Hidden Folks

It’s tempting to dismiss Hidden Folks, a collaboration between designer Adriaan de Jongh and artist Sylvain Tegroeg in which the player spots hidden characters and objects in black-and-white drawings, as Where’s Waldo for the modernist crowd. But the game is neither as commercially crass nor artistically ostentatious as the premise suggests. Instead, Hidden Folks is confident, relaxed and charming. Credit Tegroeg’s hand-drawn art and de Jongh’s “mouth-originated” sound effects, which provide a distinctly analog vibe. Previously, de Jongh operated within the studio Game Oven, where he created games that explored physical spaces. Sadly, those projects have never found the mainstream audience they deserve. With Hidden Folks, de Jongh seems to accept that we now live within our screens. Rather than scold us for our obsession with screens, de Jongh creates a space free of gaudy color, notifications and noise. It’s an escape from our escape.