Hob

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 131 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 131
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 131
  3. Negative: 19 out of 131

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  1. blunderfuljoe
    Feb 7, 2018
    4
    Hob, Runic Games’ literal swansong, started off as a grandiose dream that ultimately suffers from its generic gameplay and lack of tangible story. Runic Games’ goal was to create a game that would make the player follow their natural curiosity and discover the story for themselves. Without a good story to follow, Hob ends up leaning on its gameplay to lead characters around the world -Hob, Runic Games’ literal swansong, started off as a grandiose dream that ultimately suffers from its generic gameplay and lack of tangible story. Runic Games’ goal was to create a game that would make the player follow their natural curiosity and discover the story for themselves. Without a good story to follow, Hob ends up leaning on its gameplay to lead characters around the world - Sadly, the generic hack-and-slash combat left me wanting more out of the entire experience. The skill-less combat mechanics, bland environmental puzzles, and intangible story ended up piling together to make a single unenjoyable experience. Hob takes all the good things about Torchlight, gently lays it on the ground before violently kicking it to a pulp, then opening a window, to throw all that is good about the franchise out the window into the middle of the road.… Expand
  2. Deothor
    May 9, 2018
    7
    The first half (up to "water level" is very good. Unfortunately the second half feels unfinished and badly thought out. Sometimes camera is awful, especially in second half of the game. M+K are infuriating at times. Last boss is an overkill of challenge. Thankfully devs fixed crashes on PC with some patches.

    Game is really unique and beautiful. I'd say check it out if you can.
  3. nitorita
    Apr 20, 2020
    7
    Hob is nice. It's a sleek, sweet-and-simple adventure game where you have to rely on your own intuition to find your way around. Without any narration, you must understand the world yourself based on what you see. There are a lot of different environments and intertwining paths for you to explore.

    The only issue with this game is probably the lack of story. Without one, you don't feel    Hob is nice. It's a sleek, sweet-and-simple adventure game where you have to rely on your own intuition to find your way around. Without any narration, you must understand the world yourself based on what you see. There are a lot of different environments and intertwining paths for you to explore.

    The only issue with this game is probably the lack of story. Without one, you don't feel compelled to learn about what goes on in the game. I admire how the game has a well-crafted world, but that's all it offers. Just a world to explore. Although Hob was built not to have a story, it doesn't really benefit from that. Frankly, I think it was just a cheap excuse not to add one.

    Instant load times and a seamless map are praiseworthy. Sometimes there's frame drops, but they're insignificant. You can get lost from time to time, fall off ledges because of realistic physics, encounter monsters that are sometimes more annoying than challenging, and go through puzzles that aren't hard at all. But that's just me nitpicking.

    Overall, the experience was nice, but not particularly memorable. I felt inclined to quickly finish off the game after a while. The world was certainly unique and I liked how progressing through the game shaped it. However, the ending felt anticlimactic and being able to choose whether you wanted the good or bad end was silly considering the events that go on throughout the entire game.    … Expand
  4. ArcanaThe4th
    Jun 17, 2019
    8
    Hob is a beautiful Zelda-inspired game full of awe and wonder within it. The world it shows you has an identity and is beautifully unique. The game's greatest sin is that there's a lot of minor issues that compound to it, such as puzzles that aren't really puzzles and a few bugs here and there, but they compound into damaging the overall experience, but it is overall a very pleasant oneHob is a beautiful Zelda-inspired game full of awe and wonder within it. The world it shows you has an identity and is beautifully unique. The game's greatest sin is that there's a lot of minor issues that compound to it, such as puzzles that aren't really puzzles and a few bugs here and there, but they compound into damaging the overall experience, but it is overall a very pleasant one that calls for the explorer in you and amazes you with a world that is half-nature and half-machine and how that world fits together beautifully.… Expand
  5. ChesterField
    May 1, 2020
    7
    A good adventure game, without more. Good artistic section. I have lacked a little more difficulty and less simple puzzles. However, we will closely follow this development study in its future games.
  6. kantlax
    Jul 13, 2021
    7
    Nice graphics, good platform type puzzles. The best is the design of the map and how it change.
    When playing it gets repetitive and a bit confusing sometimes.
  7. Bortx
    Jan 5, 2018
    8
    The game suffers from consolitis. The keyboard controls are not remap-able and the default choice for the keys are awkward. You can tell these people did not test with the keyboard especially the choice the grappling hook on Q when you have to use A with it in conjunction.

