Customer Reviews (500)

openlostsoul • 2025-03-26T06:49:52-07:00

I love the graphics and soundtrack to this game. The scenes progress to challenging at a pretty quick pace. I like the fact that this game rewards me for playing daily but doesn’t punish me for not spending hours a day playing. This is how gaming should be, a healthy balance between fun and responsible playing. The only problems I’ve had are the occasional glitch where I spend energy to play a scene and the scene doesn’t load, and this has only happened once. I also find the storyline hard to follow and wish that there was a way to keep up with what’s happening. Other than those two things, I would say my gameplay has been very satisfying!

scientific analysis • 2025-03-25T13:21:40-07:00

Pretty silly game when you realize developer doesn’t want you to make progress… just wants you to keep playing and paying money. The goal is to gain attributes, but you can play the same scenario over and over, waiting for the game to drop a necessary item. In doing this repeatedly , you use up repeatedly, you use up money and energy etc, so to you have to pay again and again. If you are that greedy, just have folks buy it….

Chica2025 • 2025-03-23T20:21:58-07:00

This is my one and only problem I have ever had with this game. Making the distortions in non-event Japanese games part of the event requirements was too much. I have been playing all day trying to get the distortions anomaly to keep coming up to get the required amount to finish the event. It’s just not fun. This makes the games really annoying instead of fun.

Summary of Key Insights

Hidden City: Object Seekers is a popular hidden object game with strong graphics and engaging gameplay, but it suffers from several recurring issues that impact user experience. The primary weaknesses are aggressive monetization strategies (frequent prompts to purchase, perceived unfairness in item drops), technical issues (crashes, loading problems, lost progress), and design choices that frustrate players (difficulty of certain game modes, excessive pop-ups, limitations on social interactions). The overall sentiment is mixed, with many long-time players expressing frustration at recent changes. Quantitatively, the app has a decent overall rating, but the significant number of 1- and 2-star reviews indicates serious problems for a subset of users. The game's strengths lie in its beautiful graphics, engaging storyline, and variety of gameplay.

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
  • Time Frame: The reviews appear to be a mix of recent and older reviews, spanning several years.
  • Analysis Methods:
    • Sentiment analysis (identifying positive, negative, and neutral opinions)
    • Keyword extraction (identifying frequently mentioned topics and issues)
    • Frequency analysis (determining the prevalence of specific complaints and requests)
    • Categorization of reviews based on themes (technical issues, monetization, gameplay, design)

Key User Pain Points

  • Aggressive Monetization:
    • Impact: Frustration, feeling of being "forced" to pay to progress, perception of unfairness, decreased enjoyment. Many users feel the game is becoming increasingly pay-to-win.
    • Evidence: "developer doesn’t want you to make progress… just wants you to keep playing and paying money," "too many popups offering purchases," "always trying to sell you stuff not worth it," complaints about the cost of energy and tools.
  • Technical Issues (Crashes and Loading Problems):
    • Impact: Loss of progress, frustration, inability to play the game.
    • Evidence: Numerous reports of crashing after updates, freezing, inability to download updates, loss of progress after updates.
  • Game Design Issues:
    • Impact: Frustration, decreased enjoyment, feeling of unfairness.
    • Evidence: Complaints about the difficulty of certain game modes (especially crystal games and "1 in 3" games), excessive pop-ups, overly difficult challenges, time limits being too short, hard to find items.
  • Limitations on Social Interaction:
    • Impact: Reduced social enjoyment, difficulty completing certain tasks.
    • Evidence: Complaints about friend limits, gifting limits, and unwanted game invites being sent to their friends without their permission.
  • Poor Customer Support:
    • Impact: Frustration and feeling of being ignored.
    • Evidence: Complaints about canned responses from customer support, inability to recover accounts, and lack of resolution to technical issues.

