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.
Hohokum is a perfect blend of low-impact gameplay, adorable visuals and a great soundtrack. The only downsides are some of the harder puzzles towards the end, but those frustrations are easy to overcome if you give Hohokum the time it deserves.
Hohokum is one of the most artistic and relaxing games I've ever played and it is a joy to watch. It's very interesting and it has a unique flavor that's all its own. The game is almost like interacting with a work of art, swimming around and finding out what to do and what you can interact with. It encourages exploration but without pushing the user toward any specific objectives, which was a refreshingly different pace. I would recommend anyone to pick this up and try it. My first hour felt like 15 minutes just because I got lost in watching the gorgeous visuals, listening to the amazing soundtrack and exploring the Hohokum world! It's definitely a game that feels like flower, sound shapes etc., and it deserves similar praise!
Tier 2
+ A fantastically creative and unique game in terms of visuals and game feel
+ Flawlessly fluid mechanics that affect a dynamic and beautiful world
? Very oblique gameplay that for some might be easy and for some might be totally impossible to figure out
- Fairly chaotic in its progression and somewhat difficult to navigate if seeking total completion
Hohokum can be considered as a video game or interactive art, depending on the way we see the experience of playing. But developing such an experimental approach surely requires genuine creativity, that is expressed with an elegant and misleading simplicity through this singular journey.
You should definitely try Hohokum if only to understand how weird and hard to describe it is. But not everyone will appreciate its laid-back attitude and guidance allergy. It’s certainly a beautiful and unique title, and I enjoyed playing it, but bring along some extra patience just in case.
Hohokum is unlike anything you’ve ever played in your PlayStation. Occasionally there are different experiences on Sony consoles like Patapon, flOw and Journey that make us believe that video games are an art form. Hohokum can be placed in the same group.
I just shouldn't like this game, but I do.
Alike Flower, it offers a kind of endless game-play of discovery. Within 5 minutes I was not impressed, but once the game opens up and becomes more strange and wonderful, it jumped from playing it because it was a free PS+ title, to genuinely enjoying the experience and going back to it a number of times already.
The music is a major factor in that, it keeps tempo well and installs that feeling of discovery when you glide through something that builds the sound. It's really a waste of time, but really really enjoyable with it.
There are some interesting levels, like one with aquapark or one with wedding, but this game didn't reach the standarts to be part of the "golden path of good indie". The game propose you to do or think nothing too often. Final result is too childish.
I must say I just don't get this game. What is its purpose? Why does it even exist? There's no story, you're just a snake flying/swimming in various environments. In each level you're required to do something different (give a bunch of people a ride, make flowers bloom...), but the game never tells you what it is. You're supposed to run into objects, observe what happens, and figure it out on your own. Which would be fine if the game wasn't so boring. It wasn't fun to aimlessly roam around hoping that one of the plants I bump into might do something.
The art style is colorful but very simplistic, and I admit I'm not a big fan of it. The music is alright, but again I didn't like it much. The controls are as primitive as the rest of the game: one button makes you go faster and one button makes you go slower. It controls fine and everything is responsive, but the whole thing is just so boring I gave up after 20 minutes or so.
I admit this game isn't for me. I prefer my games to have an actual plot and characters I care about. If you're like me and you don't think "messing around hoping that stuff happens" is very compelling, avoid this game. It's not for you and you're going to be disappointed. I only own it because it was free on PS+ and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
Perhaps this game wasn't aimed at one such as me. I'm driven by plot and atmosphere in a game and this had none of the former and little of the latter. The colors were pretty, but flying a fish and a phoenix through some shapes doesn't doesn't constitute anything interesting to me. Gave it an hour of my time, and called it good.