    The game also crashes a lot. About every 45 min of play. Aside from that it is a wonderful game with great art    The game suffers from consolitis. The keyboard controls are not remap-able and the default choice for the keys are awkward. You can tell these people did not test with the keyboard especially the choice the grappling hook on Q when you have to use A with it in conjunction.

    The game also crashes a lot. About every 45 min of play.

    Aside from that it is a wonderful game with great art style and level design. The developers also make it so you don't have to repeat complex platform puzzles by providing shortcuts after they have been solved. Great atmosphere and sound.

    If they can fix the crashes and allow for remapping keys, this game is worthy of a 10.    … Expand
  8. xmenyoyo
    Aug 27, 2018
    10
    This game is amazing. I like this kind of games. And despite me being very picky with what I play, I'm very happy that I tried this game and also finished it :)
  9. Rudal
    Jun 19, 2018
    6
    I was waiting for this game. Loved Torchlight 1&2 and... Console controller happened...
    Why on Earth developers keep insisting on limiting PC players and enforcing on them poor console controls... That's just lazy....
    Overall good game but controls threw me off completely....
  10. Pumpkin345
    Nov 25, 2017
    9
    Excellent game, the story is very mysterious, you have to keep hunting the details in the scene to understand what is really happening. The gameplay is good and fun, but I recommend playing in control. The music and sound effects are one of the most memorable points of the game, at times that you think there are animals near you. But unfortunately, the game has many bugs and this is veryExcellent game, the story is very mysterious, you have to keep hunting the details in the scene to understand what is really happening. The gameplay is good and fun, but I recommend playing in control. The music and sound effects are one of the most memorable points of the game, at times that you think there are animals near you. But unfortunately, the game has many bugs and this is very disruptive to the game.… Expand
  11. Dranakar
    Oct 7, 2017
    7
    Hob is beautiful, it's hard to argue against that, it has beautiful environments and have a highly stylized art-style, which makes the game enjoyable to look at. And that's it's saving grace. The game has everything going for it, has no bugs for what I've experienced (except maybe a couple of unintentional navmeshes), but the level design.

    Jesus guys, the level design and the puzzles    Hob is beautiful, it's hard to argue against that, it has beautiful environments and have a highly stylized art-style, which makes the game enjoyable to look at. And that's it's saving grace. The game has everything going for it, has no bugs for what I've experienced (except maybe a couple of unintentional navmeshes), but the level design.

    Jesus guys, the level design and the puzzles are unfortunatley very lacking to say the least. Most of them revolves around a 'do this' kind of mentality that makes 'puzzles' more of a chore and not something you have to figure out.
    Non of the puzzles made me feel clever cause I was handed the solution seconds before encountering it. And the payoff is usually a very flashy and good looking animation of the world changing, which is cool, but after getting the same reward everytime, you come to expect it and it becomes a bit boring.
    The world design in general is really nice and the world ties together beautifully and shortcuts you unlock makes the world easy to traverse.

    But the level design... It's such a wasted opportunity for such a polished game.

    The 'dungeons' are extremely linear and usually reveals a key before a door, making the challenge non-existing. At the same time, you don't have any idea what you're trying to achieve in the dungeon, before you've actually achieved it which makes you go 'huh, that's neat' but not more than that.

    Basically there are only 1 way to go and I found myself trying to explore (cause I love to) but whenever I tried, I wasn't rewarded for it.
    Once In my 4 hours of play did I find a side path which led me to a cave that I'd been teased earlier in a vista, and I was so ready to be rewarded for finding it. The reward... a glowing wall... presumably story related, but not rewarding for such a build-up.

