Hoa is (1.) a stunning display of artistry, breathtaking in its peaceful simplicity, but also (2.) underbaked and boring and I don't like it.
If you've looked at any screenshots or footage, you'll already have thought "huh, big Ghibli vibes here", so we'll just skip that part. Beneath the lush, cozy art style lies an extremely basic rough draft of a game. Across 8 small "worlds" (if we can call them that), you control a cute lil triangle baby who catches butterflies to wake up giant creatures, each of whom remembers you from when you were an even smaller baby.
In practice, this is sort of like the most basic Metroidvania imaginable, with a map containing decent verticality, a small number of collectibles/currency in each area (we're talking single digits), 4 or 5 earned abilities that allow you to progress, aaaaaand that's it. Beyond the music and visuals, I truly mean it when I say NOTHING compelling occurs in Hoa. Bland, combat-less platforming leads to sparse, spread-out collectibles which lead to awkward and vague dialogue with the big critters which leads to a baffling ending sequence.
[Structural spoilers from this point on, but no story details:]
After the game stops repeating gameplay, you observe a fairly long chase sequence which would have been the most engaging part of the game, but for some reason you aren't allowed to participate. (Severe Halo 5 cutscene energy) This is followed by what could be a dream sequence or some sort of limbo maybe?? I tried looking up what it was supposed to mean and couldn't find a legitimate answer anywhere, only encountering theorizing redditors, most as confounded as I was. Then instead of giving any closure, the final cutscene shows events from before the game; events which have already been related to us by the big magic animals along the way.
If you've ever been on a date with someone you were incredibly attracted to, but after an hour realized "there is absolutely nothing going on beneath the surface with this person", eventually ending the evening in a deflated state of stupor, that's what it feels like to play Hoa.
If you've looked at any screenshots or footage, you'll already have thought "huh, big Ghibli vibes here", so we'll just skip that part. Beneath the lush, cozy art style lies an extremely basic rough draft of a game. Across 8 small "worlds" (if we can call them that), you control a cute lil triangle baby who catches butterflies to wake up giant creatures, each of whom remembers you from when you were an even smaller baby.
In practice, this is sort of like the most basic Metroidvania imaginable, with a map containing decent verticality, a small number of collectibles/currency in each area (we're talking single digits), 4 or 5 earned abilities that allow you to progress, aaaaaand that's it. Beyond the music and visuals, I truly mean it when I say NOTHING compelling occurs in Hoa. Bland, combat-less platforming leads to sparse, spread-out collectibles which lead to awkward and vague dialogue with the big critters which leads to a baffling ending sequence.
[Structural spoilers from this point on, but no story details:]
After the game stops repeating gameplay, you observe a fairly long chase sequence which would have been the most engaging part of the game, but for some reason you aren't allowed to participate. (Severe Halo 5 cutscene energy) This is followed by what could be a dream sequence or some sort of limbo maybe?? I tried looking up what it was supposed to mean and couldn't find a legitimate answer anywhere, only encountering theorizing redditors, most as confounded as I was. Then instead of giving any closure, the final cutscene shows events from before the game; events which have already been related to us by the big magic animals along the way.
If you've ever been on a date with someone you were incredibly attracted to, but after an hour realized "there is absolutely nothing going on beneath the surface with this person", eventually ending the evening in a deflated state of stupor, that's what it feels like to play Hoa.