Hohokum Reviews
Hohokum is a really relaxing game, with brightly colored worlds and soothing music, but people looking for a challenge are at the wrong address with Hohokum.
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Hohokum is a really fun title to jump into and play around with. It's a toy. It's an experience. It's gorgeous. It fails only when it tries too hard to be a game without helping the player out.
Hohokum is a reimagining of what it means to be a game; it's a colorful romp through fairy tale-esque setting framed out by a clever and relaxing narrative.
Easily the best aspect of Hohokum is the euphoric joy you feel when you find something new, whether it's a kaleidoscope-style colour show, a gateway to a different dimension or simply a funny sound
Should you by it? Well, to be brutally honest, it's a game that would be perfect as a PlayStation Plus curio, and I'm pretty sure that we'll see it there at some point down the line. I found it to be odd and empty with moments of fleeting magic at first. But the more I stopped analysing it and let myself simply play, the more I began to delight in the little sprites, their little animations, the detail to the worlds, the beautiful music that perfectly compliments the fluidity of movement by the long-mover (I still prefer rainbow worm).
But because of the game's untraditional purpose and lack of concrete objectives, I'm uncertain how many gamers will share my praising sentiment, so I offer this light-hearted test - if the visuals intrigue you in any way, it's probably for you; if this song generates involuntary thoughts of touring the universe while wearing an aluminium bandoleer, download it; if you can't imagine a world without artistic pizazz, kiss the pastel watercolour painting you brought to life as a toddler, then download it. In the interests of variety, evolution, and the survival of creative thought, Hohokum is a game that needs to exist and be celebrated by those who can appreciate it.
Hohokum can feel like a chore at times but for the most part, this is an original, inspired piece of interactive art. Perhaps that's the best way to describe it. No world has a clear focus, which can be a drag, but you're always drawn in by the unparalleled visual presentation that has a bizarre caressing quality.
Bad puzzles are easy to design; good puzzles (whether easy or hard) require logic, care, even a touch of the narrative Hohokum pointedly rejects. Good puzzles tell a story in their physical parts. Over time, Hohokum demands story, even as it tells you it doesn't have one, and it demands progress, even as it works so hard to act like it doesn't.
Above all else, Hohokum is a constant reminder that the verb used when we interact with games is "play."
But it won't be a game for everyone. The game offers a Trophy for completing it in under an hour, but we can't imagine the type of players Hohokum attracts will find this prospect appealing. It should be taken almost as a palette-cleanser; the type of experience you find yourself spending a few quiet hours immersed inside, soaking up its atmosphere and getting lost inside its dreamscape. There's little doubt Honeyslug has created something truly original and utterly absorbing, but it's also a game that requires a detachment from reality along with a complete investment from its participants. Don't venture into Hohokum hoping to understand what it's all about, just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Sony has a habit of putting certain games on pedestals, heralding them as experiences that gamers only see on PlayStation. Typically, these are more experimental titles designed to evoke thoughts and feelings, artistic endeavors that test the boundaries of what games can and can't be. Hohokum fits perfectly into that category, and I'm sure we'll see it used as evidence in many "Are video games art?" debates.
Ultimately, Hohokum feels like it's not entirely sure what it wants to be. It gives the impression of wanting to jettison typical game tropes, but then has a very clear level structure, and is at its best when it plays up its more typical video game features. It wants to appear to be all about the joy of exploring the space the developer has created – to be a true freeform, gameplay experience – but has specific goals to achieve and a set way to achieve them, even if it does leave you to work out these things alone.
Perhaps confusion is the ultimate goal of Hohokum, or maybe it's to simply see something unlike anything else in the gaming space. Is it supposed to elate us, or be the last thing we do before drifting off into slumber? It's unclear whether or not the developers accomplished their goals, but does it truly matter? Hohokum is a charming, unique experience that often feels as though it doesn't stick to its guns.
There isn't much to the bottom line here. Hohokum is a great art project, but taken as a game it falls seriously flat. For the right price and mindset, possibly enjoyable, I just got very little out of it.
Hohokum is a delight. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and plan to go back for every last collectible and trophy, zipping around its colorful world for at least a couple more hours. More importantly it's a real game, with satisfying goals and puzzles to solve.
It's one the more unusual, charming and relaxing indie efforts available on a consoles today.
Hohokum tries to be all things to all gamers, attempting to fit inside both the 'game' camp and the interactive art collective. That it succeeds, somewhat, is a compliment to the developers and the artist, but this attempt is also what holds Hohokum back from real greatness in either distinction. It could have been a piece of moving art, an emotive experience based on experimental exploration supported by an immersive soundtrack. It could have been an innovative puzzle game, requiring interlinked stages of thought based on the results of trial and error, free to transform game mechanics on the fly to support the overall quality of game. What it is, is an attempt at both, and it comes very close to nailing those genres. There's no cigar to hand out here, but Hohokum is still worthy of your time and a firm handshake.
Genuine art is meant to evoke a response from its audience, and Hohokum's diverse assortment of imaginative endeavors makes it easy to get lost inside its world. It's effective union of art, activity and music, managing a progression of open personal responses without the weight of a direct narrative or dissonant mechanics. If you're out there looking for the holy grail of emotive game design, Hohokum's declarative statement to the power of amusement is worthy of consideration.
Hohokum's intriguing collection of free-form worlds begs exploration, but the game's questionable structure stifles the ability to play it on your own terms. It's an aural and visual spectacle, but it's also a lot more frustrating than it ever needed to be.
It's difficult to adequately explain or describe Hohokum. It'll fill you with a child-like sense of wonderment with its abstract exploration, but as a game, its definitely a case of style over substance.