    I'm about 50% through the game as of writing this review and I'm unsure if I'll finish it since the challenge of the game was so lack-luster. It's really a shame, cause most of the level-design could have been fixed in an early blockout phase.
    I'm giving the score of 7 - while the gameplay smoothness and the artstyle alone would score a 10/10 on both fields, the level design I would rate 1 or 2/10 cause it drags the experience so much down.

    I'm not sorry for buying the game, as long as the team looks on some of these reviews and take notes. You're next game better up their level design :)    … Expand
  12. Alarik
    Oct 1, 2017
    9
    Hob is a great adventure / puzzle game. This game is all about to explore a great world and solving puzzles that transform the landscape to open new paths. Puzzles are great and change drastically the world around you, graphics are simple but uniques, animations and musics are great too. The only thing i don't like it's the fixed camera that make some actions hazardous. if you like ZeldaHob is a great adventure / puzzle game. This game is all about to explore a great world and solving puzzles that transform the landscape to open new paths. Puzzles are great and change drastically the world around you, graphics are simple but uniques, animations and musics are great too. The only thing i don't like it's the fixed camera that make some actions hazardous. if you like Zelda games you must play Hob!… Expand
  13. TripleSicks
    Sep 28, 2017
    9
    If you have ever played an action/adventure game and felt like exploring the map was a waste of time after a few hours, welcome to the explorers dream. Almost every time you are "stuck" it can be solved by exploring, and it's wonderful. Great puzzles, Uniqe graphics and some of this tightest controls this side of Nintendo platformers, Hob is easily this years game you didn't know you needed.
  14. Zer0TheHer0
    Oct 1, 2017
    0
    keyboard controls aren't redefinable.....if you don't play with wasd you're screwed....if you don't like the control setup you're screwed.....this is absolutely unacceptable in this time and age
  15. ZiddersRoofurry
    Oct 1, 2017
    9
    Disclosure-I haven't played the game all that long so this is based upon initial first impression. I also am friends with some of the devs but whilte I was given a Beta key it was after i'd already been gifted the game by a (non-developer) friend. Even so I've indicated that I did receive a copy from Runic. That said here's my initial review which I will update as soon as I finish theDisclosure-I haven't played the game all that long so this is based upon initial first impression. I also am friends with some of the devs but whilte I was given a Beta key it was after i'd already been gifted the game by a (non-developer) friend. Even so I've indicated that I did receive a copy from Runic. That said here's my initial review which I will update as soon as I finish the game. Feel free to ask me any questions in regards to the game and I'll do my best to answer them.

    I love the way this game communicates ideas without using a known language. it's like watching a Jim Henson production. Like Dark Crystal where the Skesis had this strange language and communicated via noises yet you could immediately tell what they were 'saying' via body language. Kudo's to the animators who worked on this because that part is amazing.I do wish It zoomed a little closer in during those few short but sweet dialog moments. Then again I wish we could zoom in in general. I'd really love to take a closer look at all the creatures. The creature design in this game is so fantastic.

    My biggest issue is getting lost and not having any idea where to go. There are things I can't access because I lack upgrades and the areas are so big I end up losing track of where I've been. Checking the map doesn't help as it's a bit confusing to read. I'm not usually this terrible at games like this which leads to my getting frustrated now and then. Fortunately the 'Ah!' moments and story more than make up for it. Visual-wise however this is a beautiful game. Runic has managed to create a style of artwork that stands out from the rest of the games I've played over the last few years. Most textures have an almost animated quality to them with rich mood-setting colors breathing life into its naturalistic world. It features a mix of natural and steampunk yet without it being cliche. It feels like the setting is its own time and place rather than trying to fit into a specific genre.

    The character designs are all unique and help add to the feeling of this place being a real live world. My only nitpick about it is that the ground textures seem almost an afterthought and a bit too simplistic compared to the rest of the environment. It pulls you out of the world a bit so hopefully they'll give those an upgrade at some point.

