Stray Souls: A Dollhouse Story is a hidden object game first released back in 2011 as the original game in the series and was an instant hit. In fact, it was one of the better hidden object game I played around that time for a few years with high production values. It was followed up by Stray Souls: Stolen Memories. As mentioned already by others, both games have been given away before here on GOTD, and despite its age it holds up very well and would still give it a high recommendation today with its unusually creepy atmosphere and extremely well told story - both solid reasons for the series popularity. This is not a game for anyone suffering from coulrophobia - fear of clowns - as clowns feature prominently in this game (as do dolls). Its also not a kids game so keep that in mind.

The game is a point and click adventure and is entirely controlled by the mouse. There are two modes of play, Casual and Expert. The difference between the two is that in the Casual mode the player is given more help, glittering stars indicate interactive areas. There is a story which involves Danielle going off to search for her husband accompanied by a talking knitted doll. The living doll offers advice and assistance as the player progresses and the game automatically updates Danielle's journal when important points have been passed. The journal also includes a map that shows Danielle's current location, the places she's visited, and the location of the hidden object scenes.

In addition to the objects in the story there are thirty five 'Beyond Objects' hidden throughout the game. These are items that change shape, for example a crow in a tree may morph into a cat. They do not affect the game play but are present as an additional challenge to the player.

If the player gets totally stuck in a hidden object scene there is a hint button they can click on, this causes the doll to blow a puff of smoke at the hidden item. The hint button can be used again and again but it does take time to recharge, how long depends on whether the player is in Casual or Expert mode.

Hidden object games seem to come in two varieties. There's the kind that has loads and loads of screens where you have to find hidden stuff and there's this variation where there's a bit of a story, a couple of puzzles, and a sense of purpose. Having played both I prefer this type of game. If you havent tried a HOG and have no issue with clowns or scary based themes, this one may be ideal to see if you like the genre. While not a masterpiece, its well worth a download and keeping for most and personally I'd be interested if they could make an update perhaps with voice acting.

Rating: B+

A reminder that there are many additional free giveaway titles which are yours to keep forever and both for steam and non steam. New ones are being posted regularly. You can bookmark or subscribe to the two giveawayoftheday forum threads to get email notices. Some have limited timeframes to claim so dont forget to check back in.
https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/467382/page/18
https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/466757/page/18

Installed and plays without issue on Win10HomeX64. Similar to "Stray Souls: Stolen Memories" (most recently seen here on March 5, 23) where the same scary looking, but friendly, doll helps the lead character on a search for her lost husband. I've been playing the recent giveaway "Sacra Terra - Angelic Night" where some of the HOG scenes are so dark it makes it nearly impossible to find some objects. Here, the HOG scenes are still challenging but nicely lit, making looking for an item much more fun and less of a chore. There are 2 modes, casual and expert. Standard HOG play and some nice mini games in a spooky atmosphere. If that appeals to you then you will enjoy this. I'm finding it fun!

There is a walk-through of the game over at Big Fish if you need it.
https://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/walkthroughs/stray-souls-dollhouse-story.html

Thank you to the teams who made this giveaway possible.
Happy Easter to those celebrating.

Love this type of game!

+2 Time Zone __11:44 9/4/2023

Stray Souls: A Dollhouse Story was available as a giveaway on December 18, 2016!

https://game.giveawayoftheday.com/stray-souls-a-dollhouse-story/