I picked up a couple of games from the Hidden Cats series on Steam almost on a whim: Hidden Cats in Tokyo and Hidden Cats in Spooky Village. My 9-year-old loves “find the hidden object” puzzles, but I’ll admit I hesitated for a second. Normally I prefer to buy physical books with the puzzles for him to do. I wasn't sure I wanted him to be staring at a screen. Also, the art style leans cute, maybe even a little cozy, and I had that vague parental worry of “Is this too cutesy for a boy?” They were on sale, though. So I figured why not?

Turns out it was a great call.

He loves them. And more importantly, we’ve been doing them together. One or two puzzles a night, sitting side by side, quietly scanning the screen for cats tucked into rooftops, lanterns, corners, and shadows. No timers. No pressure. Just slow attention and the occasional “I think I see one!” Or rather, me ignoring the ones I see and trying to help guide him to the ones that he can't seem to spot.

^{One of the completed puzzles. They start out black and white and gradually color in as you find all the cats in an area. You can zoom in. The maps are quite detailed.}

^{Here is how they look before you find anything}

These games reward patience, careful looking, and coöperation rather than reflexes or competition. They’ve slipped naturally into our bedtime routine, replacing some noisier alternatives with something calmer, and oddly satisfying for both of us. I mean I would prefer to read him a goodnight story, like I always used to (and sometimes still do) with his older brother, but his personality leans away from books and he rejects that, so quiet and calming games have filled the spot. And this oen fits the bill eprfectly.

Sometimes the best purchases aren’t the ones you overthink. They’re the ones that quietly create a shared habit you didn’t know you were missing.

^{And a completed one from the Tokyo game}

If you are in the same boat as me, have young kids who enjoy these kind of puzzles, this series is a good one! There are at least a dozen games in the series, and all of them are on sale on Steam right now.

❦

David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Bluesky. 【Support @dbooster with Hive SBI】