Hoa Review

As everyone should be, I am utterly obsessed with games that have gorgeous natural scenery in them, especially if they have a touch of Studio Ghibli or fantasy. Unfortunately, many of the titles that do don't have the most compelling gameplay, and I'm already not great at finishing things, which is why I usually end up not getting them. This was one of my fears with Hoa, a puzzle platformer adventure where you play as the cutest little creature as she traverses across several areas, seeking to unravel what happened in her past.

The paragraph I just wrote has more storyline than the game offers, but it's not a bad thing. You start off immediately in the stunning hand-crafted world by Skrollcat Studio as the little character floats onto the screen on a leaf and begins her adventure without much of an explanation. I didn't need text or words to immediately fall in love because the fantastic explosion of colours as the world flourished and the adorable little bug who helped me climb onto the flowers were enough to do just that. I knew she was looking for someone, and everyone gracefully guided her; that's all the context I needed.

While some games look fantastic on the Steam page, once you're in them, they sometimes lose their magic; Hoa was the opposite. I figured the world would be very pretty, but there were a lot of little details that I only noticed once I was playing. For one, the music was great; the gentle piano and melodies reminded me of childhood movies, thanks to the soft, fantastical tunes. But even that was overshadowed by the little world details, such as the bell-looking flowers quietly chiming as I hung and swung from them or the constant and invigorating sounds of nature.

Of course, beauty and details can only take a game so far. While the platforming and puzzles are simple, and you will only need a few moments of thinking before you figure out what to do, I enjoyed it! The mechanics were smooth, there were a handful of abilities to learn, and every world was more stunning than the last! And, truth be told, it's nice not to have to be stuck for minutes on end trying to figure out where to go or what to do; instead, I got to enjoy the magical experience of holding onto butterflies and bouncing on ladybugs.

All that praise said, there is one tiny, little niggle I have with it, and it's the ending and the plot. It's not that it's bad; it's just become a bit of a samey sort of deal, and for the first time, I understand the people who moan about how often zombie apocalypse games exist, although I disagree with them because I love that storyline. Now, if you don't want to know the reveal, stop reading and skip to the next paragraph, but I felt like the magic and beauty that I had experienced was all burnt to the ground by the millionth time I am reminded that the world is dying, and that's a shame. I agree that this is an important message, but it feels like it has seeped into everything, and it sucks to always end it on a negative and doomy note.

That being said, Hoa is a great title! In just three hours, I got to finish all the achievements. The gameplay is smooth, the abilities are fun, and the collecting feels really nice. If you're looking for a relaxing experience with beautiful scenery and an appealing soundtrack, Hoa is a great option!