And from us at HiKing Mind Studio, we hope to delight you with more engaging surreal puzzle games in the New Year and beyond! ✨ (👁️👁️👁️) ✨

Ps. Follow the meaning is now also included in our Second Maze Steam Bundle with 15% off!

📣 Detectives! ⏰ It's been almost 2 weeks since Follow the meaning launched and we're now about to enter the last 24 hours in which you can get our debut title, Follow the meaning, for 25% OFF 🔍

So cosy up this coming weekend with our short, strange, satisfying adventure for those searching for something different. 🕵️

https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/2720280/Follow_the_meaning/

Ps. Please consider leaving us a review after you've played Follow the meaning, as it's the best way to help us get our surreal adventure seen by even more capable detectives here on Steam! Thank you for your continued support!

Thank you all so much for your continued support and reporting any bugs and/or issues that come up!

We made a minor update to Follow the meaning with several bug fixes & an additional language.

Patch Notes 1.0.6

• Added Turkish language support.
  
• Fixed several UI/text alignment issues.
  
• Fixed several minor graphical/audio issues for certain puzzles.
  
• Made improvements to language & translations.

If you are experiencing any other issues please reach out to us on our Discord[discord.com], or send us an email: support [at] secondmaze [dot] com.

Also if you haven't yet please consider nominating us for the Steam Awards!

Thank you,

Second Maze and HiKIng Mind
PS. Our 25% off launch discount ends this Friday so if you haven't bought the game yet or want to gift a friend a surreal mystery for the holidays, now's the time!

First of all, we can’t thank you all enough for your ongoing support for Follow the meaning! We are thrilled to see all of you solving Paul's Hospital and Missing Cats cases! But even just a week after launch there is already another case he needs your help with....

If Paul wishes to solve the case, he'll need to get nominated for a Steam Award first!
This can only happen if all of the brave investigators who've helped him so far assist him again! If you've played Follow the meaning and liked helping Paul out with his mysterious adventures, please consider nominating Follow the meaning for the Outstanding Vistual Style Award category (or other categories, if you find them suitable)!

PS. if you play Follow the meaning, nominate it, and leave a review, you'll get a bunch of shiny Steam badges and Paul Trilby's eternal gratitude. The game is also still 25% OFF during the Autumn sale, so make sure to get it now!

https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/2720280/Follow_the_meaning/

Detectives 🕵️

First of all, we'd like to thank you for playing HiKing Mind Studio's debut game, Follow the meaning! We're very grateful for the appreciation shown for this new debut indie game from the up-and-coming developers at HiKing Mind! Thank you for your ongoing support! 🙏

And, of course, thank you for helping us pick the perfect name for our missing star-struck kitty! 😻

Did you find little Luna while playing Follow the meaning? 🐾 Make sure to solve the missing cats' case and play till the very end 👀

https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/2720280/Follow_the_meaning/

And please consider leaving us a review after playing! 🔍 Thank you all, once again, for your support!

Thank you all so much for your continued support and reporting any bugs and/or issues that come up!

We made a minor update to Follow the meaning with several bug fixes.

Patch Notes 1.0.5

• Fixed several UI/text alignment issues.
  
• Fixed puzzle display issue for custom resolutions.
  
• Fixed broken puzzle on Steam deck.
  
• Made improvements to language & translations.

If you are experiencing any other issues please reach out to us on our Discord[discord.com], or send us an email: support [at] secondmaze [dot] com.

Thank you,

Second Maze and HiKing Mind

After working on the game for more than 1.5 years it was really awesome to see so many people enjoy Follow the meaning. Thank you so much for all your support and reviews, your kind words mean a lot to us!

We made a minor update to Follow the meaning with several bug fixes.

Patch Notes 1.0.3

• Fixed the main menu button to correctly restart the game after reaching the end.
  
• Fixed an issue where adjusting various settings on the main menu would reset your save.
  
• Fixed the Rusty Lake boat, it can still appear after earning the "Gone fishing" achievement.
  
• Fixed several UI/text alignment issues.
  
• Fixed puzzle display issue for custom resolutions.

If you are experiencing any other issues please reach out to us on our Discord[discord.com], or send us an email: support [at] secondmaze [dot] com.

