- Publisher: PM Studios Inc. , Skrollcat Studios
- Release Date: Aug 24, 2021
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Apr 7, 2022Hoa is short and, at times, you’ll be forgiven for forgetting you’re even playing a game. That’s not all bad, though: Hoa gives you room to breathe, to escape into its spectacularly-painted world for relaxation rather than challenge.
-
Mar 25, 2022Hoa doesn't do anything strictly wrong. It is not broken, or bad, or worse still boring. It's a delicately enjoyable time in a whimsical land, with a simple story of a child wanting to return home. The issue here is that it doesn't do much that's different, either. It's the kind of platforming you've seen in 2D games infinite times before, and you will likely experience again and again. It's short, it's sweet, and if you simply want to turn your brain off and not experience anything particularly new, it's not the worst path you could tread.
-
Oct 6, 2021It’s a shame Hoa doesn’t try to do more with its fantastic art design, as its non-challenging puzzle/platforming mechanics have already been employed more successfully by contemporaries. It might be beautiful, but Skrollcat Studio’s title offers a quietly milquetoast experience that reaches its anticlimactic conclusion before it has time to blossom.
-
Sep 17, 2021Beyond such exquisite splendor from visual and musical perspectives, Hoa proves simple, if not simplistic, just like the adventure's minimalist, ephemeral nature may reflect the lack of original ideas. A nonetheless passionate tribute to Skrollcat Studios' wondrous inspirations.
-
Sep 7, 2021Hoa asserts itself as a nice little independent parenthesis, at the crossroads between the gameplay of Ori and an artistic direction at studio Ghibli. The latter is also a success in every way, whether in terms of sets, chara design or animation. A colorful dreamlike epic galvanized by Johannes Johansson's musical composition. Unfortunately if the visual is inspired and inspiring, it just lacks a dose of challenge and innovation in the gameplay to make the platform unforgettable. Two elements that can only be found in the conclusion of the work, enough to leave regrets.
-
Sep 3, 2021Hoa looks to offer up a relaxing experience first and foremost though, and because of its amazing aesthetics it largely succeeds in this aim – but it’s still hard to overlook its lack of ambition in the gameplay department.
-
Aug 23, 2021Hoa is a beautiful but brief puzzle-platform adventure that made for a relaxing evening’s worth of entertainment. It features no major physical threats nor any puzzles that are particularly obtuse, so cruising through its hand-painted slices of nature gave me a pleasantly zen-like experience. It’s a shame that the substantially more inventive final sequence wasn’t fleshed out even further, and I wish there were some additional reasons to explore its small selection of environments. But otherwise Hoa is a breezy little jaunt that’s all chilling and no killing.
-
Aug 23, 2021Even in retrospect, it’s easy to look at Hoa and imagine possibilities that it just doesn’t fulfill. The way it contextualizes its mechanics is wonderful, but there’s not enough depth, risk, or complexity to complement those ideas. As a result, the brief experience becomes rather flat and routine.
-
Aug 23, 2021Though nothing impacted gameplay (likely because there isn’t much to speak of), there were several instances of stutter that really marred the beautiful presentation on display. I understand that there is certainly an audience for the type of light gameplay experience that Hoa provides, and so long as you understand that going in you will at the very least be in for a treat with its visual and auditory splendor. And should you have someone who would benefit from how easy it is to play, Hoa could be the perfect fit, not to mention an excellent way of building admiration for the dying world around us.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 14 out of 19
-
Mixed: 2 out of 19
-
Negative: 3 out of 19
-
Aug 27, 2021The game have beautiful soundtrack and graphics but don't have much gameplay on it.
-
Dec 6, 2021A short but beautiful game that make you feel like you are playing a Ghibli Studio movie.
-
Nov 18, 2021