If there’s any casual gaming genre that has been completely missing from Facebook, It’s the hidden object game. Although downloadable hidden object game is a popular trend in casual gaming, its browser-powered counterpart and Facebook seemed to be unable to mix with each other just like water and oil. But that’s not going to last for long, On April 8, Playdom announced the launch of “Garden of Time”, a traditional hidden object game blended with social elements.

Unlike most of its predecessors, the game has a back-story. The premise behind Gardens of Time is that you are the latest recruit of Time Society, a mysterious organization which is tasked to preserve the flow of history. You will travel through time and history by time machine in order to collect ancient heirlooms which are used to personalize the historical park called “Garden of Time”.

The idea behind hidden objects puzzler is simple enough but the gameplay can be challenging. Just as the name suggests, you need to click to locate objects hidden in a picture. These objects are usually scattered around a much cluttered picture, or even blended into the background. Each puzzler contains colorful 2D graphics and a lush soundtrack, which are specifically designed to appeal to young audience. A competitive element introduced into the game is that if you are able to consecutively make successful clicks with your keen eyes and nimble hands, you can rack up chains that reward bonus points. There are some special abilities that are available when you get stuck in trying to locate an object. Hint is among them. It will randomly reveal the location of a hidden item that appears on your list and has a cooldown time to prevent it from being abused. As for the social part of the game, you will be able to give your friend Hint as well.

As I said before, you can show off your unique aesthetic sense by decorating your own garden with worldly artifacts found in hidden object scenes. Additionally, some items you collect can be redeemed for coins which can be spent to purchase other unique things to decorate your own virtual space.

You will also be able to visit friends’ cities and play an exclusive co-op game with them. For example, you will be presented with a blitz-like puzzle, in which you have to find as many items as possible in one minute then you invite your friend to find the rest objects. Your combined scores will determine how many rewards you can get.

Garden of Time, just like other games on Facebook, is a free-to-play game and you can pay real-world cash to get advantages in the game if you so desire. Playdom just got a head start on browser-powered games by trying this brand new one. At first glimpse, it seems to be hitting all of the right notes although it is still far from complete. Playdom promises that the game will refresh bi-weekly, with five new puzzles per update and it will arrive on mobile in a few months. So, with its surprisingly addictive gameplay, it will fill a big gap in social gaming and has strong potential to be Playdom’s next flagship product.