Hohokum Reviews
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.
Through the three or so hours that it takes to complete Hohokum, you'll almost certainly fall in love with its impeccable art direction and genius audio pairing. Sadly, in the gameplay realm, this wriggle-'em-up doesn't really have enough direction to make it truly engaging. The title's at its best when you meander through its oversaturated scenes without purpose, but that means that it's not recommended for everyone.
Hohokum is a different kind of game that prizes aimless interaction and exploration above completing specific objectives. It's a title that brings together a cute, minimal art style and a great soundtrack to create a zen experience. It's worth a play, but not everyone will appreciate its strengths.
Hohokum is beautiful but shallow
Hohokum aims to be a nonlinear, exploratory experience. While it has its charms, too often it's just dull
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.
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.
Hohokum's worth greatly depends on one's ability to revel in simple, charming discoveries. There's no lasting impact, meaningful message, or even resolution to its shallow core mechanics, but a playful aesthetic and relaxing music make being in its spaces enjoyable for a time.
Hohokum may look bright and colorful, but it can feel awfully like stumbling around in a darkened room. It's a double-edged sword. Charting the unknown can feel as stressful as it is intoxicating. There's serenity to be found in the shadows, but it's just as easy to become agitated as you reach out into the black, searching for that elusive light switch.
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.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
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.
It's one the more unusual, charming and relaxing indie efforts available on a consoles today.
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.
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.
For its vibrant visual design, wonderful music and sheer whimsical weirdness, Hohokum is well worth experiencing. But at times it seems to be meandering back and forth between a video game and a piece of interactive art, unsure of which world it belongs to.
Hohokum’s developers intentionally created a game that was more about vibe than content. It prioritizes meandering and discovery over logic and progress. Some players will connect with Hohokum’s relaxed approach to game design, but others will wish for more direction and sense of accomplishment or mastery. The PC release doesn’t add or subtract anything from the original, but it gives a new audience the chance to experience a unique and sometimes fascinating game.
Hohokum doesn't aim to check any specific marketing boxes. It just exists, exactly as it should be. Its beautifully rendered world is a sight to behold and is worth checking out. Whether or not it's actually any fun for the player to dabble in this world of opposing forces, will be up to them to decide.
Honeyslug's deeply imaginative interactive experience wants to be free of game conventions, yet remains lightly tethered to traditional objective-based play
Try not to approach Hohokum with the mind to "complete it" or "solve it" as many avid players like to treat their video games. Instead, try to think of the experience as a lesson in how games still manage to combine music and moving visuals to instill an artistic push in another.
The lack of direction can lead to repeated frustrations, but the striking visuals and hypnotic character movement make Hohokum a joy.