Game Review: Hide and Seek [Story of Dorothy]

by Chrisanna Lazaridou on 18 April 2017 · 6885 views

Hello everyone and Happy Easter! As you can see we have been focusing on PC RPGs lately, and truth be told, I wish all these games were available on smartphones as well. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case but I recently came across a horror RPG that exists solely on smartphones, and it is just as good as any previous RPG we covered. The game is called Hide and Seek and it was developed by TabomSoft. Let’s take a closer look to what it offers.

Plot

Unlike other games of its type, in Hide and Seek the player starts off by knowing basically nothing regarding the plot or the characters. The only thing we know is that the main character, a young girl named Dorothy has hidden herself in her closet while playing Hide and Seek but when she came out everything was different, and not in a good way. Bloody corridors, traps, supernatural occurrings and more, will keep you entertained for a good amount of time.

Gameplay

The first thing I want to comment on is the controls. As you know on PC these games are played with the arrows and in order to have the same mechanics on a smartphone, the game has the navigation buttons on the left corner of your screen. It took me quite some time to get the grip of that because I am used to simply tap and hold to the direction I want to move to in a smartphone game, and I was really confused at first. The fact that I had to use my left hand to perform these actions, didn’t help either but once you get used to it everything will go smoothly for you. On the right corner of your screen you have the A and B buttons that allow you to interact with items and check your inventory.

To save your progress you need to mke use of the clocks and thankfully there are plenty around in the huge mansion you are tasked to explore. Jumpscares are of course part of the deal and I suggest you keep the volume down to make things easier for yourselves.

There are many puzzles awaiting to be solved and some of them require a good understanding of the hints around you while others can be solved very easily. Sometimes the answer is right in front of you too. Honestly, this game knows how to mess with the player and this creates a very challenging and exciting experience. Also, if you are told to stay away from a place or item, I suggest you listen.

It is hard to get lost in this game as every new puzzle and task reveals itself after you completed the previous. The difficulty level is normal but you might have to try some tasks over and over due to how tricky they can be. You have 5 lives in total and when you run out of them you have to wait for some time for them to refill. For a freemium RPG is very well-made and it will leave you satisfied after finishing it. Its replay value is also high.

In-app Purchases

In Hide and Seek you can purchase clocks that allow you to use various items. With clocks for example, you can buy lives or increase your speed. Other than that, everything is completely free.

Graphics & Sounds

Dorothy is adorable and is probably the cutest character I’ve played up to this point. Her clothes, her general look, all make her so likable and sweet. The mansion is not dark and is actually quite colorful, definitely doesn’t make you think that it is haunted. The music consists of known music pieces that you will probably enjoy listening to.

Conclusion

Freemium horror RPGs are indeed very hard to find on smartphones and considering how much we use them the past few years, this definitely needs to change. Hide and Seek has been around since 2014 and it is a shame that there are not many games like this around after all these years. Let’s hope that this will change in the near future. If you know any similar games for smartphones, please let us know in the comments below.