Finding Things...Without Knowing Exactly What You're Looking For (Variation #2)

Hidden puzzle mechanics in most games work by giving the player some kind of list. Whether it be a list with all of the names of the objects hidden or a list with all the pictures, the list tends to be clear in what object the player needs to find (with the exception of words that can be taken multiple ways such as arrow and mouse).

What if the list wasn't as clear?

Hidden puzzle mechanics by nature challenge the player's perceptual skills more than anything else. By giving the player's the list in another way, the mechanics can challenge the player's skills at using context clues in deducing the correct answer.

For example, there could be a game about a disorganized merchant who goes to another land to sell their goods. The people really want to buy the goods, but they have a hard time finding the right words in the merchant's language so they resort to describing the items. In an instance of gameplay, a person would come up to the player, describing one or multiple objects they want ("I'm looking for an item that tells me what time it is"). The player can then take some time to figure out what the person is looking for (a clock). Then the player would turn to a scene of the shop and find the items they think the person is describing.

Here are two illustrations of two alternative ways of giving clues (click to enlarge):

Having the extra challenge in hidden puzzle mechanics allows for more kinds of gameplay the mechanics can work with as well as become a tool in developing the player's thinking skills.