The Secret Society - Hidden Mystery Wiki
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In the Secret Society - Hidden Mystery game it is possible to investigate pictures in different modes.

The game modes essentially create different types of hidden object games within the same picture.

The pictures randomly rotate through the game modes as you play them. There is no way to force a particular mode to appear in a picture in order to complete a quest. You must continue to play the picture until the mode you require appears. The only exceptions to this rule are Curse mode and Text mode, which can be triggered depending on how you interact with an anomaly in the picture.

Playing Picture Modes[]

Each mode has its own unique symbol. This symbol is displayed in the top left corner of the photo of the picture on your Home Desktop. If a visiting friend has charged a picture on your home desktop, the charged symbol showing the profession of the friend may obscure the mode symbol.

You can see a bigger version of the mode symbol when you press a picture on your Home Desktop and bring up the 'Research Window' for that picture. In the research window, the mode symbol for that game in the picture is shown as a piece of paper attached by a paper clip in the top left corner of the blown-up photo of the picture.

The symbols for the different modes are as follows:

  • Text mode - the letters 'Abc' in black on a white background
  • Silhouette mode - a silhouette of a teapot
  • Night mode - The letters 'Abc' in white on a black background
  • Pairs mode - two wheels with an equal sign between them
  • Pieces mode - a circle broken in half
  • Morphs mode - a wheel and a flower with a 'greater than' sign between them
  • Anomalies modes - there are four anomalies, with animated symbols
    • Ghostly Mirror - a mirror with a face that pops out
    • Lost Time - a pocket watch with spinning hands
    • Mystic Smoke - a cauldron of black smoke
    • Scroll Eater - a parchment scroll with a flapping corner
  • Curse - The letters 'Cba' in black on a white background

Once you have found a picture in the right mode, you just have to press the green research button in the research window to begin the game.

Text Mode[]

Text mode

Text mode is the most basic hidden object game available. In Text mode, you are given the words for objects you need to find in the picture. Up to 6 words at a time are displayed on the brown banner at the base of the picture. As you find each object in the picture a line is drawn through the word for the object in the banner and it is replaced by the word for a new object to find until you have found all of the required amount of objects for that picture level.

For early picture levels, you may only have to find a few of the objects within the Picture. As you advance the picture level you will have to find up to all or all bar 1 of the objects in that picture.

You are given 3 minutes to find all the required objects in Text mode.

Tools in Text Mode[]

In Text mode, the Explorer's Eye tool will point out 1 object when used. The object will light up for a few seconds after the Explorer's Eye finds it.

The Compass tool lasts for 30 seconds - during this time the Compass will point to an object on the list. You can move the Compass around the picture. As the Compass gets close to the object it is pointing at that object will light up. When the compass is on top of the object, the Compass needle will spin around.

The Dynamite tool will remove up to 3 objects from the picture at a time.

The Time Machine tool will add 45 extra seconds to your time limit.

Text Mode and Anomalies[]

Text mode is one of the regular modes in the game, which means it will randomly appear in pictures as you play them and the picture rotates between game modes. However, in certain circumstances, you can 'force' Text mode to appear.

You have to have the picture ALREADY in Text mode for it to get infected by an anomaly and AFTER BANISHING it stays in Text mode.

In most cases, you cannot force a mode to appear in a picture. One exception to this rule is Text mode and anomalies. When an anomaly appears in a picture, if you banish the anomaly the next mode in that picture is always Text mode (unless a second anomaly appears in that picture before you play). To banish an anomaly tap on the picture to bring up its research window. In the research window for a picture that has an anomaly in it, the word 'Banish' will appear where the picture level progress bar normally is (above the 'can be found' list). If you have the right tool to banish the anomaly, pressing banish will remove the anomaly from the picture. If you do not have the right tool to banish the anomaly from the picture you will be offered to buy the tool using crystals or you can choose to play the picture with the anomaly.

Silhouette Mode[]

Silhouette mode

In Silhouette mode, you are shown the silhouettes of the objects you need to find in the picture. Up to 5 silhouettes at a time are displayed on the brown banner at the base of the picture. As you find each object in the picture it moves to join its silhouette and both disappear from the list. The silhouette of a new object appears until you have found all of the required amount of objects for that picture level.