    The music is wonderful and deserves its own section. A little surprising given I'm used to Matt Uelmen's music being a bit more thematic but the looser, more mystical nature of the melodies fits perfectly. It sounds wonderful through headphones and really blands in with the environmental sounds. It melds into this cohesive living landscape of sound that makes the environment feel so much more alive. There are all these little rhythmic touches that hearken back to his older work yet never in a way that sounds too derivative. Instead it sounds like the result of a gradual maturation of skill. As much as I love his past scores I'd consider this his best work yet. So much more subtle that his previous work but that's what makes it all the more magical.

    I can tell that this games maps are a definite progression from Torchlight and Torchlight II's. The way everything fits together seems almost haphazard at first but then when you start to piece things together it starts making you feel like you're just barely uncovering pieces of this huge living machine. It's rather breathtaking in scope at times. I guess that's why I'm getting so frustrated. I want to see more of this amazing world. It can be a head-scratcher and calls for a measure of patience but the thrill of seeing the entire world around you change is worth its more frustrating moments. It's great for those looking for a mix of exploration with a bit of combat but if you're looking for pure action it's probably not for you. You're going to spend more time looking for clues and solving puzzles than you are fighting and what fighting there is seems to be a bit shallow.

    All in all It's a really great if at times a little frustrating puzzle/platformer full of Henson-like characters and moodiness reminiscent of films like The Dark Crystal or animated films like Don Bluth's Secret of Nimh.    … Expand
  16. Broyax
    Apr 10, 2020
    0
    Ah je me disais aussi... mauvais sang et incompétence ne sauraient mentir ! cette daube indé vient du développeur indé sous-développé qui a démoulé les Torchelight ! et du coup, bah c'est comme qui dirait de la meeerde...

    C'est quasiment, non c'est totalement muet puisqu'on ne parle pas le langage "robot"... et qu'il faut deviner de quoi il retourne dans cette sorte de jeu de    Ah je me disais aussi... mauvais sang et incompétence ne sauraient mentir ! cette daube indé vient du développeur indé sous-développé qui a démoulé les Torchelight ! et du coup, bah c'est comme qui dirait de la meeerde...

    C'est quasiment, non c'est totalement muet puisqu'on ne parle pas le langage "robot"... et qu'il faut deviner de quoi il retourne dans cette sorte de jeu de plate-formes et de baston bizarre, très bizarre qui veut se donner un genre "Télérama du jeu vidéo" très con-templatif et en même temps avec de la poésie (de pot de chambre) dedans !

    C'est graphiquement limité avec pas trop de couleurs, une direction artistique peu inspirée, une caméra non réglable (automatique) et... un ennui qui s'installe presque aussi vite qu'on désinstalle ce petit étron indé mal torché par des crevards sans idée et sans talent aucun. Si on pouvait se torcher avec, ça servirait au moins à quelque chose mais ce n'est pas le cas.    … Expand
  17. Darknightp
    Sep 14, 2018
    2
    It has many bugs that don't allow you to complete the game, so it was impossible for me to save that bug. Maybe a "god mode" or something to reset an specific map would have been a good idea, but there isn't anything like that, so I can't complete de the game and it was a big waste of time.
  18. Keskin
    Jul 20, 2020
    7
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  19. S3XU4LH34L1NG
    Sep 13, 2020
    8
    Overall a fun, simple but short adventure game. Overall playtime for 100% 12h

    +I like the colorful art style and the minimalist style
    +music is great
    +The story is simple but alright given the game length
    +the puzzles are quite fun but on the simpler side
    -Combat is bad and competly trivial also often ignorable
    -The confusing map and the quest markers given on it are a big minus for me
  20. Psy_pmP
    Oct 5, 2020
    8
    In general, the game is excellent and quite unique.
    Very well-designed map. Excellent levelled design.
    Reliable graphics. But I would not say the picture is good. It is nice but lack of details. The game consists of gameplay, it lacks a plot. The narration through the environment is very poorly implemented. And the ending is terrible. But. About 5% of the game you spend on fighting    In general, the game is excellent and quite unique.
    Very well-designed map. Excellent levelled design.
    Reliable graphics. But I would not say the picture is good. It is nice but lack of details.
    The game consists of gameplay, it lacks a plot. The narration through the environment is very poorly implemented. And the ending is terrible.

