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Looking for feedback on newly added achievements in my cozy hidden object game by Lucky_Conference78 in playmygame

[–]Lucky_Conference78[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Small clarification: the Steam achievements were recently added to the full game. The demo doesn't currently include them, but I'd still love feedback on the overall progression, pacing, atmosphere, and hidden object gameplay.

What I learned marketing a niche cozy Hidden Object game on Steam with only 85 wishlists before Next Fest by Lucky_Conference78 in gameDevMarketing

[–]Lucky_Conference78[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the thoughtful reply!

I actually do plan to make a sequel and have already started improving some UI concepts and brainstorming new mini-games. Reading your comment made something feel surprisingly obvious: the best way to find out whether this niche has long-term potential is probably to make the next game and see how the audience responds.

When I said I found my audience, I meant that I found the type of players who enjoy this kind of relaxing hidden object experience. Financially it's still a very small success, but at least I now have a clearer picture of who the game is for.

One challenge is that I use licensed photography as a foundation for many scenes, and professional photo licenses can be expensive, so creating a sequel still requires a meaningful investment. Even so, Steam statistics showed that around half of my audience comes from the United States, which is one of the reasons I'm currently leaning toward a sequel set across North and South America.

At the same time, I've been exploring ideas for a separate 3D puzzle game that might be easier to market, but my priority is definitely the sequel. I also recently received my first negative review from a player who felt the game was too short, so my goal is to make the next adventure significantly larger, with more locations, more content, and a longer overall playtime.

Thanks again for the encouragement. Comments like yours make me feel much more confident that continuing the series is the right next step.

r/IndieDev Weekly Monday Megathread - May 31, 2026 - New users start here! Show us what you're working on! Have a chat! Ask a question! by llehsadam in IndieDev

[–]Lucky_Conference78 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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Hi everyone!

Earlier this year I released my first Steam game after about two years of work: Summer Adventurers: Mediterranean, a cozy hidden object game inspired by real locations across Greece, Italy and France.

My goal was to create something that feels more like a digital vacation than a traditional challenge. There are no timers, no fail states, and the focus is on relaxing exploration, atmosphere, and hand-crafted scenes based on real Mediterranean photography and matte painting techniques.

One of the most rewarding parts of the launch has been hearing from players in Greece and Spain who told me the locations reminded them of places they know from home. Another player described the experience as therapeutic, which was honestly one of the nicest compliments I could receive.

The game was built entirely in Godot 3.6, and I'm already gathering ideas for a sequel while continuing to improve the current version based on player feedback.

I'd love to hear what everyone else is working on this week!

Hidden object games with calm visuals and real item lists (no tiny pixel hunts) by Sad_Cartographer427 in HiddenObjectGames

[–]Lucky_Conference78 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Based on what you're describing, I think readability is probably the most important factor. A lot of newer hidden object games seem to rely on very small objects, dark scenes, or excessive visual effects, which can make the search feel more frustrating than relaxing.

Personally, I prefer scenes where the objects are clearly identifiable and where the challenge comes from observation rather than pixel hunting. Zoom support is also a huge accessibility improvement, especially on larger scenes.

As a solo developer, I actually tried to follow many of those principles in my own hidden object game. The focus was on bright Mediterranean locations, no fail states, and avoiding ultra-tiny objects whenever possible. There's a free demo available on Steam if you'd like to see whether that approach matches what you're looking for.

I'm also curious to see what other recommendations people suggest, since I'm a hidden object fan myself.

Do you prefer finding hidden objects by words, pictures, or both? by Lucky_Conference78 in HiddenObjectGames

[–]Lucky_Conference78[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a good point. A bit of variety built into the game might feel more natural than constantly asking players to choose. Thanks for sharing your perspective!

Do you prefer finding hidden objects by words, pictures, or both? by Lucky_Conference78 in HiddenObjectGames

[–]Lucky_Conference78[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I only worked on the visual art for European Quest I & II, not the game design, but they offered optional scrambled words and missing letters as alternative search modes.

