Recently I have been down on the flood of sub-standard puzzle games that have been released onto consoles. Games that a finished too quickly, lack any real imagination, or are just plain bad. So, I was a bit skeptical when another game dropped a few days ago. Hoggy 2 from Raptisoft Games is another port to consoles being published by Ratalaika Games. Unlike other games, this one is a step above.
The story is a bit flimsy, but it is there. Your kids have been taken by moon men and you have to get them back. To do this you have to solve a series of puzzles that are located in jars. Just eat all the fruit in the room and you will earn a key. Gather enough keys and you can move to the next area. The catch is that you can only move left and right on a solid surface. If you come up against a step or wall, you have to click a button and jump to the ceiling or any block directly above you.
As you progress through the game, the levels increase in difficulty, but not at a radical pace. The 1st time you encounter a new item, that level acts as a tutorial. New enemies, traps, and items that give you special powers pop up every few levels. One of the interesting things in the game is that there is an over abundance of levels, which means that if you get stuck on a puzzle it won’t stop you from earning enough keys to progress through the game.
To help you get a handle on the game mechanics or if you want to share the experience with younger gamers there is a Kids Mode in the title. It is essentially a shorter version of the main game that lacks some of the more advanced traps and items. There are 20 levels in this mode and 220 levels in normal mode. There are also 21 stars to find and 6 secrets to obtain in the main game. The stars require you to play select levels in a different way and so do the secrets. Luckily, if you complete a level that contains a secret it will display a ? on the outside, so you can try to figure out an alternate solution.
The game is adorable without being overly sweet. The characters are cute, and you feel kinda bad when you get them killed. The bright design and childish look of the game should not deter you from giving this game a try. The puzzles get a lot more difficult than you would expect from such a cutesy looking title. Not only will they test your problem-solving skills, but your reflexes as well.
Hoggy 2 is out now on XB1, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and mobile devices. Price is around $5 for all platforms, so it won’t break the bank. Even though you don’t need to complete the game to get all the achievements or trophies, the title is engaging enough to make you want to keep playing. It also offers a smooth escalation of difficulty, so that makes it accessible to all audiences. A fun, challenging game that will keep you playing even once all the trophies have been collected.
