100 hidden birds

Developer: Anatoliy Loginovskikh | Publisher: Anatoliy Loginovskikh | Release Date: 2020 | Genre: Casual / Hidden Object / Indie | Website: N/A | Purchase: Steam

Birdwatching is usually associated with patience, binoculars, and possibly standing around in uncomfortable shoes while waiting for something with feathers to appear. 100 Hidden Birds skips most of that and instead challenges players to find 100 birds hidden inside a large black-and-white city illustration. As with the other entries in the 100 Hidden series, the concept is about as straightforward as it gets: scroll through the picture, spot the hidden creatures, and click on them.

100 Hidden Birds is another short hidden object game by Anatoliy Loginovskikh, this time featuring artwork by Alexandr Telminov. The Steam page describes the game as “ultra hard,” but this will depend largely on how observant players are and how familiar they are with this type of hand-drawn hidden object game. It is definitely more challenging than 100 Hidden Gnomes, where the gnomes barely felt hidden at all, but it is still a very small and simple experience.

The gameplay consists of scrolling up and down through a vertically oriented monochrome illustration of a busy cartoon city. Hidden somewhere amongst the buildings, windows, signs, platforms, and other details are 100 birds. Clicking on a bird marks it as found, and the goal is simply to locate all of them. There are no timers, penalties, mini-games, hints, or additional modes to worry about. The entire experience is focused purely on searching the image carefully.

Compared to 100 Hidden Gnomes, this entry feels like a better hidden object game. The birds blend into the artwork far more naturally than the gnomes did, and it is less likely that players will simply click their way through all 100 without pausing. However, it also does not have quite the same surreal appeal as 100 Hidden Snails. That game’s bizarre doodle art made the entire image feel like some strange fever dream, while 100 Hidden Birds uses a more coherent city setting. This makes the picture easier to parse, but also slightly less memorable.

The black-and-white cartoon style works well enough for the task at hand. The linework is busy without becoming completely unreadable, and the city setting gives the illustration more structure than some of the other games in the series. Some birds are obvious, while others are tucked into small details or disguised within the scenery. None of this makes the game especially difficult, but it does provide a little more satisfaction than simply clicking on objects that stand out immediately.

As with several other games in the series, players can press “N” to activate night mode. This darkens the presentation and can make the image easier on the eyes, although it does not significantly alter the gameplay. Progress can be reset by pressing “Del” and then “Esc,” which is useful for anyone who wants to replay the game or clear the achievements from scratch.

The achievement structure is clearly one of the main appeals. Each bird found unlocks an achievement, meaning players can earn 100 achievements in a very short amount of time. This makes 100 Hidden Birds particularly attractive to players who enjoy boosting their completion statistics. However, it also means that once all birds are found, there is very little reason to return unless players want to replay the search for its own sake.

The audio is basic and does not add much to the experience. This is not unusual for the series, and considering how short the game is, it is not a major issue. Still, a more distinctive soundtrack or ambient city sounds could have given the setting a bit more personality. The controls are simple and responsive, with players only needing the mouse to scroll around and click on the birds they find.

Overall, 100 Hidden Birds sits somewhere between 100 Hidden Snails and 100 Hidden Gnomes in terms of appeal. It is more enjoyable and more challenging than Gnomes, thanks to birds that are actually concealed within the artwork, but it lacks the strange visual identity that made Snails more interesting. It is still extremely short and aimed primarily at fans of quick hidden object games or achievement hunters, but for its very low price, it does what it promises.