Hook: Complete Edition Review | TheXboxHub

A Minimalist Puzzle That Reels You In?

I could also be ‘of an age’, and I could be effectively into my fifth decade of gaming, and quick approaching my twentieth anniversary of writing about video games, nevertheless it continuously saddens me as to how the overwhelming majority of the gaming neighborhood are completely happy to cross sure video games by.

Whether or not that be as a result of they’re ‘not on Game Pass’, or not within the AAA bracket of gaming, ignorant to something however a Name of Obligation, a GTA, or the fanciest of racers, there’s little question that an absolute ton of video games fail to even register a re-evaluation from many controller-holding gamers.

What surprises me most although, is that of these video games, a great variety of them come to market – ie the Xbox Retailer – with an excellent low worth level in tow. Absolutely if one thing is obtainable to buy and play for a few quid (or bucks relying on the place you’re on the earth), that ought to pique curiosity ranges? What if that recreation presents up 160 odd phases too?

The place will you begin with Hook: Full Version?

Easy Hooks, Deep Habit

Nicely, it’s that which Hook: Complete Edition seems to be to ship. A easy, minimalistic puzzler from the Final Video games publishing crew. And with out beating across the bush, it’s excellent too. Repetitive, however excellent.

Crafted by the thoughts of 1 Maciej Targoni, Final Video games clearly noticed potential with this enjoyable little puzzler from the get go. And do you have to pay up the £3 asking worth, we’re fairly positive you’ll fall in love with it. A minimum of for a great few hours as you chill on the couch and work your approach by way of the easy, but sometimes advanced, puzzles.

Unraveling the Traces: Hook’s Core Puzzle Mechanics

These puzzles are easy-to-explain affairs too. A collection of hooks and pins await, every related to a fishing line, which in flip is linked to an influence button that reels issues in. That’s our tackle it in any case, with the participant being required to reroute strains, working switches and wi-fi connections, to make sure that all of the pins and hooks might be faraway from the playfield safely. The hot button is in discovering the place to begin, and which items want eradicating first, to unlock additional removals and so forth.

When you have beforehand performed SiNKR or SiNKR 2, then you ought to be effectively at dwelling right here.

Black and white visuals will do nothing to seize the eye of many players, however for us, the minimal feels that this provides off are nice; there’s even a Darkish Mode for those who want it. No matter, it permits for an excellent enjoyable time, as your focus and gaze is about on the duty at hand, by no means distracted by pointless gumpf.

The identical goes for the serene soundtrack that performs all through your time in Hook: Full Version; many may change it off and stick their very own tunes on, however we saved it operating all through, totally immersed within the vibes.

Hook Complete Edition review 2 — Slowly however absolutely…

A Hook for Completionists

With Gamerscore on faucet, pinging away just about for the completion of each single degree (solely altering up within the a lot later phases), there’s some actual pleasure to be present in understanding how one can greatest clear these phases. And with this being the Full Version of Hook, these phases are plentiful too, with each Hook 1 and Hook 2 combining to ship a puzzling dream.

Contemplate the sheer variety of ranges and the stupidly low asking worth of Hook: Full Version, and it’s simple to see how this one is a recreation that’s excessive on the outdated content material to money ratio. And while that will imply that among the ranges really feel repetitive, and others are over in a matter of literal seconds, there’s sufficient selection and scale of phases to make sure that curiosity ranges keep excessive.

Rotating Challenges: New Mechanics in Later Levels

And energy by way of these ranges into the latter moments of Hook: Full Version, and a few new mechanics come into play too; like utilising the thumbsticks to rotate 3D phases. We’ll admit that it was round that point the place our curiosity began to wane; not as a result of Hook fails to proceed to, um, hook, however as a result of the gradual digicam adjustment might have accomplished with a little bit of a pace enhance; quite a lot of a pace enhance, actually. Fortunately there’s no timer or stress to finish phases, aside from doing so in your individual candy time, however you’ll need to maintain a beady eye on the restricted ‘lives/errors’ which are allowed earlier than a puzzle resets.

There’s additionally little or no when it comes to replayability to Hook: Full Version. When you’re accomplished with a degree, you’re fast paced onto the subsequent, and while you may decide and select to repeat previous phases, we’re probably not positive why anybody would think about {that a} good use of their time.

Hook Complete Edition review 3 — A bit extra advanced

For the overwhelming majority of our time with Hook: Full Version although, we’ve turn into barely addicted. The minutes quick turning into hours, and while a bit fatigue does creep in close to the top, there’s little question that this does the job meant of it – to offer a humble, minimalistic puzzler stuffed with content material for a low worth.

If that’s your gaming vibe, otherwise you’re on the lookout for one thing to tempt you away from the bangs and booms of the triple-A scene, then you can do so much worse than decide up a replica of Hook: Full Version pretty swiftly. The low worth close to calls for you do.