Exploring Venice
Search for hidden objects in the lovely game Sophia the Traveler.
The first time you see Sophia the Traveler, it may remind you of something else. The game is inspired by the popular Where’s Wally? books, with its packed scenes of people, animals and objects.
Like the books, you’re playing hide and seek, although you’re not looking for a man in a stripy jumper and hat here. Each of the 10 scenes gives you a list of things to find, including books, cuckoo clocks, dogs, guitars and parrots. You have to click around to find them.
The game is set in Venice, the Italian city that is built on a group of islands separated by canals. There are 10 different scenes to explore, with more than 1,800 characters and some of Venice’s famous buildings. A fun touch is that the sound effects have been recorded in different languages. You can play the game in English – or French, Italian, Mandarin or Cantonese (two of China’s languages), or others if you want to. Sophia the Traveler looks beautiful, with each scene hand-drawn by the game’s developers in great detail. You’ll notice that skill as you zoom in, whether you are exploring a house, a pirate ship or the famous Basilica of San Marco church.
Sophia the Traveler was released on 11 April for PCs and Nintendo’s Switch but if you play on a different console or device, there are other similar games out there. This genre (style) of video games is called “hidden object”, and some other fun examples of these types of games include Hidden Through Time and its sequel Hidden Through Time 2, as well as Hidden Folks.
These games don’t suit everybody – if you find Where’s Wally? books difficult and frustrating, hidden object games may not be for you. But if you love these kinds of visual puzzles, the games are worth a go.