Hob

Hob was on my wishlist for quite some time, and this is not only because it was made by Runic games, but also because it did look interesting. I thought that puzzle game where music is composed by Diablo 1 and 2 composer Matt Uelman has to be good. I loved the art, mystery and cool animations. I also enjoyed some of the world design, as well as overall ambient. However, this game was not exactly what I expected. It is not really a puzzle game, or platformer or action RPG, but a mix of elements from all genres mentioned. While the game is somewhat original, it is not really better in platforming than any platformer. Also, it does not have better puzzles than puzzle games and same can be said for combat and RPG elements as well. What kept me playing until the end of the game is not the story either, but a colorful world and lighthearted nature of the game. I played for 15 hours more or less, no major problems with game stability. I would like to recommend this game to younger people and the ones that want to take a break from larger and harder games.

In a nutshell: I found Hob to be an addicting, satisfying, and beautiful game of exploration and puzzle solving, with occasional combat :) I purchased Hob just before it released in part because I wanted that free copy of Stories, but rather than playing Stories I got hooked on Hob :) It's a gorgeous game to look at and explore. It took me about 20 hours to finish, collecting most, thought not all, extras. I didn't use any walkthroughs or hints and I felt the game plays quite fair - no "press this", then travel for 2 minutes to see if it had an effect, rinse and repeat, etc. At one point when there are long distance things being changed/effected by your actions the game and map alerts you to it. I did spend a certain amount of time running around trying to figure out what I was missing - the charm and beauty of the world helped make fairly enjoyable. Once I figured out what to do it always made sense. For me the puzzles hit a pretty sweet spot between satisfyingly challenging without being too frustrating/obscure. I played with mouse and keyboard - I found using the R mouse button to move to be easiest, though occasionally had to use WASD due to camera angle. You have no control over the camera angle which can be frustrating but also used to good effect in terms of framing puzzles and subtly leading you at times. The game ran very smooth at high graphic setting for me, but definitely stressed my CPU (~80%, with a i56600k and geforce 1060 6GB). I didn't experience any crashes but a couple graphical "glitches" where I'd get stuck and have to use the respawn option. Mild Spoilers: I loved the ending, but did find the last fight to be rather frustrating and ended up lowering the difficulty. Seemed like a huge difficulty spike - which makes sense, but for me I wasn't really playing it for the combat.

Loved every second of it, and it was a reasonably long game too so that's saying something (my attention wanders and so if I actually manage to complete something, it's worth taking note of). Lovely graphics with a pretty long draw distance here and there which really gave a sense of real depth to this strange world. Lots of collectables and secrets with quite a few nice fights thrown in too. A bit difficult to judge some of the jumps because of the perspective, made even worse because I had to use keyboard because the game wouldn't recognise my gamepad. Beautiful game.

This game is full of exploration, discovery, and epic adventure! Easily one of the best adventure/puzzle games I've ever played. It continued to surprise me and engage me with new and exciting areas and enemies and puzzles and, at times, just sheer awe. The level up system is organic and intuitive. Progression feels natural, like you are discovering new areas based on new skills and the ability to interact with the world in new ways, not just because you're told to go here or there. In fact, it felt like I had so much control that sometimes I wondered, "am I supposed to go this way? What if I went that other way instead?" But in a wonderfully engaging and enjoyable way This game has one of the greatest mechanics I've ever experienced in any game... There are milestones where you are given a sort of key that unlocks new areas. Nothing could possibly prepare you for what this experience is like! Mountains collapse into valleys, terrain rises up to form new cliffs and chasms and paths to traverse. The whole experience is jaw-dropping if your aren't expecting it, and it happens over and over again throughout the game. So cool! The controls are simple and intuitive. This game is just fun to play! Everything from running and jumping to rolling and attacking... It's the sort of the game where you catch yourself jumping or swinging your sword around for no real reason just because it's satisfying to do. The longer you play, the more comfortable you get and the more fun things you'll add to your toolbelt. The story is abstract but, like everything else, very intuitive with surprising twists that keep you wanting to discover more. I believe there are multiple endings as well. The ending I experienced definitely left it open to a possible sequel. If that's the case, Hob 2 will be the 3rd game I will ever preorder. I'll say it again... This is one of the best games I've ever played. Solid 10/10. If you enjoy adventure platformers there's no way you will be disapointed.

I have really enjoyed the discovery and the great animation of the landscapes and characters. I have played with my 9 year old and 6 year old. Been a great experience for everyone involved.