Thank you,

Second Maze and HiKing Mind

Hello Detectives,



Detective Paul Trilby is thrilled to finally welcome you all to Follow the meaning - available NOW on Steam! 🕵️

Roughly 1.5 years ago we embarked on our very first game development journey. As two brothers who previously worked on designing physical escape rooms, creating our first adventure game together is a dream come true. And now we can finally share it with all of you!
 Are you ready to Follow the meaning?

https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/2720280/Follow_the_meaning/

Follow the Meaning is a debut point-and-click puzzle adventure game from new indie developer HiKing Mind Studio, published by Second Maze. The game is available for €/$4,99 full price with a 25% launch discount in the first two weeks!

Follow the meaning is a surreal hand-drawn puzzle adventure that fits nicely into the classic point-and-click genre. Help detective Paul Trilby uncover a sinister conspiracy in his odd little wall-divided society. A short, strange, satisfying adventure for those in search of something different.

• Whimsical worldbuilding with a sinister undertone
  
• Hand-drawn graphics to bring the offbeat world to life
  
• All characters speak their unique gibberish language
  
• There will be 21+ languages available
  
• A hint system that reveals all intractable objects on the screen
  
• A walkthrough video available from the setting menu for some extra help on any of the puzzles
  
• 15 achievements, including a lost cat case

  
• Custom soundtrack and sound design to enhance your experience
  
• A short but surreal adventure with an average gameplay time of 1.5 hours
  
• Steam Deck-compatible

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came together to help enhance the world of Follow the meaning: Giliam and Jorick of Driftwood Audio for their amazing work on sound effects and for creating the gibberish language used by all characters in Follow the meaning, Victor Butzelaar for enhancing the surreal element with a fantastic soundtrack, Bob Rafferty for his amazing work on all the trailers, all our incredible translators who localised the game for 21 different regions - with Turkish* translations to be added shortly post launch - and of course, the lovely Ibolyacolorhead who you can watch playing through the first chapters of Follow the meaning on Steam throughout the whole launch period!

Most importantly we want to thank all our fans and followers from the past year. It is not easy to get your first game and new studio name out there, but we feel a lot of love for what we have been crafting. You all have been super helpful and supportive, especially after publishing our first demo during Next Fest! Your excitement kept us going, thank you all so much.

Last but not least a special thanks to our publisher, Second Maze, who guided us through the process of developing and releasing our first game. Their Rusty Lake series has been a major inspiration for us, and we couldn’t wish for a better mentor.



We are now very excited to hear what you think of our adventure and it would mean the world to us if you would leave a review!

If you encounter any issue or bug, please reach out to us directly on our Discord[discord.gg], on Steam discussions, or use our email: [email protected].


With all that out of the way, we wish you good luck solving wacky cases alongside detective Paul Trilby in Follow the meaning! Was that a cat in that tree? 😼 🌳

https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/2720280/Follow_the_meaning/

Ps. 1 🔎 Make sure to check out www.followthemeaning.com
Ps. 2 The Follow the meaning demo is still available for free with the download button available in the sidebar! 👀

With 1 day left until you can all enjoy Follow the meaning, we hope you can pass the time learning more about HiKing Mind Studio and their debut title through this final Devlog and Q&A! Thank you to everyone who left us a question for the HiKing Mind team, we hope you’ll all enjoy the answers provided below! Happy reading!


Q: “What’s the story behind the name of your studio?” @Spectro_VI
A: When we decided to create games, we knew we wanted to focus on puzzle and logic games with engaging narratives. The word "Mind" in our name reflects our goal to challenge and stimulate players' thinking in a visually appealing way. Puzzle and logic games are like a workout for your brain—a fun and healthy way to keep it sharp. That’s where "Hiking" comes in. Just as hiking is a joyful exercise for the body, our games are meant to be a rewarding workout for the mind. Plus, if you break down "Hiking" into "Hi King," it’s a nod to our focus on the mind as the true "King" in our games. That's why our logo features a quirky pink brain wearing a crown, symbolising the "Mind King" embarking on a hiking adventure.

Q: “How did the idea for the game come about?”
“How many people work permanently in the studio?” @LoveMeerkat
A: There are just the two of us working permanently at the studio - Jakub and Marcin. We're brothers: Jakub is the artist, while Marcin handles the programming. We wanted to tell a concise yet meaningful story, paired with visually appealing graphics that would help us make our mark in the gaming industry. Our main inspiration came from Shutter Island and a few other philosophical themes that have a strong impact on our modern reality.