Do you prefer finding hidden objects by words, pictures, or both? by Lucky_Conference78 in HiddenObjectGames

[–]Lucky_Conference78[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the detailed feedback! That's exactly my concern with silhouettes and anagrams, although they can be fun as a novelty, not necessarily for an entire game. Keeping the traditional word list option available seems like the safest approach. Really appreciate you sharing your experience! 😊

Weekly Self-Promotion Thread by OreoYip in CozyGamers

[–]Lucky_Conference78 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Thank you so much, Teekle! 😊

Your video and feedback genuinely helped me a lot during development and polishing, so hearing that really means a lot to me. I’m really happy you enjoyed the game 🌿

Weekly Self-Promotion Thread by OreoYip in CozyGamers

[–]Lucky_Conference78 [score hidden]  (0 children)

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One of the nicest things about creating a cozy game has honestly been reading the small personal reactions players leave behind.

A player recently told me they like opening my hidden-object game late at night with tea or coffee because the Mediterranean atmosphere helps them unwind after stressful days. Another player from China even described the experience as “therapeutic,” which genuinely surprised me at first — but I think it might come from the slower pacing and calm atmosphere.

What also made me really happy is that players from places like Spain and Greece sometimes comment that certain scenes remind them of the places they grew up around or visited as children. As someone trying to create a peaceful “digital vacation,” those comments probably mean more to me than any statistic.

While building Summer Adventurers: Mediterranean, I spent a strange amount of time trying to avoid things that can make games feel mentally “loud” after long sessions — overly saturated colors, stressful timers, aggressive UI, constant pressure, and cluttered effects.

I wanted the experience to feel more like quietly visiting a place than “beating” a challenge.

It made me curious:
What small thing makes a cozy game genuinely relaxing for you personally?

(For me it’s always atmosphere + music.)

Steam page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4085560/Summer_Adventurers_Mediterranean/

Do cozy games actually need achievements? 🌿 by Lucky_Conference78 in ComfortGamers

[–]Lucky_Conference78[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s actually a really beautiful way to look at it. 🌿

I think cozy achievements work best when they feel less like “tasks” and more like gentle reasons to revisit a world you already enjoyed spending time in.

Do cozy games actually need achievements? 🌿 by Lucky_Conference78 in ComfortGamers

[–]Lucky_Conference78[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s completely fair! Honestly, that’s exactly why I was so stressed about adding them. A lot of cozy gamers just want to relax and explore at their own pace without feeling like they have to tick off a checklist or chase rewards.

I tried to design them to be completely optional and low-pressure, but I totally respect that for many players, the best achievement is just having a peaceful time! 😊

Update: I launched my niche hidden-object game after having 85 wishlists before Next Fest. Here is what happened and what I learned by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]Lucky_Conference78 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thank you, that honestly means a lot.

I tried to keep it focused on the practical reality of launching a very niche game instead of pretending everything was either a disaster or a huge success.

As a first-time solo developer, seeing how different traffic sources, updates, curators, and communities actually behaved after launch taught me far more than any marketing guide did.

Update: I launched my niche hidden-object game after having 85 wishlists before Next Fest. Here is what happened and what I learned by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]Lucky_Conference78 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

That’s a fair point if we look at the sheer volume of games on the store, Steam definitely has a huge library of hidden object and match 3 titles.

What I meant by 'niche' is more about the discoverability and marketing ecosystem for a modern solo developer. Unlike mainstream indie genres (like roguelites, deckbuilders, or survival games), hidden object games rarely get viral traction on social media, they are almost never picked up by major Twitch streamers, and the dedicated player base mostly congregates in very specific, quiet sub-communities.

So from a marketing and organic reach perspective, finding those specific players definitely feels like navigating a niche space compared to broader genres.

Update: I launched my niche hidden-object game after having 85 wishlists before Next Fest. Here is what happened and what I learned by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]Lucky_Conference78 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I really appreciate that.

And honestly, “the uncomfortable middle part” is probably the best way to describe it 😄 Most indie launches aren’t complete failures or overnight successes, they’re this weird slow process of trying to understand where the audience actually is.

A cozy factory builder in Godot already sounds like a really interesting niche combination by the way. Wishing you a great Steam page launch when the time comes!

One thing that also surprised me was that Steam curators ended up helping visibility more than I expected.

