Game: Hidden Cats in Santa’s Realm
Genre: Hidden Objects, Casual, Indie
System: Steam (Windows, macOS)
Developer | Publisher: Nukearts Studio
Controller Support: Yes
Price: US $3.99 | UK £3.39 | EU € 3,99
Release Date: December 18th, 2023
No review code was used; I purchased the game myself.
Hidden Cats in Rome is a 2023 hidden-object game by Nukearts Studio, where your objective is to find kittens hidden around Santa Clause’s Realm. This game is yet another one in the Hidden Cats Series, this time appropriately Christmas-themed. Here, you can read our other reviews in the series Hidden Cats in Paris, Hidden Cats in London, Hidden Cats in New York, Hidden Cats in Spooky Town and Hidden Cats in Rome.
The Gameplay
Hidden Cats in Santa’s Realm follows the well-known formula of the Hidden Cats games; we have a charmingly drawn city scene where we are looking for hidden cats. In this particular game, we explore a fantastically rendered artist’s idea of Santa Clause’s Realm. It is funny and imaginative at the same time – it has elves and little trolls, animals, and yetis, and while some of them are doing what elves are supposed to, some of them are involved in surprisingly mundane everyday jobs. The Realm has all the sights you expect: a palace, a snow fight, the reindeer stables and so on.
As in previous games, we have two game modes: Normal, with 120 hidden cats in fixed positions and three hints, and Advanced, with 200 cats in random places and the option to find special cats and elves (and trolls) to earn hints and unlock bonus levels. You can zoom in and out of the picture as you like. We also have moving parts of the image, like cars, or rather, sleights, in traffic.
In Advanced mode, besides the cats, we also look for special cats and elves. Finding two special cats unlocks bonus levels. For example, the Gift Cat and Zelda unlock the Reindeer stable level. The bonus levels are much smaller than in the central area, and the cats are blue kittens and mostly in fixed positions. Some might hide in baskets or behind wall panels but are relatively easy to spot.
There are no special cats or people to find in the bonus levels. Like in the previous game, the bonus scenes are again connected to the Santa Realm, like the above-mentioned Reindeer Stable, the Candy Factory, Santa’s Castle, etc. Hidden Cats in Santa’s Realm also includes a more extensive bonus level, the Snow Fight. Once again, you search for cats, but the real challenge is finding the 100 elves and trolls.
Art Style
The artwork is the heart of the Hidden Cats in Santa’s Realm. The game starts with a line drawing of the artist’s idea of what Santa Clause’s realm might look like. When you find a cat, some colors bleed into the Winterland. If you find all the cats in an area, say a Christmas tree, the tree is colored immediately.
Again, The soundtrack nicely complements the game’s atmosphere- music and background noise. The cat mewing is just right. The sound moves with the player’s movement on the picture, helping the illusion that it’s a real, living, and breathing picture of Rome.
Some Side Notes
Hidden Cats in Santa’s Realm, the difficulty was on a level with Hidden Cats in Rome. The cats were well-drawn and more apparent. During the bonus level Snow Fight I did wish the finding of the elves and trolls to be more like finding the kittens. It took me quite a while to find them all. Once again, as a DLC, you can buy a PDF coloring book of the game. Hidden Cats in Santa’s Realm has Steam achievements but no trading cards yet.
Conclusion
The latest game in the series, Hidden Cats in Santa’s Realm, follows through with the changes in the gameplay Hidden Cats in Rome brought to the series. Hidden Cats in Santa’s Realm doesn’t disappoint, and what’s more, comes at the perfect time for some Christmas-y fun. I can’t wait for the next one.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up: 