Q: “How long does it take to develop a game like this?” @danylb
A: It's hard to give an exact timeline because many ideas came from casual conversations and brainstorming sessions that aren’t easy to quantify. However, once we committed to developing the game, it took about a year to build the core elements. After that, we spent an additional few months fine-tuning the details and making adjustments. So, overall, the entire development process took around 15 months.

Q: How long is Follow the meaning? @gizmothecat
A: After as many playtests as possible carried over 6 months, we settled on an estimation of roughly 1.5 hours of average gameplay time. Some sessions took over 1 hour and some took longer, between 1.5 - 2 hours. But Paul has more than one case for you to investigate so there will be plenty to do in Follow the meaning!

Q: “Were you inspired by outside sources while making Follow the meaning? And if yes, which ones?” @Sammy
A: A major part of creating Follow the Meaning was deciding what the final game should look like. We did some research to see which point-and-click games were popular and what players enjoyed. We looked closely at games from Amanita Design and Rusty Lake, which gave us valuable insights into effective gameplay mechanics and art styles. Point-and-click and puzzle games have evolved over time, so studying how these experienced studios adapted over the years gave us a clear idea of what would work best for Follow the Meaning.

Q: “How difficult will it be compared to the Rusty Lake games that inspired you?” @1enaki
A: We’re not really aiming to judge the difficulty of our game by traditional standards. Instead of making puzzles that are objectively "hard" or "easy," we want them to challenge players to see things from a new angle and think creatively. It's less about difficulty and more about engaging the player's curiosity and problem-solving skills. Our goal is to create puzzles that are satisfying to solve, encouraging players to think differently without labelling them as strictly easy or hard.

Q: Will there be more hints, so that if the player is stuck with a puzzle it can help them?
 @monali_eliander
A: Yes, we've included optional hints that highlight interactive areas on the screen, making it easier for players to see what they can interact with. However, when it comes to actually solving the puzzles, we haven’t added step-by-step guidance. Our goal was to design puzzles that wouldn’t require additional hints, but if a player gets truly stuck, they can access the menu and watch a video guide that explains how to solve each puzzle.

Q: “What were your boundaries on the strange/weird when setting a tone for the world?” @hareshsundra
A: I believe everyone needs to play the game before we can fully answer this question! 😀
Our goal was to create a strange atmosphere in the game, but without straying too far from reality. We wanted to introduce ideas that don't exist in our world, but without creating a purely fantasy or imaginary setting. The real world is the foundation we work with, though we do push its boundaries at times.

Q: Did the spam in the junk mail on www.Followthemeaning.com mean anything? @Kitty 🐈
A: It’s a great coincidence to have you ask us this question, @Kitty 🐈, however, we think it’s best to have you all figure this one out ;) Just make sure to keep an eye on Followthemeaning.com
( 👁️👁️👁️ )

Q: “Will the game (Follow the meaning) be released on mobile?” @Syeddabanu
A: Right now, we are focused on the Steam release, but yes! We are planning to release a mobile version next year as soon as possible. :) So stay tuned and get ready for the Android and iOS versions!

Q: “Do you have any ideas about projects after this (sequel, different game)?” @clairesphotos2
A: Absolutely! We have a lot of ideas. But right now, we’re focusing on the launch of Follow the meaning. After this, we’ll need to take a step back, reflect, and see how the game is received by a larger audience. We do have a few prototypes we’re planning on working on in the near future, but we believe that releasing the first game is always a significant step. We need to focus on this, gather feedback, and summarize the whole experience before moving on to bigger steps in our next project. This will help us improve and deliver something truly special in the future!


Thank you to everyone who left questions for our Q&A! We hope the team at HiKing Mind Studio was able to satisfy your curiosity about their indie studio and debut game Follow the meaning, which by the way is launching in only 1 day!!

Follow the meaning is the debut point-and-click puzzle adventure game from new indie developer HiKing Mind Studio, published by Second Maze. The game launches tomorrow on Steam at 13:00 CET / 04:00 PT and will cost €/$ 4,99 full price, with a 25% launch discount in the first 2 weeks!

Very soon you’ll be able to join detective Paul Trilby as he works to unpick the mystery of his peculiar town. Over the wall and behind the doors of a mysterious hospital, a dark secret lies in wait. See you tomorrow detectives!

https://steamoss.com/steamstore/app/2720280/Follow_the_meaning/