Hohokum looks to be a zen experience for the player
Explore an endearing world unpressured
Coming out of our preview of Hohokum, it was as if all worries of life had evaporated. Visualized by artist and designer Hichard Hogg, developed with the indie game developer Honeyslug, and produced through Sony Computer Entertainment; Hohokum is an explorative game that will soothe the soul. In Hoggs words: Its a game thats about exploring...its not stressful, you never die in this game and there arent many things that feel like failure. Its not about being stuck, the player always has the freedom to visit new places and see new things.
And during our hands-on thats exactly what we felt. Even though there wasnt a way to necessarily win a level, there were always things to explore and put together, resulting in more and more of the level opening up to us. You could be completely sated by accomplishing one task and not even know there was an entirely new facet out there waiting for you.
How do you get around it all? By controlling a snake-like creature affectionately nicknamed the Long Mover. He can move by weaving back and forth, and changes color depending on what direction youre facing. A surprisingly simple concept that translated into an aesthetically pleasing experience. Thats kind of the these for the preview of this game: a surprisingly simple concept that translates into a pleasing experience. You can look for Hohokum to slither its way to you sometime early 2014.
Check out the following slides for more about hohokum!
You can pick up and set down characters throughout levels
The backgrounds will sometimes be interactive in surprising ways
The Long Mover can be dyed certain colors depending on where you take him
Other creatures in the game interact with the Long Mover
The everything has a purpose before you get there, and the game is about messing with that
The music is in collaboration with Ghostly International, and will be original for the game
Little cutscenes can happen if you satisfy certain prerequisites.
It's a peaceful world, no need to defend it from any attacks or threats
Controls are simple and at most require two buttons at once
Zach was once an Associate Editor for Future, but has since moved into games development. He's worked at EA and Sledgehammer Games, but is now Narrative Director on League of Legends and Valorant at Riot Games.