Hokko Life

Hokko Life is a worthwhile experience for fans of Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons, just do not expect any online connectivity in the near future.

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"Hokko Life is a single-player Business Role Playing game with great gameplay, stunning visuals, and memorable music, but expect some grinding and bugs. In this cozy community simulation, customize your new home and craft furniture in the workshop, while helping to build and decorate homes for villagers. The recent Desert Islands Distractions Update adds tropical life and archaeology excavations for even more diverse creativity."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,428 reviews

gameplay35 positive mentions

story23 negative mentions

Cute graphics and charming atmosphere reminiscent of Animal Crossing.
Extensive customization options for furniture and character design.
Relaxing gameplay with no real-time constraints, allowing players to progress at their own pace.

Repetitive and grindy gameplay with unclear objectives and limited direction.
Villagers lack personality and engaging dialogue, making interactions feel shallow.
Numerous bugs and glitches that can hinder gameplay experience.

story
256 mentions
8 % positive mentions
83 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The story in "Hokko Life" is largely considered simplistic and underdeveloped, with many players noting a lack of engaging narrative or character backstory. The game primarily revolves around fetch quests and interactions with villagers, but these often feel repetitive and disconnected, leading to a sense of aimlessness. While some players appreciate the cozy atmosphere and crafting elements, the overall consensus is that the game could benefit from a more substantial storyline and deeper character development to enhance player investment.
- “The game follows a story which helps you get started with the basics but also introduces you to intermediate aspects.”
- “It's got a fun story, interesting characters and I love the ability to create my own furniture and place them on angles if I please.”
- “I am loving it and look forward to seeing where the story takes me.”
- “The story is extremely simplistic, to the point that the player character doesn’t even have a backstory before stepping off the train to this town.”
- “There's no real story goal as to what you need to do to progress.”
- “The characters repeat dialogue a lot and whatever they do say feels extremely bland, the interactions feel useless because of it, and the missions are really just repetitive fetch quests, so nothing with story and nothing that progresses any sort of friendship with the animals.”
gameplay
215 mentions
16 % positive mentions
76 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title has drawn mixed reviews, with many players comparing it to "Animal Crossing" due to its similar mechanics and casual style. While some appreciate the cute graphics and crafting features, others criticize the repetitive nature, slow progression, and lack of engaging content, leading to a sense of boredom. Overall, the game offers a cozy experience but suffers from clunky controls, insufficient tutorials, and a gameplay loop that can feel tedious and unbalanced.
- “If you like relaxing gameplay, you will like this.”
- “The gameplay is focused on several different elements, all of which are casual and essentially stress-free.”
- “The mechanics are fun and the core gameplay is interesting and rewarding.”
- “Quite honestly, this game seems to be for very young children only. The graphics are adorable at first, but the gameplay is repetitive and becomes boring very fast.”
- “Due in part to attempting to provide 'constant' gameplay a la Stardew Valley and eschewing real-time progression like its inspiration, it has a lot of things to do; it's just that none of said things are enjoyable and the characters you do them for are written very poorly.”
- “The gameplay loop grows old quickly, and I don’t feel very motivated to play anymore.”
grinding
203 mentions
1 % positive mentions
1 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in the early stages where resource gathering feels like a chore. While some appreciate the variety of activities available, such as farming, fishing, and crafting, they often feel that the progression is too slow and requires excessive grinding for materials, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game is seen as a charming but grind-heavy experience, especially for those familiar with more polished farming sims like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing.
- “Not grindy, especially with errands and the villager donation box that can be unlocked pretty easily.”
- “It's really cute, there's many items in the game, it's not too grindy, the villagers are sweet.”
- “However, it becomes boring as you play since you'll be left with grinding.”
- “After a certain amount of progression in the game, you'll find yourself just repeating the same thing again and again until the next thing is unlocked, which was supposed to make your previous chores easier, but at that point it'll be too late for it since you've already finished grinding up the things you desperately needed a while ago.”
- “The game is slow and needlessly grindy.”
graphics
165 mentions
36 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the cute and colorful art style reminiscent of titles like Animal Crossing. However, some criticize the character designs as lifeless or uncanny, and there are reports of performance issues and graphical glitches that detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are generally described as charming and pleasant, they lack the polish and detail found in more established games in the genre.
- “I really like the graphics as well, very well done and soothing!!”
- “The graphics are cute, the game is fun, you can explore and there is lots of time for free play if that's what you want.”
- “The art style is beautiful and scenic.”
- “I couldn't believe how bad the graphics looked.”
- “The graphics are terrible, the mechanics are even worse.”
- “The graphics looked very unpolished though.”
music
94 mentions
37 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and ambient, contributing to a cozy atmosphere that many players enjoy. However, some users find the soundtrack repetitive and limited, with suggestions for more variety, such as seasonal themes. Overall, while the music enhances the game's charm for many, it can also become dull over extended play sessions.
- “Art is super cute, music is relaxing, an overall cozy experience :3”
- “The music is super relaxing and I never get tired of it, it just makes me feel so calm and happy.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing!”
- “You spend a lot of time there and the music is so dull it hurts my brain.”
- “The characters and town are lifeless, the controls are clunky and the soundtrack lands with a thud.”
- “However if you want an alternative to Animal Crossing, this isn't it; every part of this game is visually uninteresting and mechanically dull, even the music is awful.”
stability
70 mentions
4 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
96 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting a significant number of bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some users have noted that the game runs smoothly without major issues, a substantial portion have described it as a "buggy mess," with problems affecting gameplay, quests, and controls. Overall, the game appears to be in need of further development and polish, especially given its early access status.