    But. About 5% of the game you spend on fighting enemies, 10% on puzzles and 85% to fight with the disgusting control and camera. The most terrible camera, the most terrible jump system. If you land on a corner of the platform, it hovers over it and falls down. The bugs are plenty, but they are not critical. The camera is always looking somewhere wrong. In general, it feels like the game has not been tested. Well, at least there is no death penalty and the save is scattered all over the map.    … Expand
  21. MikComposer
    Apr 28, 2023
    9
    Very good and cool game. Atmospheric and immersive. Cool sci-fi world and fun art style. Something to hold you over the classic top down adventure games like Legend of Zelda.
  22. Bloov
    Feb 17, 2019
    9
    Крайне недооценённый платформер-адвентчура. Удивительно красивый мир, загадочная, но простая история и довольно живая боевая система. Есть небольшие проблемы с управлением, так что играть лучше с геймпада.
  23. Calamity_Jones
    Jan 23, 2021
    9
    Loved it! The animation and world-building makes this an immersive and interesting experience. It's a "zoomed-out" zelda, with satisfying and surprisingly-decent combat, puzzles, platforming and a few gadgets to play with. Would recommend!
  24. EROCKQ
    Dec 9, 2017
    9
    Hob is a very unique third person, isometric adventure. The genre is (obviously) influenced deeply by The Legend of Zelda, yet Hob strikes its own path.
    From the opening moments of the game, Hob presents a gorgeous, wordless, transforming world. A mix of exploration, puzzles, and action, Hob kept me captivated in a densely elegant world that felt alive.
    Not without its flaws, Hob is what    Hob is a very unique third person, isometric adventure. The genre is (obviously) influenced deeply by The Legend of Zelda, yet Hob strikes its own path.
    From the opening moments of the game, Hob presents a gorgeous, wordless, transforming world. A mix of exploration, puzzles, and action, Hob kept me captivated in a densely elegant world that felt alive.
    Not without its flaws, Hob is what many would call a niche game. Quite similar to Hyper Light Drifter, Hob does not hold your hand. Hob feels like it should be patiently explored and savored. The world design and art direction strongly support that pace.
    I'd recommend Hob to anyone looking for a bright and beautiful world, to explore, to be charmed, or any fan of the Legend of Zelda series (or similar titles)    … Expand
  25. Malevento
    Jan 26, 2019
    9
    A fantastic game with a touching story told thru adventure and exploration.

    A little hard just at the start because you don't know certain mechanics but only just a little.

    If you like the older Zelda games with puzzles and upgrades by exploration this will be very much your game.

    I experienced only one crash about an hour in and from then on had no issues.
  26. IshtiakHossain
    Sep 18, 2020
    9
    This game has the best map design I have ever seen. I got the game on epic games for free. After playing the game I wanted to play some similar game like this but I couldn't find any. I really hope this developer makes a sequel or more games like HOB,
  27. Sepherim
    Jun 2, 2022
    3
    Hob tiene muchos problemas como juego que le hacen ser más frustrante que interesante. Primero, no aporta nada al género que no se haya visto antes mejor. Segundo, aunque se supone que tiene una historia e incluso una decisión, la realidad es que está tan mal contada que yo no me he enterado de la mayor parte de ella; lo cual hace que te pases el tiempo yendo de un lado a otro porHob tiene muchos problemas como juego que le hacen ser más frustrante que interesante. Primero, no aporta nada al género que no se haya visto antes mejor. Segundo, aunque se supone que tiene una historia e incluso una decisión, la realidad es que está tan mal contada que yo no me he enterado de la mayor parte de ella; lo cual hace que te pases el tiempo yendo de un lado a otro por "razones", para conseguir cambiar el mapa para llegar a nuevos sitios donde hacer "cosas" y poder así avanzar hasta el siguiente "objetivo". ¿Por qué haces todo eso? Ni idea la mayor parte de las veces. Los puzzles son en general muy sencillos, el combate tiene poca variedad, menos dificultad y aun menos interes. Y la exploración resulta más frustrante que otra cosa porque los controles no responden nada bien (una cámara vertical no encaja nada bien con unos escenarios que tienden hacia las curvas), el mapa es completamente inútil por cómo está diseñado el mundo, y este además cambia muchas veces, de modo que no sabes si has abierto algo nuevo e importante o no, si debes volver a recorrer lo explorado en busca de coleccionables olvidados o no es necesario, etc.

