Hob

A beautiful world scattered and scared by ruins, a silent protagonist, and a vague quest. Hob, on paper, might sound like a very familiar formula, but its nuance and art design really push it apart from the rest of the adventure games.

Originally I was going to criticise the combat for similar issues, but the longer I played the game the more responsive I realised the combat was. Dodging will always give you invincibility frames, and clicking in the left stick will lock on to the nearest enemy. Also, the charged punch can knock off enemies’ armour. These last two bits of info were not conveyed in the game and I found both out fairly late. However, once I figured these out, I stopped running from enemies and started to enjoy fighting them.

Desolation and solitude permeate Hob, the beautiful new top-down, exploration-heavy action title from Torchlight developer Runic Games. In this sprawling adventure, you guide a small, isolated character across a dangerous world to reactivate ancient technology and restore the world to its former glory. Uncovering the world's secrets requires you to explore a big map, delve deep into mechanical dungeons, and battle hostile inhabitants in an experience rich in mystery.

Hob is a beautiful Zelda-like puzzler with fun combat elements that takes place on an enchanting world where nature and machinery alter the landscape as easily as a twist of a Rubik's cube. The wordless approach to the story creates some confusion and the fix camera sometimes results in unnecessary deaths, but never does the time spent with Hob feel wasted.

Puzzling, platforming, and punching.

Runic Game's Legend of Zelda inspired adventure takes players on a mundane journey through an extraordinary world.

There is something about Hob that I really enjoy. I'm not quite sure if it's the cartoonish art style, clever puzzles, or an amalgamation of the two, but my overall experience was quite pleasant. However, frequent frame rate drops, mindless combat, and its open-world facade hindered my amusement and often relinquished any feeling of consequence while exploring the game's dangerously portrayed world. Similarly, the unspoken and symbolic mystery that unfolds begins as an interesting tale, but quickly becomes shallow when there are no other factors to create a meaningful and emotional conflict. H...

Hob is like a beautiful example of how to make a third-person action game. Like a filmmaker who has learned every detail of cinematography, direction, lighting and set dressing, but never thought to care about the script. In that, I found it impossible to escape the sense of lack that pervades its beauty, both in an overall motivation (beyond "because it's there"), and in the "why?" of everything you do. It's fun to play, it's often extremely clever, but - well - it lacks at the same time too.

Hob is a game that feels like it could be much more than it is. It's a game that draws inspiration from the best in the business. It's a game that looks and sounds great. And it's a game that offers something unique for players. Yet it falls short of the heights that it could have reached due to a few key failings.

Hob tries to do a lot of things within its beautiful world but never does any of them very well. The platforming feels janky and slow, combat is basic and meaningless, and the puzzles will make you wish you were back in 10th grade listening to your Geometry teacher explain proofs for the millionth time. A great game was not too far away from what eventually was delivered, but outside of the stunning visuals and world design, Hob falls frustratingly short.

Runic fans waiting on Torchlight III may be feeling sore, but the developer’s decision to take a gamble on something new has certainly paid off. Hob demonstrates just how well this team can create a world and stitch it together with intuitive level design. Although some parts are clearly stronger than others, as a whole Hob is easily one of the best indie games of 2017.

I’ve been amazed at the amount of super high quality indie titles that have been releasing recently and Hob is a prime example. I’m not quite sure how it keeps happening but time and time again I find myself flabbergasted by the visual style created in these smaller releases. Hob is beautiful, but its beauty is very different from the beauty found in other games. It has this vibrant, blooming and magical natural environment that’s growing over the top of a mechanical world filled with b...