey, the levels are simple and easy, giving you plenty of time to think and even make wrong moves. However, as you progress, the difficulty will gradually become higher, making each next level harder than the previous. This will include new game modes, anomalies, harsh time limits, and other obstacles. But fear not! The proper use of tools and boosters will allow you to continue playing at a leisurely pace without sweating it too much. 

That's why Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure will be a real treat both for casual gamers looking to enjoy their screen time with a simple game and for hardcore players who are constantly looking for a hard and difficult challenge. 

The genre

Basic

Casual

Subgenre

Hidden object

Access Mode

To play free on a mobile device, download the hidden object game from your app store, and launch it. That's all there is to it. The game requires no internet access to run, so you can play wherever! Your progress will be saved locally offline and synchronized with the server the next time the device goes online and launches Hidden City. This feature also allows you to play on several devices with one account and keep your progress consistent. Connecting to Wi-Fi will also let you install the latest new update. 

To play free on a PC, either download the game's installation file, install it, and have it on your computer available at any time. Or alternatively, play online without any installation or registration in your browser window.

Types of access

• Online
• Offline

Features and game mechanics

As a detective, your goal is to explore the city, find clues, and advance the investigation of your partner's mysterious disappearance. First, take a look at the main game screen, which is a 3D map of the city. It features many locations scattered around town, each offering several hidden object levels of varying difficulty. At the start of your journey, only a few of the buildings will be unlocked for exploration, but in the later stages of the game, more will become available. 

Exploring Locations

Once you select an unlocked location, a 3D scene with numerous objects in it will appear. In each quest, your goal is to find all the hidden objects listed at the bottom of the screen before the timer runs out. Keep in mind that some things stay the same inside a location, but the placement of objects changes every time. So there's no point in studying and memorizing the exact placement of all hidden objects in pictures.

Step into the best mystery locations and search for hidden objects like a true detective!

Using Tools

Sometimes even the best detectives need a hand, and here's when tools come in. Here's a list of what might be handy in your work. 

• Discoverer's Magnifier: Highlights one of the objects from the list in a location
• Chronometer: Adds 45 seconds to the timer, giving some breathing room to explore
• Compass: For 30 seconds, it shows where the objects from the list are hidden with its needle 
• Diode Bomb: Reveals 3 hidden objects in your current location
• Lighter: Illuminates a dark location for 30 seconds, giving some time to search for objects
• Deciphering Cube: Decodes mysterious inscriptions and ciphers
• Mine Detector: Opens and defuses one bomb
• Bomb: Two explosions destroy 8 crystals each
• Super crystal: Destroys all crystals of one color on the game field
• Detector: Shows a random item off the list
• Lunar Lens: Shows the objects you can find in a specific area of the location when zoomed in

Registration and purchases

Hidden City: Hidden Objects Adventure is a free-to-play game, also known as f2p, which means you can play and enjoy all the content there is without paying any real money. However, if you wish to play more often and need more energy or have additional tools and boosters during your exploration, you can spice up your gameplay through in-app purchases.

There is no need to register anywhere in order to play this game with hidden objects. No registration is required. However, if you do wish to keep your progress intact across different platforms and devices, you can register with G5 Friends and enjoy the multiple benefits of this service. 

Releases of Hidden City

Last update date: Jun 19, 2023 - Version 1.59

How to play

Just launch the installed game on your device or play for free from a web browser by heading over to G5 official website!

Where to find help

Check out the support page if you're encountering technical difficulties

For guides, tips, and additional info, make sure to follow the Hidden City blog

Compatible with:
iOS: iPhone 5S and higher, iPad mini 2 and higher, iPad 2 and higher, iPod Touch 6th and higher 11.0+ firmware
Mac: macOS 10.13 or later
Android: 6.0 and up, Kindle Fire
Windows: 10.0 or later