    Gráficamente el juego es en el mejor de los casos, discreto; y, una vez has avanzado un rato en el juego, se vuelve muy repetitivo a nivel gráfico, repitiendo entornos, enemigos y situaciones. El sonido no va mejor, con una música casi sin relevancia, efectos sonoros repetitivos y anodinos y sin voces más allá de unos sonidillos incomprensibles. Y, para colmo, no está escaso de bugs, incluyendo salidas a escritorio, atravesar paredes y caerte del mapa, etc. Y ni siquiera permite configurar la asignación de botones en el teclado libremente, algo que debería ser obligatorio para cualquier juego en PC.

    El resultado es un juego muy genérico en lo mejor, y que en lo peor falla a alcanzar un mínimo esperable. Un 3. Al menos es corto, pero recomiendo jugarlo con una guía para limitar la pérdida de tiempo.    … Expand
  28. bancandrei
    May 18, 2020
    5
    I was looking for a 2d zelda and this ain't it. Picked it up after I saw this description in YouTube reviews. Lesson learned: Trust first impressions.
  29. Abd_Elrahman
    Jun 1, 2020
    9
    The game deserves 10 out of 10 but I gave it 9 out of 10 because of the many glitches in the game
  30. kyuy
    Jun 29, 2022
    7
    The visual style is at a good level, but landscape isn't various (simply, there are 3 types of terrain - grassland, desert and [steam/mana]punk temples).
    Most puzzles are interesting (especially the metroidvania-like parts), but sometimes a quest is simply "find a not-obvious path".
    Enemies are not a danger at all.
    It sounds like I didn't enjoy the game, but it can entertain you for 10 hours.

Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
71
#71 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Games.cz
    Jan 21, 2018
    70
    A beautiful, vibrant environment that literally shows off megalomaniac miracles in a small space. It is slightly undermined by the occasional drop of fps, its controls and the fixed isometric camera. Still, the Hob is a decent farewell of Runic Games studio. Although it does not match the Torchlight series, it offers interesting duels and funny platforming.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Jan 10, 2018
    65
    I see two principal flaws in Hob. First of all, none of the game’s elements is outstanding. The second problem is the repetitiveness of goals, puzzles, combat. Hob might relax you, but it will definitely not excite you. [13/2017, p.52]
  3. Hardcore Gamer
    Nov 22, 2017
    60
    Though it pains to proclaim such a promising title as this — given how obviously ambitious its world-building stands, how undeniably strange-but-enticing its organic-mechanical aesthetic is or how inviting the otherwise isolating ambience of its sound design is — Hob may well be one of the more disappointing showings for the genre this year when all is said and done. What starts off in its first half as a platformer rife with engaging mystery and many an incentive to know more quickly devolves into a rehashed and seemingly never-ending loop of puzzles unlocking puzzles unlocking more similarly-deprived puzzles without fruitful meaning or purpose. Though it tries to maintain the facade and continually promise greater things to come, it soon becomes apparent that Hob is somewhat deprived of an end goal — interested solely in the long-distant allure than it is the up-close-and-personal meaning and value behind it all.
    Read full review
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