Hob is a game that wants to be seen. In the first few minutes, if you press a button on a border and hang your legs into the abyss. The camera slowly slows out and turns in. You can take a break and enjoy the beauty in silence.
Hob has a good reason to show the world so prominent: it plays the leading role. The little cast has no dialogues, you have to do it with sparing sounds and gestures. The world, on the other hand, implicitly tells something wrong: a purple thing covers large parts of the world and corrupts the flora and fauna. The mechanical inhabitants of this world are largely disabled, they only serve as a source of energy for the main character. Dedicated players can find wallpapers that hint to what went before. You decide how involved you are in the story, how you interpret it and what you do with it.
As you progress, not only do you change: the world around you also makes drastic developments. A literal 'unfolding' of the world symbolizes your progress: through you, incorrigible pieces of land from the depths rise. Often you can already see these new landmasses in advance by means of a viewpoint, wondering if and when you can explore this new area. It makes Hob an exceptional vertical game. From the highest mountain top to the deepest guts of the world, you get to see it all. The result is a semi-open world in which your progression is fairly linear, but you can always take a side road or try to discover secret areas.
Hob is almost a trance in which you run through the world, jumping, chopping and rolling.
Trinity
In classic Metroidvania style, you get more and more skills to gain access to previously closed roads to explore new areas. You will apply your new skills during platforming and puzzling. As a rule, enemies do not need special tactics, attacking and rolling with the use of a special force here and there is enough. Also, do not expect brain breakers, both puzzles and fights are essentially entertaining and do not have the purpose of frustrating and hindering progress for a long time.
At the core, Hob has more away from Hyper Light Drifter than Torchlight. Perhaps this fresh wind is attributable to the departure of Runic founders Travis Baldree and Erich Schaefer in 2014. Still, Hob has some Torchlight remains in the DNA. It seems that the Torchlight art director finally can completely eliminate gear architecture and decay technology. And the dreamy, meandering sounds of the soundtrack are undoubtedly the work of Torchlight composer Matt Uelmen.
Under the guidance of this audiovisual splendor, Hob suddenly becomes a trance in which you purge, jump, chop and roll around the world. A world constantly in motion, growing and changing. That's why Hob's power: you are constantly building on the world, where you will learn more about it. It makes your progress very concrete and tangible. You are part of this world, you are responsible for her well-being, you are doing it.
Hob is now available for PC (via Steam) and PlayStation 4.
Conclusion
Hob is like a working holiday in an exotic country. With emphasis on vacation. Yes, you are responsible for a job here and there, but you can enjoy the nature, architecture and culture of a strange but beautiful world while puzzling, fighting and platforms.
➕ Strong pacing, delicious art and music, fun to explore, subtle and ambiguous story
➖ Inconsistent platforms, fixed cameras do not always work
Thanks for reading.
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