There seems to be a trend with some of the smaller studios to create games that take chances and also create an immersive experience that is supposed to tickle the senses especially if you have a really great sound system or a nice set of headphones. That is what I believe this game was trying to accomplish.
I played it for the requisite hour that I guarantee all games that I am surveying but after that hour was done I didn't really have any idea about what the hell I was meant to be accomplishing nor where I was supposed to go next. Therefore I was just wandering in and out of the same areas until the hour was up and I just gave up.
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You start the game out as some sort of moving string of sorts and you just bump into stuff and swirl around and every now and then you do something and it makes other string things follow you. Nothing attacks you, nothing can even hurt you. There is no such thing as losing a life and there also isn't very much indication as to what you are, what you are meant to accomplish, or even where you are supposed to go. Eventually you will end up almost certainly accidentally clicking the right things on the screen and then you move onward.
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I think that there are some people out there that are cool with a game where you simply wander until you eventually do whatever the hell is meant to be done in a room while there are great ambient sounds and music playing but for me, I guess I need a little more direction than this.
The later stages do not mimic the first one, but they are even more confusing as to what the hell you are supposed to do.
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In another stage you are wandering through a forest of sorts and trying to interact with the few wildlife creatures that are there (I guess) and every now and then an eye opens up randomly. I don't know if I did anything to make this eye appear or even if the eye is at all relevant to progression. Nothing really changes once some of the eyes open up and eventually I just left the area without accomplishing really anything at all.
There was nothing to indicate that I had done something correctly or if I had missed something. The only thing I could think of was to perhaps look up what you are supposed to do on YouTube but man, i hate it when I have to do that in a game. I would rather it just be at least somewhat evident what the objective is.
I didn't look up much about this game because an hour was enough. I did find out that there is intentionally no clear objective in any of the levels. This was intended to just be a relaxing experience and I guess there are some people out there that something like that would appeal to but for me, I like my video games to have an objective and dare i say, even a way to beat the entire thing. I don't know if you can "win" Hohokum, but it certainly doesn't seem that way.
I can't really recommend this game because it isn't really a game so much as it is a string wandering about that occasionally makes something movie or some music start. It's weird but unfortunately, quite boring.
Games I have tried in my journey to play every PS-Plus Extra game for at least an hour
- Windbound (survival game with rogue-like elements - not recommended)
- Magicka 2 (top-down humorous multiplayer hack and slash-sort with immense spell system - maybe recommended)
- Tearaway: Unfolded (charming casual 3D platformer with inventive graphics and gameplay designed for all ages - recommended for casual players)
- Spiritfarer (casual simulation / resource-management style game with an extremely good story - recommended for all)
- Observation (point and click survival sort of... interactive game of sorts set in space - found it very boring after just one hour and do not recommend)
- Gabbuchi (simplistic puzzle game that I feel is better suited to mobile devices. Not recommended on consoles)
- The Messenger (8-bit style action/platformer that is a throwback to original Ninja Gaiden. It's simplistic fun. Recommended)
- Megadimension Neptunia VII (typical JRPG with some adjustments made to combat for uniqueness. Could be fun and I lukewarmly recommend for someone willing to dedicate 50 hours to a turn-based RPG)
- Monster Jam: Steel Titans 2 (monster truck racing game that will appeal only to people who are already fans of the sport - not recommended for any other people)
- Entwined (Visually appealing rhythm pace game that is very easy to pick up but gets repetitive after 30 minutes or so - recommended for anyone that can get it for free.)
- 2Dark (8-bit graphic survival horror/stealth hybrid. The game becomes extremely difficult really fast and therefore failed to hold my attention - not recommended)
- Virginia (interactive-cinema...not really a game and it is over in a couple of hours. Not recommended)
- Trials of Mana (simplistic action RPG that will definitely appeal to the casual gamer that is a fan of old-school RPG combat mechanics - recommended)
- Journey to the Savage Planet (FPS exploration game in a semi-open-world environment. The game is intentionally silly and I loved it - recommended)
- Resogun (arcade-style single-screen SHMUP that will get boring to most people after an hour or so. Not recommended)
- The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 (point and click adventure game that doesn't work on consoles and is just irritating to play - not recommended)
- Mighty No. 9 (it's Mega Man but terrible. Definitely not recommended)
- Moving Out (delightfully funny moving company simulator. It gets boring and repetitive pretty quickly. Recommended for a short laugh)
- Last Day of June (a sad story done in 3rd person perspective that while an interesting story and/or life lesson, quickly becomes repetitive and dull. Not recommended)
- Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom (action adventure RPG with an inventive combat system that unfortunately becomes very boring very fast. Filled with bugs and invisible walls, I lost interest within the first hour. Not recommended)
- Hue (inventive puzzle-platformer that whose basic controls are the reason why it is fun. This is also the reason why it gets old after a couple of hours)
- Dragon Quest Builders (simple building game similar to Minecraft with a quest and story system built it. A lot more fun than I thought it would be and highly recommended)
- Bound: Shattered Kingdom (artistic 3D platformer with an unusual graphical style that has an amazing story. It's only 2 hours long but still very good. Recommended)
- Hohokum (an artistic and relaxing experience but ultimately it isn't really a game because there are no clear objectives. Not recommended.)