Hoa

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 965 reviews
  • music
  • graphics
  • story
Hoa Game Cover
Hoa is an enchanting puzzle-platforming journey with a gorgeous art style.
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"Hoa is a single-player Fantasy Platformer game with an interesting plot, wonderful mechanics, and a very atmospheric environment. Experience a beautifully hand-painted world with magical creatures and explore to solve exploration-based puzzles, accompanied by an emotionally-charged original soundtrack. This gentle, yet compelling game tells a wholesome story of Hoa's journey through stunning environments."

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 965 reviews
music322 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions
  • Beautiful visuals and art style reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films.
  • Soothing and relaxing soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • Charming and simple gameplay that is suitable for casual gamers and younger players.
  • Very short playtime, typically around 2-3 hours, which may not justify the price for some players.
  • Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks challenging puzzles, making it less engaging for experienced gamers.
  • Some technical issues, including input lag and bugs, particularly in the final level.
  • music518 mentions

    The music in "Hoa" is widely praised for its beautiful, calming, and Ghibli-inspired compositions, which enhance the game's enchanting visuals and create a soothing atmosphere. Many players find the soundtrack emotionally resonant and a highlight of the experience, although some note that the repetition of tracks can become tedious over time. Overall, the combination of stunning art and a captivating soundtrack makes "Hoa" a delightful and relaxing journey for players.

    • “The music of Johannes Johannsson adds a magical touch.”
    • “The art is beautiful, the music is beautiful, the characters are cute, and it's a touching story.”
    • “The soundtrack is captivating and so soothing to one's ears.”
    • “The music is repetitive; I got tired of it closer to the end of the game.”
    • “The only problem with this game is the transition of music, where it moves from one to another, was a bit abrupt and short.”
    • “The soundtrack gets cut sometimes when a small cutscene starts.”
  • graphics266 mentions

    The graphics of "Hoa" are widely praised for their stunning beauty and Ghibli-inspired art style, creating a calming and immersive atmosphere. Players appreciate the intricate visuals and soothing soundtrack, which enhance the overall experience, despite some noting that the gameplay can feel simplistic or repetitive. Overall, the game's aesthetic appeal is a significant highlight, making it a delightful choice for those seeking a visually enchanting and relaxing experience.

    • “Hoa is a beautiful game with nice music and stunning visuals where it felt as if I was playing a Studio Ghibli game.”
    • “The graphics are so beautiful, the music is so good, 10/10 for this game.”
    • “The artwork is gorgeous and the music is wonderful.”
    • “As happy as I am that the game was made by Vietnamese indie developers, besides the pretty art style, the game has very little to offer.”
    • “I appreciate what they went for here, but the mechanics, level design, and general programming quality just drag down the music and visuals.”
    • “The sad part is, however, I won't deny that things might have seemed a little rushed near the ending chapters where you will start to see a tad bit inconsistency in graphics.”
  • story246 mentions

    The game's story is often described as simple and heartwarming, with many players appreciating its emotional depth and beautiful visuals reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. However, some critiques highlight a lack of engagement and depth, with the narrative feeling rushed or poorly executed, often relying on a final cutscene to tie everything together. Overall, while the aesthetic and music are praised, the storytelling varies in impact, leaving some players wanting more substance.

    • “The story behind Hoa is so adorable and lowkey a tear jerker - not to mention the art is just pure joy.”
    • “The developers do a great job helping you understand the story and then throwing in that ending really ties it together in a way that I did not expect to get so emotional over.”
    • “Overall, it's a beautiful, incredibly cozy little game, with a gorgeous soundtrack and backgrounds, and a touching story that had me tearing up a little.”
    • “The story is bland and boring.”
    • “The story lacked depth and creativity and was overall very unexciting.”
    • “The platforming is fairly boring, and the story really doesn't do anything except build on a premise that you really are given no reason to care about.”
  • gameplay228 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is generally described as simple, relaxing, and focused on exploration and light puzzles, making it suitable for casual players or those seeking a laid-back experience. However, many reviewers noted that it lacks depth and challenge, with some mechanics introduced but not fully utilized, leading to a repetitive feel. While the beautiful art and music enhance the experience, the gameplay itself is often seen as unremarkable and not particularly innovative.

    • “The gameplay is simple and relaxing, focusing on exploration and light puzzles.”
    • “A delightful platformer with a wonderful story, fun and intuitive gameplay, stunning visuals, and beautifully moving music.”
    • “The gameplay is quite nice; it was simple and the mechanics are easy to understand.”
    • “The gameplay leaves much to be desired.”
    • “I really appreciate the visuals, but I cannot recommend the game when the gameplay feels more like a chore because you will be doing the same thing over and over again.”
    • “The gameplay is very stress-free.”
  • emotional48 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its heartwarming story, beautiful art, and soothing music, which together create a nostalgic and comforting experience. Many players reported feeling deeply moved, with some even crying during the poignant ending, highlighting the game's ability to evoke strong emotions despite its short playtime. However, a few critiques mention that the emotional impact may feel manipulative or lacking depth, suggesting a mixed reception in terms of narrative effectiveness.

