Indie Spotlight | Steam Next Fest 2026
Art galleries aren’t usually places for a frantic search for dachshunds, corgis and Great Danes. Pawtings! Hidden Dogs thinks they should be. Raman & Rey Games is making a hidden-object game where finding hand-drawn dogs restores colour to real museum paintings, one discovery at a time.
A gallery full of surprises
Each painting begins in grey. As players uncover hidden dogs, patches of the original artwork return to colour, until the whole canvas is restored. The collection includes works associated with artists such as Van Gogh, Klimt, Mucha and Bruegel. Rather than recreating the artworks as game levels, the project uses digital images of the originals.
Cosy by choice
There’s no energy meter or punishment for clicking in the wrong place. Players can adjust how many dogs are hidden and opt for a full cosy mode without timers or sudden events. The locations of the dogs can change between sessions, giving familiar paintings fresh secrets.
Bring friends to the gallery
Up to four people can search together or compete, either through split-screen play or online. That social twist could turn a quiet spot-the-difference-style pastime into a surprisingly lively group activity.
Made by one person and one dog
The developer has described the project as the work of a solo creator and their dog Rey, a lovely origin for a game that celebrates canine curiosity. The free Steam demo launched on 13 October 2026; the full game is listed for Q4 2026.
Editor’s note: This is a developer-information-based spotlight, not a hands-on review. Some historical paintings may contain nudity.
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