Hohokum Reviews
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.
The combined effect of this maze of vivid, diverse, shifting scenes is memorable. You are Alice, touring wonderland, seeing how deep the rabbit hole goes. In Hohokum, it goes an awfully long way: it's deep, it's wide and, perhaps most importantly, it's temporally long. This is a game that sticks with you long after you switch it off.
Hohokum is inventive, beautiful and relaxing, especially for players who won't freak out when they're unsure of exactly what to do next.
PixelJunk and Flower fans will find much to like in Hohokum, a psychedelic yet meditative game with loosely-defined goals but great imagination.
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.
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.
A vibrant and delightful playground that will surprise you at every turn.
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.
Hohokum is a great, joyous escape into a well-polished, artistic video game. I felt very happy playing it. I felt an innocent kinship with my fellow eye-kite beings, and I had fun trying to find them. Over the course of playing the game, you gain a simple respect for adventure with friends. Any screenshot taken from this game could serve as a desktop background, and any person could find something to like from the many worlds, sounds, and little narratives. Hohokum is a game of many colors.
There is no doubt about the fact that Hohokum achieves exactly what it wants to, the game is a relaxing and gorgeous adventure that can take a few hours from you. It does a wonderful job at helping you clear your mind and just focus on the magic happening on your television screen. Unfortunately, that relaxation can turn to confusion as you wander around attempting to figure out what to do next. Hohokum's visuals, music, and controls are spot on, but it is missing that little hand holding experience that many games need. Despite the occasional frustration it brings, Hohokum is an absolute treat to behold.
The sheer variety and novelty of what Hohokum offers, as well as the attention paid to making sure that something as basic as the movement feels great (the only game I think does this as well as Hohokum is another Playstation title, Journey), means that Hohokum is going to be something I come back to, on occasion, for a pleasant escape.
Like any good vacation, you'll return home at the end of it with lasting fond memories. But unlike most vacations, with Hohokum you always have the opportunity to revisit them whenever the mood strikes.
"Hohokum" is an example of how abstract a video game can be when it strips away the conventions like a plot, tutorial or anything that is a virtual representation of something found on the Planet Earth. Its vagueness is both its strength and its weakness. Players will either love it for being different or hate it for the same reason. I'm stuck somewhere in between. I don't see myself revisiting "Hohokum," but it will certainly stick out in my mind for the foreseeable future.
Today, as in the past, Hohokum remains an experience not accessible to everyone. The choice of its creator is obvious: to give a few hours of serenity to those who live this adventure. Between puzzles and interactive elements with which to compose your melody, in an explosion of colors and visionariness, Hohokum is a break from the typified world of video games, and undoubtedly deserves an opportunity from anyone who loves to peep into the artistic expressions of the interactive medium.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
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.
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
You should definitely try Hohokum if only to understand how weird and hard to describe it is. Some will appreciate its laid-back attitude and guidance allergy. It's certainly a beautiful and unique title, and I enjoyed playing it, but you should bring along some extra patience just in case.
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.
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.