For early picture levels, you may only have to find a few of the objects within the Picture. As you advance the picture level you will have to find up to all or all bar 1 of the objects in that picture.

You are given 3 minutes to find all the required objects in Silhouette mode.

Tools in Silhouette Mode[]

All of the tools in Silhouette mode behave in the same way as in Text mode.

Night Mode[]

Night mode

In Night mode you are given the words objects you need to find in the picture. Up to 6 words at a time are displayed on the brown banner at the base of the picture in the same way as in Text mode. However, in Night mode you can only see a small portion of the picture at one time and the rest of the picture is darkened. You can see a small circle of light that illuminates the picture, which you can move around the picture to search for objects.

If you zoom in on the picture, the diameter of the light circle will increase.

For early pictures, you may only have to find a few of the objects within the picture. As you advance the picture level you will find up to all or all bar 1 of the objects in that picture.

You are given 5 minutes to find all the required objects in Night mode.

Tools in Night Mode[]

The Flashlight and Torch tools can only be used in Night mode. The Flashlight doubles the light circle radius for 30 seconds and the Torch lights the entire picture for 35 seconds.

The other tools can be used as normal. The Explorer's Eye will point to an object even it is in a darkened portion of the picture. The object will light up revealing its location, and you can tap the object to find it without moving the light circle to its location. If you place the Compass within the light circle, the light circle will move with the Compass as you move it around the picture. 

Pairs Mode[]

Pairs mode

In Pairs mode, you must search for matching pairs of objects in the picture. The pairs objects are the same objects as found in the Text, Silhouette and Night modes. The phrase "remaining pairs: (number)" is displayed on the brown banner at the base of the picture. As you find each pair, the number remaining is reduced by 1 until you find the last pair in the picture, at which point the game is won.

For early picture levels, you may have to find as few as 5 pairs within the picture. As you advance the picture level you will need to find up to 15 pairs.

You are given 5 minutes to find all the required objects in Pairs mode.

Tools in Pairs Mode[]

The Explorer's Eye tool will simultaneously point out and light up both objects in the pair if used in Pairs mode.

The Compass tool will light up both pairs when you drag it close to one object in a pair. When you press one of the pairs the other will stop being illuminated, so it is better to press the second object in the pair, not the one the Compass is pointing to first to save time when looking for pairs. If you press the first object in the pair being pointed at by the Compass first, the compass will then point towards the second pair until you miss tap or find it.

The Dynamite tool will remove three pairs, or all of the remaining pairs if you have less than three to find.

The Time Machine tool work as normal in Pairs mode.

Pieces Mode[]

Pieces mode

In Pieces mode, you must search for the different pieces of one object in the picture. Each object is split into 5 pieces, and the images of all 5 pieces for the object are shown together on the brown banner at the base of the picture. As you find a piece it will move to join its image and both disappear from the list. When you have found the 5th and final piece of an object, the images of the next set of 5 pieces will appear on the list and a graphic showing the pieces you have found coming together to form the object will appear in the middle of the picture.

Each picture has 6 set objects split into 5 pieces each for Pieces modes. These are not the same objects as found in Text, Silhouette and Night modes. For early picture levels, you may have to find as few as 1 object's pieces. As you advance the picture level you will need to find the pieces of up to 5 of the 6 available objects.

You are given 5 minutes to find all the required objects in Pieces mode.

The first 78 pictures in the game (see List of Pictures) can have Pieces mode. No picture after that, starting with Wedding Boutique, has Pieces mode.

Tools in Pieces Mode[]

The Explorer's Eye, Compass and Time Machine tools work in the same way for Pieces mode as they do in Text and Silhouette mode.

The Dynamite will only remove pieces of the object you are currently looking for, so if you only have 1 or 2 pieces of that object remaining, the dynamite will only remove those pieces and not any pieces of the next object you must find.

Morphs Mode[]

Morphs mode

In Morphs mode you must search for objects that periodically change shape into new objects. The morphs objects are usually different objects than you find in Text, Silhouette and Night mode, although some of the objects may temporarily take on the shape of one of the normal objects. The phrase "remaining morphs: (number)" is displayed on the brown banner at the base of the picture. As you find each morph, the number remaining is reduced by 1 until you find the last morph in the picture, at which point the game is won.

