There’s one thing perpetually fascinating about exploring a world constructed for normal-sized beings while you’re extremely tiny. It’s the basic “Debtors” fantasy, the place a morsel of cheese can feed a household for a month, and a discarded glove turns into a comfortable dwelling.
Video games have explored this idea for years, from the basic 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 way of surreal visuals, collectible videotapes, and the surroundings itself.
You play as a younger lady named Hannah, navigating a distorted dreamscape formed by her reminiscences and fears. A way of dread and terror pervades the ambiance as unknown creatures pursue you. Whereas trying to find her misplaced doll, Hannah uncovers a a lot deeper and darker thriller. I appreciated the sport’s strategy to storytelling, harking back 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 digicam may 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. For example, climbing ropes requires utilizing the RB and LB buttons, which deviates from the everyday management conventions of taking advantage of a thumbstick.
The gameplay gives a mixture of platforming challenges, boss battles, and environmental puzzles. Whereas usually pleasurable, the shortage of clear directions may be overwhelming at occasions, leaving you not sure when you’re progressing in the best route. Nonetheless, Hannah cleverly guides you with out extreme hand-holding. However that mentioned, there are a great few tough edges; locations the place I grew to become caught within the surroundings, requiring a restart. Fortunately, these situations had been rare and didn’t considerably detract from the expertise.
The visible design is a spotlight, presenting a twisted dream world crammed with 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 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 effectively make you soar out of your pores and skin.
Regardless of its unconventional controls, lack of preliminary context, and occasional tough edges, Hannah gives an honest expertise. The dreamlike horror ambiance, intriguing puzzles, and distinctive visible design create a memorable journey. It should be mentioned that the controls take some getting used to, however get a dangle of that and also you’ll discover that the gameplay is in the end rewarding.
Hannah is a sport price experiencing, if solely because it is filled with artistic concepts and a few pretty 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