Frequently Requested Features

  • More Ways to Earn Energy/Rubies: Users want more opportunities to earn in-game currency without spending real money.
  • Ability to Choose Game Modes: Many users dislike certain game modes (e.g., "1 in 3") and want the option to select their preferred modes.
  • Carryover of Energy Between Events: Users are frustrated when accumulated energy is lost at the end of an event.
  • Improved Gifting System: Users want to see how much of an item they have before gifting it to friends.
  • Favorite Friends List: Users want a way to highlight favorite friends for quicker interactions.
  • Zen Mode/Option to Remove Time Limits: A mode without time limits or move limits was suggested to allow for more relaxed gameplay.
  • More Realistic Graphics (for some players): Some players prefered the older more realistic graphics.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Beautiful Graphics: The game is consistently praised for its high-quality graphics and visually appealing scenes.
  • Engaging Storyline: Many users enjoy the game's storyline and the variety of locations to explore.
  • Variety of Gameplay: The combination of hidden object scenes with mini-games (match-3, memory, etc.) keeps the game interesting.
  • Regular Updates: Users appreciate the frequent updates and new content that keep the game fresh.
  • Addictive and Relaxing: Many users find the game addictive and a good way to relax and unwind.
  • Brain Training: Some users find the game helpful for improving memory and focus.
  • Long-term Enjoyment: Many reviewers have been playing the game for years and continue to enjoy it.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Address Crashing and Loading Issues: Investigate and resolve the technical issues causing crashes and loading problems. This is the most critical issue affecting user experience.
  • Re-evaluate Monetization Strategies: Reduce the frequency of pop-up purchase prompts and consider adjusting item drop rates to make progression feel less dependent on spending money.
  • Improve Customer Support: Provide more personalized and helpful support responses, and address account recovery issues promptly.

Medium Priority:

  • Offer More Ways to Earn Energy/Rubies: Implement more in-game opportunities to earn energy and rubies without requiring purchases.
  • Address Game Mode Preferences: Consider adding an option to choose preferred game modes or reduce the frequency of unpopular modes.
  • Improve Gifting System: Enhance the gifting system to allow users to see their item inventory before sending gifts.
  • Implement a "Favorite Friends" List: Add a feature to highlight favorite friends for easier interaction.
  • Optimize for iPad Edges: Ensure that all items are visible and accessible on iPad screens, addressing the edge-of-screen issue.

Low Priority:

  • Consider a "Zen Mode": Explore the feasibility of adding a mode without time limits for more relaxed gameplay.
  • More Cultural Diversity: Consider adding scenes and items from Latin American countries.
  • Improve Tutorial System: Offer clearer instructions and explanations for game mechanics.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Personalized Hidden Object Games: A startup could create a hidden object game platform that allows users to customize the difficulty, game modes, and even the art style to their preferences.
  • Hidden Object Game Subscription Service: Offer a subscription service that provides access to a library of hidden object games without in-app purchases or aggressive monetization.
  • AI-Powered Hidden Object Scene Generator: Develop an AI tool that allows users to create their own hidden object scenes from images or descriptions.
  • Social Hidden Object Game Platform: Create a hidden object game with a strong focus on social interaction, allowing players to collaborate on puzzles and share their creations.

Trends and Observations

  • Negative Sentiment Increase: There's a noticeable trend of long-time players becoming increasingly frustrated with the game due to monetization changes and technical issues.
  • Language Preferences: While the game supports multiple languages, the majority of reviews are in English, suggesting a primary English-speaking user base. There are also reviews in Chinese, Russian, and Spanish.
  • Monetization Complaints: The most recurring theme is related to the game's monetization, with users consistently mentioning the feeling of being pressured to spend money.
  • Technical Glitches: Issues related to crashing and loading are consistently present in the reviews.

Conclusion

Hidden City: Object Seekers has a solid foundation with its beautiful graphics, engaging storyline, and varied gameplay. However, to maintain its popularity and address user concerns, G5 Entertainment AB needs to prioritize fixing technical issues, re-evaluating its monetization strategies, and addressing frustrating design choices. By focusing on these areas, the developers can improve the user experience and retain long-term players. A shift toward a more balanced and player-friendly approach is recommended.

Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hidden-city-object-seekers/id722217471?uo=2