Dear veterans, I am here to chat with you again. I think back in those days, with a Famicom in hand, an underwater level in "Contra" could be passed down to three generations. There was no strategy app at that time. I had to bang my head against the wall and try it out pixel by pixel. Later, when I played "Super Mario", I jumped up when I saw a crack in the wall. Why? Because there were too many hidden bricks hidden back then, the mushrooms kicked out could save lives. The fun at that time was the feeling of "you didn't tell me, but I found it myself".
To be honest, current mobile game puzzles are killing me. The reminder is highlighted at every turn, just in case you can't find it, and everything is circled for you. There is also the kind of automatic pathfinding, skipping with one click, and solving puzzles is like reading the manual. I remember nothing until the end of the game, just remember to click "Next". It's boring, it's really boring.
It wasn't until I recently caught a small game called "Hidden Button" that I regained some of the feeling I had back then.
The name of this game is very straightforward, it just asks you to find the hidden pass button. But don't underestimate these 60 levels. Each level is a test of Chi Guoguo's brain. Some buttons are hidden in the background color, some are mixed in among the cluttered decorations, and some... you would never expect them to be in that kind of place. I was stuck for ten minutes when I reached the third level. Finally, I discovered that the button was not a "thing" at all, but a color difference in the shadow. I wanted to drop the phone at that time.
But when you calm down and think about it, isn't this what we used to play games back then? There are no prompts, no red markings, it's all up to you to figure out the details yourself. It's just that back then, it was about picking out the circuit board of the game console cartridge, but now it's about picking out the pixels on the screen.
This game also specializes in psychological warfare. Some levels look very simple. There is a white background and a black button. Click on it and I will tell you that you are wrong. Then you start to touch around, touch the corners of the screen, touch the gaps in the text, and finally find the real button hidden in the pattern that you thought was just decoration. This feeling of "you think you've seen through it, but actually it's waiting for you in the third dimension" is the same as when you played "Sokoban" and found that there was a box that could be pushed twice, up top.
Moreover, this game is really good, made by Chengdu Mandana. It is free to download and does not cost a penny. Most of the puzzle games on the market now start playing ads when you reach the fifth level, or you have to purchase in-app to unlock chapters. This "Hidden Button" made me play through more than 40 levels without any ads popping up. I even wonder if they are doing charity, or if we can kowtow to them collectively after we finish 60 levels.
Of course, it's not without its shortcomings. The design of some levels is indeed a bit "hiding for the sake of hiding". For example, the buttons are almost integrated with the background, and normal human eyes have to stick to the screen to see them. Anyway, I put on reading glasses (no) and adjusted the brightness of my phone to the highest level to see clearly. But then again, this is probably the original intention of the design, which is to force you to think about the problem from a different angle. Don't tell me, it really cured my habit of squinting when playing with mobile phones.
Finally, I would like to give a heartfelt message to the young brothers: If you are used to playing the kind of puzzle games where "the answer is put to your mouth", try this one. It is guaranteed to raise your blood pressure and make you suddenly enlightened. Anyway, the time I spent squatting in the pit increased from five minutes to half an hour. My legs were numb and I couldn't bear to get out.
Friends who want to experience the joy of discovering secrets on their own, hurry up and get one. If you get stuck, you can also howl in the comment area. Although I am not a veteran player, I can share my ideas with you. That's it, I'm going to continue digging at the screen. The meeting is over! 😎🕹️