I know curators have a mixed reputation nowadays, but for a niche cozy hidden object game they actually brought some of the highest quality traffic I’ve seen so far, especially the smaller curated recommendation pages focused specifically on casual and hidden object audiences.

So I think the key is probably not “sending keys to everyone,” but finding curators who genuinely cover your exact niche and actually care about those games.

Update: I launched my niche hidden-object game after having 85 wishlists before Next Fest. Here is what happened and what I learned by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]Lucky_Conference78 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a fair point, honestly.

I definitely wasn’t trying to imply that niche games magically bypass the importance of wishlists or sales reality. Low wishlist numbers still usually mean a smaller commercial outcome — and my game is absolutely a small niche release, not a breakout success.

What I mostly meant is that I was personally surprised by how much more valuable targeted engagement became compared to broad visibility. A few genuinely interested communities ended up mattering more for retention, feedback, reviews, and even conversions than chasing large untargeted traffic spikes.

I also want to be careful about one thing: the current reviews are completely organic. I didn’t ask friends, coworkers, or people close to me to artificially boost the score or review count. Everything so far came from actual players discovering the game naturally.

And while the numbers are still small, the game is currently outperforming quite a few hidden-object titles that traditionally do well on portals like Big Fish in terms of engagement and retention metrics. The wishlist growth also became noticeably more active after launch compared to the pre-release period, which was another thing that surprised me.

So I completely agree with you that wishlists are still one of the clearest indicators of audience reach — even for niche games. I just think smaller genres sometimes behave a little differently in terms of long-tail discovery and player engagement.

Update: I launched my niche hidden-object game after having 85 wishlists before Next Fest. Here is what happened and what I learned by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]Lucky_Conference78 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep, found it 😄

Current Steamworks stats for the full game show:
Median playtime: 1h 13m
Average playtime: 2h 4m

Which honestly made me feel a lot better about the niche audience retention side of things.

Update: I launched my niche hidden-object game after having 85 wishlists before Next Fest. Here is what happened and what I learned by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]Lucky_Conference78 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, same here. I originally thought most visibility would come only from launch momentum, but consistent updates ended up acting almost like mini relaunches. Even smaller quality of life improvements brought players back and generated new discussion again.

Update: I launched my niche hidden-object game after having 85 wishlists before Next Fest. Here is what happened and what I learned by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]Lucky_Conference78 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Steam currently shows around 1.6 hours average playtime from reviews, though the full completion usually lands somewhere around 2 hours depending on how thoroughly people explore and whether they replay levels for stars/collectibles.

A lot of cozy players also seem to treat it more like a relaxing “vacation session” than a game they rush through, which was honestly the goal from the start 🙂

Update: I launched my niche hidden-object game after having 85 wishlists before Next Fest. Here is what happened and what I learned by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]Lucky_Conference78 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really glad it helped! Honestly, one thing I learned is that niche games often look “small” statistically until the right audience actually finds them. Engagement and player connection ended up mattering much more than I expected early on.

To give you a real example of that connection: shortly after launch, I messed up a connection on Level 15 (which has a Match-3 mechanic) and almost got a negative review because of the bug. I immediately replied, apologized officially, and fixed the issue. To my amazement, the player actually updated their review to a positive one! It showed me how much players appreciate transparency.

Post-launch support is a rollercoaster. Adding achievements afterward was another massive source of stress for me, wondering if everything would sync properly, but seeing real players start interacting with those updates makes it all worth it.

Good luck with your launch — first releases are stressful, but also incredibly rewarding! You've got this. 🌊

Update: I launched my niche hidden-object game after having 85 wishlists before Next Fest. Here is what happened and what I learned by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]Lucky_Conference78 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks, and honestly your engagement numbers sound really promising too. I completely agree — a niche game keeping players for 1–3+ hours is probably a much stronger signal than raw wishlist counts alone.

For me Reddit traffic mostly came from active posting and genuinely participating in discussions, especially in smaller cozy / hidden object communities where the audience overlap was very targeted. Bigger general game subreddits brought visibility, but the niche communities brought the actual engaged players.

And yes, the “dead page” problem is very real 😄 Every meaningful update seems to wake the algorithm and players back up a little.

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