Hirogami

Hirogami may not be for everyone but I loved its papercraft game world and entertaining transformations that really liven up the gameplay.

Hirogami may be a bit shallow in its combat and slightly repetitive in platforming, but its beautiful aesthetics and imaginative character transformations more than make up for these shortcomings.

Hirogami combines Japanese origami art with magical 3D platforming, creating a world that feels both delicate and enchanting. Clever transformation mechanics keep puzzles and challenges fresh, though the camera can sometimes frustrate. Despite small flaws, it’s a creative and charming indie worth exploring.

Hirogami is a game that enchants with its concept and art direction, but on the other hand, it struggles with the execution of some of its key mechanics. Hiro's transformations are detailed and work very well, encouraging exploration. However, its weak story and truncated, slow-flowing combat leave something to be desired. Still, despite being an average title, it can please fans of the genre.

With a striking papercraft style, Hirogami instantly wins you over with its beautiful art. This platformer uses origami to provide you with a wealth of skills and abilities, but sometimes switching between them can prove to be a little frustrating. Still, if you're a platforming fan and you have a bit of patience, there's a lot to like here.

Hirogami is a fine example of an underused aesthetic, and its beautifully styled origami world looks great on PS5. The platforming is a bit messy and there isn't much variety on offer, but for those who prefer a bit more style than substance, it's well worth a look.

Hirogami is a visually striking action-adventure platformer set in a charming papercraft world, where players control Hiro, an entertainer turned reluctant hero. Using folding mechanics, animal transformations, and gliding abilities, you traverse levels, solve puzzles, and combat corruption spreading across the land. While its slower pace and uneven level design hold it back, the game’s inventive mechanics and unique aesthetic make it a memorable, meditative playthrough.

Hirogami offers stunning visuals and art direction, successfully breathing new life into platform games, which have recently regained popularity. However, inconsistent level design, camera angles that can be frustrating at times, and a story lacking depth prevent it from earning a place alongside other major titles.

Hirogami is a pleasant adventure with innovative ideas that don’t quite land. The ability to transform into different creatures is engaging, especially in later levels where switching between forms is essential to progress. Unfortunately, the lackluster encounters, basic level design, and the need to revisit earlier stages to move forward create frustration. While Hirogami brims with creativity, it never quite comes together into a truly memorable experience.

Hirogami offers a lovely aesthetic and soundtrack that the platforming can't quite match. It's full of ideas with each animal form having a great sense of purpose but switching between isn't always snappy. The fixed perspective can make judging depth tricky and the necessity for hitting level goals can present some players with a late roadblock. At times, it's wonderful but it's not firing on all cylinders.

With its gorgeous visual style and some fun origami transformations, Hirogami has some high points to enjoy, but it sadly does have a few too many paper cuts that become consistent frustrations. It's not overly challenging, but lowering the difficulty does lend itself to a kind of relaxing, almost meditative experience at times, at least when the camera and other quirks aren’t getting in the way.

Hirogami can be a fun game at times but it can be disappointing in other areas. It is a visually stunning game. The paper changing mechanic where you can transform into other animals is a great mechanic and can keep combat fresh sometimes and offer different ways to play and fight. But a frustrating camera angle which causes more harm than good, disappointing boss fights and story, and some bugs like falling through the map really bring the game down. Hirogami ends up just being fine as a game, which is a shame. The game teases a sequel at the end so hopefully the sequel can build on this.

Hirogami follows in the footprints of other successful papercraft videogames such as Tearaway and Paper Mario. While it nails the pleasing handmade aesthetic of those titles, the shapeshifting gameplay never quite pins down the precision required. It’s not a write-off, more of a write-down of a crafty idea.

Blurb: Hirogami has a cool visual style and simple, old-school design principles, though they don’t always shine through equally well.

Hirogami has a bright world to explore and some interesting gameplay ideas to fold over. However, the art of it all is a little lost when the developers' over ambition doesn't come to fruition in the game. It plays old, feels like it too, and despite being a throwback to the PS2 era, it doesn't have the tact and precision to pull off this nostalgia trip.

It falls short with the combat unfortunately, which is a shame because it’s such a huge part of the game that you can’t really avoid it. Like I alluded to before, the final boss was a slog to get through and not the kind of finale I was hoping for, but it’s clear a lot of love went into the game so I’m trying not to judge it too harshly. I’d still recommend trying it for yourself, but don’t be surprised if the delightful visuals don’t keep you invested till the end credits, it needed a little more.

Hirogami is a game of fleeting brilliance, where moments of joy like leaping as a frog through a papery forest or uncovering a hidden shrine are undercut by clunky mechanics and unpolished edges. It’s a heartfelt effort from a small team, and the art direction alone makes it worth a glance. Like a sloppily-folded origami crane, though, it collapses, caught between ambition and execution.

Hirogami is a title with good ideas, but it doesn't really stand out in any particular area. Platform game lovers may enjoy its paper landscapes, but after playing a few levels and hearing the same musical themes over and over again, a feeling of repetition ends up overwhelming everything.

Beautiful colors can’t cover up game design that wastes your time.

It's a shame, because Hirogami is beautiful and built around a good design idea, but the resulting game is mechanically just not good enough and results in one of the most frustrating games I've played in 2025.