For early picture levels, you may have to find as few as 4 morphs in the picture. As you advance the picture level you will need to find up to 10 morphs.

For the first 16 pictures released for the game, the morph objects were unique to each picture, and each picture only had 11 potential morph items. Only these 11 items appeared in the picture in Morphs mode, some of them behaving like morphs and others remaining static, depending on the level of the picture, making the morphs very easy to find. For pictures released in more recent updates, i.e. Eastern Bazaar, Illusionist's Room, Witch's Hut, Christmas Eve and Tree of Dates, additional items were added to pictures in Morphs mode to make the game much more challenging.

You are given 5 minutes to find all the required objects in Morphs mode.

The first 78 pictures in the game (see List of Pictures) can have Morphs mode. No picture after that, starting with Wedding Boutique, has Morphs mode.

Tools in Morphs Mode[]

All of the tools in Morphs mode behave in the same way as in Text and Silhouette modes.

Anomalies[]

There are four kinds of anomalies: Ghostly Mirror, Mystic Smoke, Lost Time, and Scroll Eater. Anomalies appear randomly on pictures that are in Text mode. You must continue to play other pictures; anomalies will not occur while you are not playing the game. See Anomalies for more information.

Tools in Anomalies modes[]

Explorer's Eyes, Compasses, and Time Machines may be used. Dynamite will remove up to 3 hidden objects in Ghostly Mirror, Mystic Smoke, and Lost Time modes. In Scroll Eater mode, Dynamite will remove only one hidden object. Flashlights and Torches are not available to use in any of the anomalies modes.

Curse Mode[]

Curse mode

Curse mode is like Text mode, except the letters in the words in the list of objects to find are all jumbled up (anagrams). You must figure out what object the jumbled letters refer to in order to find the right object.

For early picture levels, you may only have to find a few of the objects within the Picture. As you advance the picture level you will have to find up to all or all bar 1 of the objects in that picture.

You are given 3 minutes to find all the required objects in Curse mode.

In the Collections tab of the Collections section, if Curse mode is required to find the item, the instructions say "Examine the photos in Anagram mode to find the item."

Tools in Curse Mode[]

All of the tools in Curse mode behave in the same way as in Text mode.

Curse Mode and Anomalies[]

Curse mode is unique in that it does not appear in the normal rotation of modes in pictures as you play them. The ONLY way to get curse mode to appear in a picture is to play a picture that has an anomaly in it without banishing the anomaly. The anomalies appear in Text mode. The next mode to appear in the picture after you have finished playing it with the anomaly in it will ALWAYS be Curse mode (unless another anomaly appears in the picture before you get to play the curse mode). Note: Although the Ghostly Mirror has a similar effect on the list of words (in this case, reversing the letter order of each item's name), it does not count as a curse mode for quests. Only pictures with the 'Cba' symbol count as having the Curse mode.

Mode Change Feature[]

Effective with the Halloween's Horror Update (October 2017), the player may change a picture mode by using crystals if the picture level is higher than Novice level. The feature is not available if the picture has an anomaly, but it is available when the picture is in any other mode, including Curse mode (but it cannot select Curse mode directly).  Tap the picture on the desktop to open the "Research" window. The images below show the new Mode Change button in the upper-left corner of the "Research" window. Tapping or clicking the Mode Change button brings up a new window explaining that the mode can be changed to another random mode by paying crystals.

Mode change button

Mode Change button at upper left

Mode change with Crystals

Click No to cancel, or Yes to continue.

.

Summary[]

Below is a summary table of the different game modes available to play:

Mode Mode Symbol Time Allowed Appears During Normal Rotation Can be Triggered
Text
Text mode
3 minutes Yes Yes (Banish anomaly)
Silhouette
Silhouette mode
3 minutes Yes No
Night
Night mode
5 minutes Yes No
Pairs
Pairs mode
5 minutes Yes No
Pieces
Pieces mode
5 minutes Yes No
Morphs
Morphs mode
5 minutes Yes No
Ghostly Mirror anomaly
Ghostly mirror
5 minutes No Leave picture in Text mode and wait
Lost Time anomaly
Lost time
2.5 minutes No Leave picture in Text mode and wait
Mystic Smoke anomaly
Mystic smoke
5 minutes No Leave picture in Text mode and wait
Scroll Eater anomaly
Scrolleater
5 minutes No Leave picture in Text mode and wait
Curse
Curse mode
3 minutes No Yes (Play anomaly)

