Hidden Folks uncovers new factory areas in free update
Where's Wally at work?
The wonderful Where's Wally 'em up Hidden Folks [official site] has added three new areas in a free update today. The centrepiece is a sprawling factory with moving production lines and some big numbers: "19,475 sprites, 3400 interactive objects, 921 characters, 540 sounds, and 28 targets," I'm told. This is a lovely game and now there is more of it and that is great. Huzzah!
A good factory.
The three new areas are a small one introducing the theme, the huge Factory itself, and one puzzle area. The patch notes also promise "massive" performance optimisations, better sound mixing, improved ambient sounds, eight new langauges (Arabic, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Czech, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese), more character animations, and other such welcome changes.
The developers have posted a three-part diary (1, 2, 3) detailing how new areas go from drawings on paper to actual levels. If you enjoy looking at nice things -- and you probably do if you're reading about Hidden Folks -- then it's well worth a look.
For those who have not yet played Hidden Folks, here's a chunk of Wot John Thinks:
"This is charming and silly and gentle and fun, ridiculously intricate and lovingly crafted. It's not hardcore, it's not going to outfox you, but it doesn't want to be doing that. This is one of those instances where you wish 'casual' hadn't become a meaningless nonsense term in gaming, because it would nicely capture the feeling of a puzzle book that’s magically come alive, a Where's Wally where you get to poke and prod the characters. It's a calm, calming and pleasingly silly game."
Hidden Folks is £5.99/7,99€/$7.99 on Steam.