HoPiKo

HoPiKo for PS4, PC and etc. is a hardcore speed-run platformer created by Laser Dog Games – a British developer popular mainly for a successful space runner game Alone... as well as an arcade-logic title PUK. The game debuted simultaneously on tablets and smartphones utilizing Android and iOS operating systems - HoPiKo is a premium title, which was later on released also for PC and Mac computers.

Plot

The game is set in near future, when the dynamically developing virtual entertainment gets squashed by a powerful virus known as Nanobyte. The digital enemy attacks both PCs and consoles, making the devices useless. The titular characters turns out to be the only hope the desperate players have. The protagonist visits the infected devices and engages into direct combat against the virus.

Mechanics

As mentioned, HoPiKo for PS4, PC and etc. is a dynamic speed-run platformer. The player is required mainly to jump across platforms, as well as to avoid both traps and obstacles located in-between of them. The levels here provide the player with a decent challenge requiring logical thinking. The route to the target, that is, Nanobyte, has to be carefully planned beforehand - this is not an easy task in itself, for the platforms are often oddly positioned and thus make it unable to perform certain actions. As a result, the player takes numerous approaches and learns correct movement sequences by heart.

The experience was diversified with new mechanics implemented, such as launchers, platforms that move or disappear at times, or fragments of levels that give the player more control over the protagonist.

Game modes

The crusade aimed at hunting down Nanobyte was contained within an extensive single-player campaign divided into a hundred levels. Each of the challenges is comprised of five mini-maps that have to be completed within shortest periods of time possible. Once the player has completed all of them, the score gets summed up and if everything went in accordance with the plan, new levels get unlocked. Additionally, an interesting Easter Egg can be discovered in the main menu - it is the game's first playable build.

Technical aspects

Although HoPiKo for PS4, PC and etc. is a two-dimensional game with retro-styled visuals, many modern-day visual effects (lighting for instance) were implemented here, making the game more attractive for the younger generations of players. The game's 8-bit soundtrack serves an important role in building the atmosphere – according to the creators, the soundtrack was both written and composed entirely on a Gameboy.

Last updated on 30 September 2015