There’s one thing perpetually fascinating about exploring a world constructed for normal-sized beings while you’re extremely tiny. It’s the traditional “Debtors” fantasy, the place a morsel of cheese can feed a household for a month, and a discarded glove turns into a comfy house.
Video games have explored this idea for years, from the traditional Micro Machines to the more moderen platforming gem of It Takes Two.
Hannah is a platformer that embraces this size-shifting premise whereas delving into darker themes and horror. Let’s shrink down and discover this intriguing world.
The sport throws you headfirst into its narrative with out context or clarification. As you progress, fragments of the story are revealed by means of surreal visuals, collectible videotapes, and the surroundings itself.
You play as a younger lady named Hannah, navigating a distorted dreamscape formed by her recollections and fears. A way of dread and terror pervades the ambiance as unknown creatures pursue you. Whereas looking for her misplaced doll, Hannah uncovers a a lot deeper and darker thriller. I appreciated the sport’s strategy to storytelling, paying homage to the haunting narratives present in video games like Little Nightmares.
Not like the 2D Little Nightmares, Hannah is a 3D puzzle platformer. You’ll interact in typical platforming actions: leaping, climbing, activating switches, and scaling ropes. And to assist issues, the digital camera could be adjusted to a few totally different views: close-up, a medium shot, and that of an extended viewpoint. Nonetheless, the management scheme is unconventional and sometimes counterintuitive. As an illustration, climbing ropes requires utilizing the RB and LB buttons, which deviates from the standard management conventions of taking advantage of a thumbstick.
The gameplay affords a mixture of platforming challenges, boss battles, and environmental puzzles. Whereas usually pleasurable, the dearth of clear directions could be overwhelming at occasions, leaving you uncertain if you happen to’re progressing in the appropriate path. Nonetheless, Hannah cleverly guides you with out extreme hand-holding. However that stated, there are few tough edges; locations the place I turned caught within the surroundings, requiring a restart. Fortunately, these situations have been rare and didn’t considerably detract from the expertise.
The visible design is a spotlight, presenting a twisted dream world full of distorted objects and unsettling imagery. It evokes the ambiance of Little Nightmares whereas sustaining its personal distinctive id. And Hannah additionally manages to pay homage to the Nineteen Eighties with collectible VHS tapes, outsized computer systems and televisions, and a terrifying robotic creature straight out of a childhood nightmare.
Accompanying that gameplay, the audio design is equally spectacular, that includes a haunting soundtrack and unsettling sound results that – at occasions – might nicely make you soar out of your pores and skin.
Regardless of its unconventional controls, lack of preliminary context, and occasional tough edges, Hannah affords an honest expertise. The dreamlike horror ambiance, intriguing puzzles, and distinctive visible design create a memorable journey. It have to be stated that the controls take some getting used to, however get a hold of that and also you’ll discover that the gameplay is in the end rewarding.
Hannah is a sport value experiencing, if solely because it is filled with inventive concepts and a few beautiful imagery.
Hannah: A 3D Cinematic Platformer Explores Childhood Trauma on Xbox and PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/hannah-a-3d-cinematic-platformer-explores-childhood-trauma-on-xbox-and-pc/
Purchase Hannah on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/video games/retailer/hannah/9P05C27SCRGS