- “Runs amazing, no glitches or bugs so far.”
- “Pros: it's not buggy, graphics are fine.”
- “If you want to wait for this game to be bug-free, wait until early access ends, I'd say.”
- “It would be fine if the game wasn't a buggy mess.”
- “The game is disappointing, full of bugs and glitches.”
- “I want to like this game, but it's so buggy, and impossible to enjoy without any form of storage in the game.”
atmosphere
17 mentions
65 % positive mentions
18 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its cozy, charming, and relaxing qualities, with a fitting soundtrack that enhances the experience. Players appreciate the vibrant characters and the freedom to play at their own pace, likening it to a PC version of Animal Crossing. While some critiques mention a lack of beauty in the atmosphere, the overall sentiment highlights its potential and enjoyable ambiance.
- “The game has a cozy and charming atmosphere, and I love that I can play at my own pace.”
- “The music and atmosphere are extremely nice, and the characters are somewhat interesting.”
- “I understand it's early access, but I feel like atmosphere is important in these kinds of games.”
- “The game is very charming, and the atmosphere is very calm as you build up this little town.”
- “A big point of these types of craft/farm games is the atmosphere.”
character development
17 mentions
18 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the character designs to be unappealing or uncanny, often comparing them unfavorably to those in Animal Crossing. While some appreciate the customization options and the freedom to decorate, the overall consensus is that the character designs lack charm and coherence, detracting from the game's appeal.
- “I think a lot of what carries Animal Crossing is the really cute character designs and their wild personalities and the absolutely boggling amount of dialogue they have.”
- “There's tons of decoration options, the ability to customize yourself, as well as a lot of freedom to just do as you please. Some of this game also stands out as unique, such as character design, furniture building, and the ability to free-hand decorate any house or any area at any time.”
- “While I like some of the character designs, sadly, this game just weirds my brain out as it's taken so much inspiration from Animal Crossing.”
- “Some of the character designs are a little uncanny, and the playable character customization could use a little bit of work in my personal opinion.”
- “The character design options are few and not good at all.”
- “The original character design for the game was so cute and now it's big head mode with weird humanoid bodies.”
humor
13 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its quirky villagers and their amusing antics, such as their obsession with paint-related quests and the charmingly awkward chibi character designs. Players appreciate the lighthearted jokes and memes that emerge from the gameplay, including references to other popular games like Stardew Valley. While some bugs and camera issues detract from the experience, the overall comedic elements contribute to the game's charm and enjoyment.
- “Btw, lots of this game's villagers are obsessed with paints 🤣 I find it funny that many quests are always about paints.”
- “The villagers are hilarious.”
- “I saw people making the 'Mom, I want Stardew Valley' and 'We have Stardew Valley at home' joke: and it made me laugh, and I could see where it came from.”
emotional
10 mentions
90 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
Overall, the emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players appreciate the wholesome community and relaxing gameplay, many criticize the lack of depth in character interactions and emotional attachment to the villagers, describing them as bland and unengaging. The repetitive nature of conversations and mundane tasks detracts from the potential for a more immersive emotional experience, leaving some players feeling disconnected from the game's world.
- “From Robert, the game's creator, all the way down to average, everyday players like myself - there's such a wholesome, friendly vibe that it's hard to be anything other than happily relaxed while designing something and talking it over in Discord with other community members, or asking for help when you've run into a snag with your save!”
- “I also want to add that I'm part of the Discord server and the community is incredibly sweet and wholesome!”
- “I find the gameplay loop relaxing too, as I mentioned above, from catching fish to insects it is nice to take a break from heavier games to soak in a heartwarming setting.”
- “Not much to do, boring story, mundane tasks, and to top it off, too many trite, repetitive conversations with the cutesy, sugar-coated AI.”
optimization
9 mentions
22 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with players noting significant performance issues on the Switch and Steam Deck, particularly with frame rates and lag when numerous objects are present. While some users report smooth performance on higher-end PCs, there are concerns about graphical optimization, especially for those with less powerful hardware. Overall, many players express hope for improvements as the game is still in early access and developed by a small indie studio.
- “Even on lowest settings, a computer with a good GPU will heat up like no tomorrow, and I would imagine that computers with a not-as-good GPU would lag greatly; the game is in desperate need of graphical optimization.”
- “However, I do recognize that the game is in early access and being developed by a small indie studio, so I expect that the devs will eventually add better optimization to the game.”
- “I only know since I played this on my Switch, but it wasn't very optimized on the Switch: the furniture design.”
- “Also, a little more optimization would be nice, since the game gets laggier the more plants I put in the world.”
- “Even on the lowest settings, a computer with a good GPU will heat up like no tomorrow, and I would imagine that computers with a not-as-good GPU would lag greatly; the game is in desperate need of graphical optimization.”
monetization
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as deceptive and exploitative, with users feeling it resembles a cash grab that fails to deliver on its promises of customization. Many reviewers draw unfavorable comparisons to Animal Crossing, suggesting that the game lacks the depth and effort expected from a title in the life and farming simulator genre.
- “This was a rather deceptive way of advertising the game; at least Animal Crossing showed you were going to be working to build everything by yourself with tools before you even had the option to customize.”
- “Feels like an effortless cash grab for money; to copy such an amazing game (Animal Crossing) and turn it into this is astonishing.”
- “This just feels like a cheap cash grab to profit from the Animal Crossing/life/farming simulator genre.”
replayability
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game boasts significant replayability due to its lack of a definitive end game, allowing players to continuously build and craft. Additionally, the randomly generated map layout for each playthrough enhances the experience, making it infinitely replayable.
- “It has huge replayability value, not only because it doesn’t actually have an end game (you just keep building and crafting ad infinitum, plus the map layout is randomly generated for each playthrough).”
- “Infinitely replayable.”
- “Replayability is a key feature of this game.”