Collections connected to Game Modes[]

Some collection items can only be won when a picture is in a particular game mode or contains a particular anomaly. These mode dependent collections and the mode needed to win the items from them are listed below:

Collection Name When items become available to win Reward for Combining
Venetian Masks Text mode The average weight x1
Italian Cuisine Silhouette mode Explorer's Eye x2
Ghost Town (Collection) Night mode Flashlight x2
Polar Fauna Morphs mode Time Machine x5
Amusement Park (Collection) Pairs mode Dynamite x5
Wishmasters Pieces mode Torch x4
Grandmother's Needlework Banish/Research "Scroll Eater" anomaly Talisman Chest x1
Voodoo Magic Banish/Research "Ghostly Mirror" anomaly Dinner x1
Poker Combinations Banish/Research "Mystic Smoke" anomaly Tool Case x1
Photographer's Things Curse mode Lucky Dog's Chest x1
Animal Tracks Banish/Research "Lost Time" anomaly Lunch Chest x1

Past Glitches with Mode Dependent Collections[]

The Valentine's Update (released February 2014) introduced a glitch into the game that effectively broke the mechanism by which these mode dependent items are won. This glitch was finally fixed by the Celebration by the Bonfire Update (released June 2016). The glitch reappeared again with Harvest and Halloween Update (September 2016) and was solved once more with the patch update (1.21.2205) during Christmas 2016 event.

The glitch caused the mode dependent collection items to be won during the play before the picture in question rotated into the correct mode, instead of during the play of the picture in that correct mode.

For example, the items from the Venetian Masks collection can be won when playing a picture in Text mode. This glitch meant that a player might win an item from the Venetian Masks collection in any mode, as long as the next mode in that picture is Text mode. Players could potentially win an item from the Venetian Masks collection in any other mode (e.g. Night mode) as a result of the glitch.

Confusingly, the glitch only affected when the items could actually be won but did not change when they appeared in the pictures 'Can be Found' list. Meaning that they would appear in the 'Can be Found' list of any picture currently in Text mode, but would not actually be available to win during that play, unless the following mode was also Text mode (since they could only be won when the next mode in the picture is correct, not the current one for that play).

In the example above, the Venetian Masks items would then still appear in the 'Can be found' list for the picture in the following play of the picture as normal (in Text mode, which they are supposed to be won in), but an item from the Venetian Masks collection would only be won in that subsequent play if the next mode after that play was also Text mode (i.e. Text mode repeats), otherwise items from a different mode dependent collection may have been won instead, corresponding to what mode the 3rd play of the picture would be in.

An upside of this glitch was players could tell which mode would come next in a picture by looking at the items won during their current play, as if any item from a mode dependent collection was won, then that mode would be the next mode in the picture. For example, if playing a picture in any game mode resulted in winning any item from the Ghost Town collection then the player knew that the following mode in that picture was going to be Night mode.

A downside of this glitch was that mode dependent collection items that were related to Anomalies became particularly difficult for players to obtain since Anomalies may not necessarily appear in a picture as the next game mode when a player was currently playing the picture (it does happen, but more often Anomalies will go into a different picture instead when a player finishes a play of a picture).

Mode dependent collection items now work as expected, and can only be won when a Picture is in the correct mode for that collection.

Mode Availability[]

As of the Guardian of the Desert Update the chance of each mode at various levels is defined in the game as

Novice: Text(50%), Silhouette(50%)

Trainee: Text(30%), Silhouette(30%), Night(10%), Pieces(10%), Morphs(10%), Pairs(10%)

Detective: Text(25%), Silhouette(25%), Night(14%), Pieces(12%), Morphs(12%), Pairs(12%)

Pro: Text(22%), Silhouette(22%), Night(17%), Pieces(13%), Morphs(13%), Pairs(13%)

High Explorer (and above): Text(20%), Silhouette(20%), Night(18%), Pieces(14%), Morphs(14%), Pairs(14%)

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