User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 86 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 86
  2. Negative: 10 out of 86

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  1. Dec 5, 2016
    7
    It's pretty darn light in terms of puzzles, though they are satisfying enough to plough through (in 4 hours tops by the way, "6 hours" is an excessively kind overstatement) - controls seem fine, excellent attempt to acknowledge colourblind people and the art is nice and clean, and while it delivers all the moving parts of your colourwheel arsenal quite briskly, it still takes quite a lotIt's pretty darn light in terms of puzzles, though they are satisfying enough to plough through (in 4 hours tops by the way, "6 hours" is an excessively kind overstatement) - controls seem fine, excellent attempt to acknowledge colourblind people and the art is nice and clean, and while it delivers all the moving parts of your colourwheel arsenal quite briskly, it still takes quite a lot of the game up by doing so. Very few of the puzzles demand great hand-eye coordination, so while timing is sometimes important it is still very accessible, it doesn't punish you for being a bit cack-handed. All in all a decent quality puzzle game for low to medium skill level puzzle fans.

    I'm not going to count the rest of this against my score despite it being a tirade of hate, because it's entirely superfluous to the actual game:

    It also has a terrible narrative (that "touches on themes of love, loss, existence and remorse") bolted on in a way that's really front-and-centre and you can't skip it, since the developer put all the narrative sections as voiceovers that play in extremely long and time-wasting corridors. So even if you mute it, you've got a long empty corridor to walk down. May as well listen to it, you don't have anything better to do. It mentions "research" and "universities" a lot so you know it's profound, and nothing wins awards like indie games that make you think. If you're wondering how much it touches on themes of love, loss, existence and remorse, it touches on them this much:
    "Do we all see the same colour? Makes you think, right? You should look at things sometimes. I wish I'd sorted out my work/life balance." That's technically a spoiler, because that is exactly as far as the game takes these themes. Sorry.

    The "collectables" have very few good things to say about them. There's a couple of them that demand you do a puzzle slightly differently for "challenge" but the majority ask you to press against the wall to find a bit that's actually hollow then walk down a narrow stretch to collect your thing, or drag a box slowly down a narrow stretch to collect your thing. Some demand you play entire zones again but with a new colour you didn't have first time to access the blocked-off collectable.

    (as a bonus, I just checked the Steam page for this, the blurb lists this as a Key Feature:
    "A world full of lively characters to talk to, each with their own personality and story."

    Let's see, you meet a miner behind some rocks, he says "i am trapped" and "thanks for saving me," and you meet a fisherman by a lighthouse who says "I wish we knew why the lighthouse doesn't work" and "the lighthouse works!" and "did you fix the lighthouse? the ships can now find us because that's what lighthouses are for", the sailor says "you can ride on my boat" or something, and it's true you do ride on his boat, and there is a woman by a waterfall who says "there are caves behind the waterfall but I wouldn't go there." Oh there's a dude in the university who says "you shouldn't be here" but since he is actually just background flavour you sail right past him in search of the end.)
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  2. Sep 2, 2019
    7
    bruh beth brick Nicko Osijek cocobolo vivid gogo vivify fight study susu for into
  3. Jun 9, 2020
    6
    It’s a good little game, and I was going to give it an 8, but the last puzzle bumped it all the way down to a 6 for me.

    First, the good: Very unique, fun mechanic. I loved the timing sections with the falling boulders—it made me feel like I was in the Matrix, able to slow down time as I picked the next color. All of the puzzles but two are fair; one has two platforms with paint pouring
    It’s a good little game, and I was going to give it an 8, but the last puzzle bumped it all the way down to a 6 for me.

    First, the good: Very unique, fun mechanic. I loved the timing sections with the falling boulders—it made me feel like I was in the Matrix, able to slow down time as I picked the next color. All of the puzzles but two are fair; one has two platforms with paint pouring down and a lever that causes them to stop, and I felt the answer to this puzzle was so difficult that it could not reasonably be solved without a walkthrough; the other is the very last puzzle, which deserves its own paragraph. I also liked that the story had the ending that it did (no more details for no spoilers).

    Now, here’s my issue: The answer to the very last puzzle involves a mechanic which is not introduced anywhere else in the game. It’s like the devs jumped out from behind a corner and shouted ‘Gotcha, we could beat you the whole time!’ Well, I already know you can, devs. Without any introduction, this particular mechanic is impossible for the player to figure out on his own unless he gets really lucky after randomly flailing around for an hour and guesses it. This is doubly disappointing because it’s the very last puzzle, supposed to be a highlight of your achievement in beating the game.

    TL;DR : Last puzzle bad. Game good; just use a walkthrough for the two levels I mentioned, and you’ll enjoy it.
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  4. Mar 17, 2018
    7
    Hue is a puzzle platformer in which the player explores an initially colourless land in search of their missing mother. As the player progresses they’ll gradually unlock a selection of colours which they are able to switch to at will. The key is that any objects matching the chosen colour will “disappear” into the background and the player is required to make use of this to solve a varietyHue is a puzzle platformer in which the player explores an initially colourless land in search of their missing mother. As the player progresses they’ll gradually unlock a selection of colours which they are able to switch to at will. The key is that any objects matching the chosen colour will “disappear” into the background and the player is required to make use of this to solve a variety of puzzles and traverse the landscape.

