Here's a colourful little number from British indie team Honeyslug. It's available on PC and PS3/4 following its 2014 launch. Sadly, the studio devs parted ways in 2015 and so the team is no more.
But what's left behind of its legacy is this vibrant little game packing three hours of playing as a serpent-like flying kite. It's all rather chilled and fabulous.
Rainbows Galore in the Swirling World of Hohokum
It's a chilled out game, this one, with limited challenge in many respects. But if you want to explore a multi-coloured world and interact with groovy kinds of characters then this is double thumbs up.
There are some activities and goals to meet in-game, but the general focus is to explore a big playground of characters.
It's kind of like The Magic Roundabout in game form. But you're a kite.
Hohokum is just very relaxing to watch in action. The opening few minutes have a wild artistic splendour to them. It's psychedelic and reminds us of the very underrated platformer FLY'N.
Yeah, then, it's really a game to throw yourself into and get exploring. No need for a 20 minute FMV intro cutscene or the like, its pick-up-and-play qualities are immediate.
A surface level appreciation of the game would suggest it's about flying and occasionally passing through or under things. You don't fight anything, punch anyone, or blow stuff up with guns.
It's an artistic experience. One we've seen other reviewers describe as borderline synesthetic (see Kandinsky's art and On White II).
That side was all driven by Honeyslug's artist Richard Hogg, whose designs really do have a life of their own.
You dance around in the game and really treat is as an experimental artistic enterprise. You're kind of the painter going across this flowing canvas. The result is very relaxing and charming, with elements of humour.
To complement all of that there's an electronic music score with lots of ambient noise. It was compiled by many musicians, including the likes of Tycho, Shigeto, Matthew Dear, and Com Truise.
We were surprised to find 2014 gaming press reviews weren't exactly gushing for this, although the likes of IGN almost gave it 9/10 (instead going for 8.8). However, other publications slung across a 6/10.
Again, surprising. It's a very charming game and, yes, there's a limited timespan of around three hours.
And yet during that times there's an enormous amount of visual experimentation, far more than your average AAA filler getting released these days. It's an active canvas of activity and a joy to watch.
Leading all of the artistic stuff as you play is the core gameplay mechanic. It works a treat! We like it a lot. And we can highly recommend giving it a whirl.
Richard Hogg's Fascinating Art Style Across Hohokum
If you're interested in this kind of thing (i.e. video game creation), check out the above. It's an intriguing look into the making of Hohokum. That includes a detailed analysis of the artistic style and its innovative use.
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