Weird name, amazing game
Hohokum is one of the games at E3 that might just convince me to buy a PlayStation Vita already, even if it is also coming to PS3 and PS4 next year. Playing it on Vita with a nice pair of headphones seems like the only way to go. In describing Hohokum to others, I felt like a raving lunatic. I’m excited by this unusual game in which you are a snake thing that flies around imaginative worlds — that much is clear. But communicating what exactly it’s about is no easy task. The art style and characters look like something out of Katamari Damacy, which will hopefully attract attention; this one deserves all of the attention it gets.
The first world I played was filled with floating pockets of water that surged in and out, occasionally overlapping with one another. By coming into contact with schools of fish, they began to follow me, so I took them across the stage, one water bubble at a time. I led them to what looked like garbage, which the fish ate for some reason, turning them into poisonous fish? I’m not entirely sure. At any rate, I brought the now-infected fish to this monstrous octopus that sucked them up, causing it to turn into a barnacle. At least, I think that’s all true. I can’t be too sure. You’re thrown into Hohokum and aren’t told what to do; more games should do this.
A second level involved flying over stars to create shapes in the sky, while the third had me finding little people and taking them to pinecone-looking objects that eventually turned into kites. The more people I set up with kites, the more elements were added to the soothing music which played a large role in helping me lose track of time. Most relaxing game of the show? Almost certainly. Hohokum is in the same vein of other calming PlayStation Network titles, though I must say, the gameplay itself — flying around, solving puzzles you don’t even know are puzzles — is a step above. One of my favorite titles here at E3, no question.