    Hue is an enjoyable little game that combines its puzzle and platforming elements in a very satisfying way. The puzzles, unlike other examples in the genre, are always logical and can be solved without the need for trial and error or looking up YouTube videos. The controls are precise making the platforming sections, which often involve quickly switching between colours, enjoyable as well and any deaths will be the result of player error rather than awkward controls. Hue is a relatively short game (around the 4-5 hour mark) but that means it doesn’t outstay its welcome and remains fun until the end.
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  5. Feb 27, 2018
    7
    Hue has an interesting and at times really cool puzzle gimmick and I don't use the word gimmick insultingly. This is the type of game that I just like to play in short bursts. Get that satisfaction from solving a few puzzles then go on to something else. I am maybe half way done with it and due to the way I play it maybe I'll never finish it but I appreciate it for what it is.
  6. Aug 13, 2020
    7
    Hue is a short and simple game with a unique mechanic and some clever puzzles. The game includes some charming voice over in some section and overall has a cute story about a 2-D black and white world.

    My main criticism is the implementation of the color changing mechanic. The idea of the mechanic is brilliant. Many games will have alternate dimensional items or a foreground/background
    Hue is a short and simple game with a unique mechanic and some clever puzzles. The game includes some charming voice over in some section and overall has a cute story about a 2-D black and white world.

    My main criticism is the implementation of the color changing mechanic. The idea of the mechanic is brilliant. Many games will have alternate dimensional items or a foreground/background for the player character to interact with. (Just writing about this makes me want to play more Super Mario 3.) Hue takes this to the next level with its color wheel mechanic. My issues are two fold. One, the mechanic is hit and miss with the right control stick. Sometimes I feel like I selected the right color but instead I watch the player character die. Two, there are too many similar colors. Rather than the traditional rainbow, the game also includes pink, cyan, and a light purple. The orange and yellow are also similar, though this could be an issue my TV's color settings. The similar looking colors create several issues with the puzzles involved and seem rather unnecessary overall when none of the puzzles actually require the use of all of the colors. The game's core strength is in its simplicity, and the color changing option should be just as simple.

    The puzzles themselves are as inspired as any you see in these types of games. They also become more complicated as the game progresses, from stupidly easy to 15 minute long brain busters near the end. This is all quite nice for keeping the player engaged.

    All-in-all, there is not much game to review. I might even score this as a 5 but I do not want to give the impression that I did not like the game. I will say that I downloaded this for "free" from PlayStation Plus, and Sony provided this as the third game to the usual two releases per month on the service. For the right price, the game is a no brainer of good time.
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  7. Oct 24, 2017
    7
    Good:
    - Wide variety of puzzles; interesting use of limited assests
    - Challenging gameplay that is rewarding - The devs did a great job of weaving the colors collected into the game’s narrative - Great art style; animations are much better than what I was expecting - Fantastic soundtrack; voice acting is sparse but very strong - Hue really utilizes the the PS4 controller’s color
    Good:
    - Wide variety of puzzles; interesting use of limited assests
    - Challenging gameplay that is rewarding
    - The devs did a great job of weaving the colors collected into the game’s narrative
    - Great art style; animations are much better than what I was expecting
    - Fantastic soundtrack; voice acting is sparse but very strong
    - Hue really utilizes the the PS4 controller’s color changing light bar
    - Most rooms are set up so you won’t get stuck in them; safeguards are put up all over the place so you don't have to manually restart, which is very impressive in terms of level design
    - The slow mo feature that kicks in while changing colors is very helpful

    Mixed:
    - The ending is a little weak considering the build-up
    - Personally, there were way too many collectibles with no real incentive to collect them all; For people who are looking for a challenge and to extend their time with the game, they can put some effort into picking them all up

    Bad:
    - The last act tends to drag on and is significantly longer than the other chapters
    - Sections of the game would consist of empty hallways that existed for the sole purpose of moving the narrative forward
    - Weird inclusion of NPCs; there are very few of them and they just tend to distract from what’s going on with the narrative
    XXX
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  8. Feb 24, 2021
    7
    Pretty fun for a puzzle game with some cool ideas, but nothing too special. 70/100
  9. Mar 20, 2018
    6
    Audibly and visually brilliant, Hue is quite relaxing to play if you are looking to try something different yet simple or take a break from a more immersive or full-on game. However, it's really quite short and the puzzles should not pose any real challenge to a player of any ability. The story is a bit nonsensical at times and in all honesty, there is not much satisfaction to be gainedAudibly and visually brilliant, Hue is quite relaxing to play if you are looking to try something different yet simple or take a break from a more immersive or full-on game. However, it's really quite short and the puzzles should not pose any real challenge to a player of any ability. The story is a bit nonsensical at times and in all honesty, there is not much satisfaction to be gained for completing the game.

    Altogether, the game gets a mixed review because it is enjoyable whilst playing, and although it does not have much replay value, it is a nice little game to play in one or two sittings.
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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 32
  2. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. Oct 30, 2017
    73
    At the end of the journey it seems that something has remained unfinished, that the colors have stopped at the surface.
  2. 70
    Hue is a unique puzzle platformer that will keep you entertained to its conclusion. There’s no real replay value but the design and the steady introduction of new obstacles make it worth a look if you’re a fan of the genre.
  3. CD-Action
    Nov 18, 2016
    70
    An interesting and well-executed concept sometimes held back by frustrating controls. [11/2016, p.48]