100 hidden rams

Developer: Anatoliy Loginovskikh, Alexandr Telminov | Publisher: Anatoliy Loginovskikh | Release Date: 2021 | Genre: Casual / Hidden Object / Indie | Website: N/A | Purchase: Steam

After searching for snails, gnomes, birds, cats, aliens, eternals, mice, and mushrooms, the long-running 100 Hidden series turns its attention to something a little woollier. 100 Hidden Rams follows the same familiar formula as its predecessors by presenting players with one large black-and-white illustration and asking them to find 100 animals concealed somewhere within it. This time, the setting is a sprawling village filled with buildings, trees, walls, roads, and enough fluffy scenery to give the rams plenty of places to blend in.

As with the other titles in the series, there is no story or explanation for why an entire flock has taken over the village. Players simply begin at the top of the vertically scrolling illustration and start clicking on every ram they can find. Each discovery contributes toward the total and unlocks a Steam achievement, making this another attractive option for players looking to pad their achievement count or add an easy completion to their profile.

The gameplay could not be more straightforward. Players scroll up and down through the illustration, examine the scenery, and click on anything that resembles a ram. Found animals are highlighted in turquoise, which makes it easy to see which ones have already been collected. There are no timers, penalties, lives, hints, separate levels, or additional objectives to worry about.

The lack of a hint system is rarely an issue during the first part of the search. We found all but eight of the rams during our initial journey down the illustration. Scrolling back upward reduced the missing total to three, but the final two required multiple passes through the entire village. This gives 100 Hidden Rams a slightly better difficulty curve than entries such as 100 Hidden Gnomes or the first 100 Hidden Cats, where nearly every target could be spotted immediately.

The rams blend into the artwork more effectively than many of the objects in previous games. Their fluffy outlines look surprisingly similar to the foliage of trees and bushes, while their curved bodies and horns can disappear amongst cobblestones, brickwork, roof tiles, and other decorative details. Some are still standing in plain sight, but enough are disguised by the scenery to make players stop and inspect questionable shapes more carefully.

This is where 100 Hidden Rams benefits from its choice of animal. The gnomes in 100 Hidden Gnomes were far too distinct from their surroundings, while most of the cats in 100 Hidden Cats stood out clearly once players knew what to look for. Rams are naturally rounded and woolly, so their silhouettes can be incorporated into vegetation and masonry without looking completely out of place.

The village setting is one of the more coherent scenes in the series. Instead of the surreal fever-dream artwork of 100 Hidden Snails or 100 Hidden Eternals, this entry features recognizable homes, paths, vegetation, walls, and village activity. Cats and birds can also be seen throughout the scenery, although they are merely decorative and cannot be selected.

Including these extra animals is a neat way of making players second-guess what they see. A set of ears or a small animal silhouette might initially appear to be another ram, only to turn out to be a cat sitting nearby. The birds add further visual clutter without making the drawing overly chaotic.

100 Hidden Rams is also more animated than several earlier entries. Clouds drift across the screen, while hot-air balloons gently bob in the wind. These elements not only hide some of the rams but they also make the picture feel more alive. Compared to the completely static laboratory in 100 Hidden Mice or the plain mine in 100 Hidden Gnomes, the moving scenery is a noticeable improvement.

Unfortunately, none of the animation is interactive. Players cannot click on buildings, move parts of the scenery, or manipulate objects to reveal hidden animals. After 100 Hidden Eternals introduced small puzzles involving clicking and dragging elements, it is disappointing to see the series return to such a passive structure. The village could easily have supported doors that open, carts that move, or bushes that shift to reveal particularly sneaky rams.

Pressing “N” activates the familiar night mode. This darkens or reverses the presentation and can be easier on the eyes than staring at the bright white background for an extended period. Unlike in 100 Hidden Eternals, night mode is not required to reveal any hidden target, so it remains an optional visual setting rather than part of the puzzle design.

Players can also press “Del” followed by “Esc” to reset their achievements and progress. This allows the game to be replayed from scratch, but there is not much incentive to do so. The locations of the rams remain fixed, and once players know where they are, a second completion will be substantially quicker.

The entire experience is very short. Even with the final couple of rams putting up some resistance, most players should finish everything in one brief sitting. This is typical for the series, but it means that replay value is virtually nonexistent. Players are paying for one illustration, one search, and a large number of easy achievements.

Visually, 100 Hidden Rams is one of the more appealing conventional entries in the series. Alexandr Telminov’s linework is detailed enough to conceal the animals while remaining readable. The village is packed with small features, and the use of trees, bushes, stonework, and brick patterns provides natural camouflage for the fluffy targets.

The turquoise highlighting is also a good choice. It stands out clearly against the monochrome artwork without overwhelming the image. By the end, the illustration is dotted with colorful rams, creating a visual record of the player’s progress.

It does not have the strange personality of the original 100 Hidden Snails or the impressive mid-game color transformation of 100 Hidden Snails 2. However, the village is more attractive and animated than many of the simpler entries. The moving clouds and balloons may be minor additions, but they give the scene a little more charm.

The audio is basic and remains firmly in the background. It provides suitable accompaniment for the short search without becoming distracting, but there is nothing particularly memorable about it. More environmental sound effects, such as birds, wind, village activity, or the occasional sheep noise, could have helped the setting feel as lively as the animated artwork suggests.

Controls are handled entirely with the mouse. Players scroll through the image and click on the rams, with no complicated inputs or menus to learn. Everything responds as expected, which is all this type of game requires.

Compared to the earlier entries, 100 Hidden Rams lands somewhere toward the stronger end of the series. It is more challenging than 100 Hidden Gnomes, 100 Hidden Cats, and 100 Hidden Mushrooms because the rams blend into the environment more convincingly. It also feels livelier than 100 Hidden Mice or 100 Hidden Aliens due to the animated scenery.

However, it still lacks the creative interactions of 100 Hidden Eternals and the memorable visual twist of 100 Hidden Snails 2. The series has already demonstrated that small puzzles, animations, and changes to the artwork can make these games feel much more substantial, so returning to nothing but clicking visible targets feels like a missed opportunity.

Overall, 100 Hidden Rams is a short but reasonably satisfying hidden object game. Most of the flock can be rounded up quickly, but the way the woolly outlines blend with trees, bushes, bricks, and cobblestones ensures that the final few require proper observation. The animated clouds and hot-air balloons give the village some welcome life, even though the lack of interactive elements prevents the game from reaching the standard of the more inventive entries.

It remains primarily suited to achievement hunters and players who enjoy extremely brief hidden object diversions. Anyone expecting the larger illustrations, bonus stages, hint systems, and progressive color effects of the Hidden Cats series will find this very bare-bones. Within the context of the 100 Hidden franchise, though, it is a pleasant and slightly more challenging entry.