    • “The developers do a great job helping you understand the story and then throwing in that ending really ties it together in a way that I did not expect to get so emotional over.”
    • “Overall it's a beautiful, incredibly cozy little game, with a gorgeous soundtrack and backgrounds, and a touching story that had me tearing up a little.”
    • “I got very emotional at the end, the music is amazing and so is the art!”
  • atmosphere43 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning Ghibli-inspired art style, calming music, and overall relaxing vibe, making it a delightful experience for players who enjoy low-stress exploration and puzzle-solving. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a peaceful and immersive environment, with beautiful visuals and a soothing soundtrack that enhance the gameplay. While the gameplay may be simple and occasionally repetitive, the enchanting atmosphere remains a standout feature that captivates players throughout their journey.

    • “The atmosphere is undoubtedly the best part about this game, as it does a great job at making the otherwise relatively simple gameplay enjoyable.”
    • “Beautiful art style, amazing soundtrack, and very calm atmosphere.”
    • “Its relaxing atmosphere drew me in from the beginning and combined with its Studio Ghibli aesthetic, it was a pleasure to play.”
    • “This no-danger atmosphere might have worked if the levels were engaging enough to hold the player's attention, but although there are some minor gameplay changes between them, the format is generally the same (light up runes to wake the chief, bring the chief five butterflies, gain a new skill and move on to the next level).”
    • “Though the game tends to get boring in the latter stages, the relaxing atmosphere outweighs the slow pace.”
    • “It is not a challenging game by any means but the soundtracks and artwork of the game is obviously made to have you go on an adventure with a soothing natural atmosphere.”
  • replayability15 mentions

    Overall, the reviews present a mixed perspective on replayability. While some players find value in revisiting the game due to personal skill improvement or the chapter select feature, many others criticize it for being too short and linear, resulting in minimal to no replay value. The consensus leans towards a lack of incentives for multiple playthroughs, with several users expressing disappointment over the absence of hidden content or achievements that would encourage re-engagement.

    • “Hoa has replayability for myself, because of being closer to my own skill level and being a gentle, learning environment.”
    • “🔲 infinitely replayable”
    • “It is pretty short but I would say there's replayability 10/10”
    • “Not really, as the game provides approximately 2 hours worth of gameplay with zero replay value.”
    • “[b]Replayability value:[/b] none, it is a linear story.”
    • “There isn't much replay value since there aren't any hidden secrets, extra whimsical characters, or dialogue to discover.”
  • grinding9 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many expressing frustration over the mindless platforming mechanics and restrictive design choices. While the visuals and soundtrack are praised, they often feel overshadowed by the monotonous gameplay that requires excessive effort for minimal reward.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Cannot recommend: it's beautiful with a gorgeous music score - but the mechanics - needing to double-bounce in exactly the right spot - can get really, really tedious.”
    • “The gameplay is really simple, but I feel like it is a little... tedious.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The game's optimization is generally smooth, but players have reported significant stuttering during the ending cutscene, particularly on the Steam Deck, which may be related to Proton compatibility. Despite these issues, the overall performance is satisfactory, and the audio design is highly praised.

    • “Otherwise, the game runs smoothly.”
    • “With some optimization to the final scene, the game surely will leave me with a well enough satisfaction.”
    • “Music and sound are masterclasses of performance and design, leaving you in awe of the performance and the detail along the way.”
    • “There are a lot of stuttering moments, especially during the ending cutscene. Proton might be the culprit, though.”
    • “On the Steam Deck, the cutscenes experience stuttering with 1-second gaps.”
    • “With some optimization in the final scene, the game could have left me with a much better sense of satisfaction.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, particularly on macOS, with users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that hinder gameplay progression. Many players experienced technical problems that detracted from their overall enjoyment, making it difficult to recommend despite its appealing graphics.

    • “The game is buggy (at least on macOS), and I couldn't get past the tutorial (the yellow flowers stay on the ground so I'm stuck).”
    • “Unfortunately, the game was buggy from the water level onward.”
    • “It is a very short game; I clocked in around 3 hours, and at least half an hour was troubleshooting some start-crash bugs I had.”
  • character development1 mentions

    While the visuals and character designs received praise for their aesthetic appeal, there is no specific mention of character development in the provided text.

    • “The visuals of the backgrounds and the opening scene were aesthetically pleasing, and I loved the cute character designs.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

73% average critic score

Buy Hoa

Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
2-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs

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