Hidden Objects require a bit more work than incrementals but less work than RPGs with determining if it is good or bad. There really are only two types of incrementals: fragmented hidden-object games (FROGs) and the more traditional junk piles.

One of the easiest way to determine with these games is to check the game on Big Fish Games. People on Big Fish often rate hidden object games much higher than the game deserves. This also means that if a hidden object game has a rating of two stars or less, it's not a good game.

For everything that else, you want to start with the bad reviews and see what people are complaining about, such as:

- Objects are transparent (more common with older games) and very hard to see, even for people that are not citing that they are color-blind.

- Objects that are badly mislabeled.

- The same objects keep showing up on every hidden object screen with little to no variation.

- The same type of object shows up on a screen but only one is correct. For example: The word "shoe" appears on the list but only one shoe of the five shoes in the hidden object screen is the correct one.

- Complaints about the hint system. Usually these complaints should be worded as something like, "This game is really obtuse about where you need to go next, and the hint system is of no help."

Fragmented hidden-object games (FROGs) don't have a lot of the above issues. For example the first hidden object screen in one such game involves finding a sledgehammer, screwdriver and books. Once all parts for an object are found, you can do something with it. They also come with the bonus that I've never played a FROG where the plot felt like angst filled drivel or some failed Lifetime Channel movie script.


In comparison, incrementals you start by checking if the game has microtransactions or not.

In my original post I said that if the developer was Slitherine, then you will know it's a bad game. Slitherine used to be a good company, not anymore. I don't have to buy all their games and spend countless hours playing them to know that if it's a Slitherine game, then it's not a good game. I know this from owning several of their games (and ones Slitherine took over and ruined). If Slitherine is involved, I will not buy the game. That is all I have to know about the game. I have no desire to waste money and time doing what you suggest.

Then can you just not necro your own weird threads and leave us all alone please?

Spoken like a true "Know it All" when confronted with the absurdity of there remarks.