Hob

Hob is an action adventure game from Runic Games, developers of Torchlight. In this wordless story (yes, you won't hear any word) we will explore a vast map and its mysteries. Can we restore the world? What is affecting it?

About the world and the setting

We are awakened by an automaton in a world consumed by a purple mass? well, we will find soon that are dangerous and is our duty to get rid of them. This place mix a combination of nature and mechanical technology in a great way, both dungeons and the world look awesome.

The good:

• Graphics: Beautiful visuals, aesthetically pleasing, very good cartoon graphics style.
• Secrets: In every area and dungeons are secrets to discover, which require more observation than luck to find.

The bad:

• Camera: One of the biggest problems. You can't control it, and suddenly switches between following you and staying in a fixed view, which is completely detrimental in a platform game.
• Blocked lanes: The world is divided into large areas, and not knowing the few roads can cause confusion in how to navigate them.

The story is not something complex and will be revealed by advancing and seeing the scanery and some secrets.

About the gameplay and mechanics

After our little mishap we will get a sword and begin to explore, we will be given locations to explore, with enemies protecting them. We will also visit caves and unlock new abilities to make our journey easier.

 The good:

• Movement: The movement is fluid and the powers we find are also great to use for exploring.
• Customization: Although it´s not much, it´s possible to alter some stats with collectables and secrets.

The bad:

• Fighting: It's not bad in itself, but we have few types of enemies and the mechanics hardly change during the game.

   

Final thoughts

HOB is a good looking game with lots of problems, has a good sense of progression but the exploration sometimes feel confusing, you can get upgrades to travel but have very specific places to use.

If you love 3D platformers and want to keep playing more of this genre, this is a nice suggestion, can keep you entertained for 12 hours (or more if you want to 100%), if that´s not the case, I would recommend other more polished games.