Hoggy2 is the latest PlayStation release from Ratalaika Games. Are you ready for a colorful 2D platformer for gamers of all ages? Then check out our Hoggy2 review!
Hoggy2 from Ratalaika Games and Raptisoft is a new 2D colorful platformer on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in which you set out on an adventure to rescue your slime children who have been kidnapped by the Moon Men. You’ll get to control Hoggy and Hogatha (on PlayStation 4 since the PlayStation Vita version is single-player only), using gravity to their advantage as they explore over 200 levels, gathering enough keys to open the way to their trip to the moon for the final battle.
The game features two difficulty versions, Normal Game and Kid Game, which is the easy mode for the game. In Normal Game you need to collect a ton of keys to open the way to the final battle, but in Kid Game you will only need to complete 20 stages to get enough keys to see the ending. The 20 stages featured in Kid Game are also different from the stages you can take on in Normal Game, as they’re smaller and feature less hazards when compared to the regular ones. Normal Mode also features secrets to find as well as stars to collect, making for a longer experience.
Controls are easy to understand and are the same for either mode, since you’ll move your slime left and right with the left analog stick or the D-Pad, and will use the X button to switch your slime between the floor and the ceiling. Each level will be a short mini-platforming puzzle, similar to what you would get from entering a jar in Super Mario Bros. 2 on the Nintendo Entertainment System. As mentioned before, the levels in Kid Mode are shorter than the levels in Normal Mode, but neither type of stage will feel unfair.
Your character will get to transform into different forms depending on what it eats or what it interacts with. For example, eating an acorn will power it up and transform it into a strong block, which it can use to either defeat a single enemy, or break a single brick wall piece, or it will transform into a frozen block of ice when it comes into contact with a rather chilly surface, a useful transformation that will make it slide until it hits a wall – destroying anything it comes into contact with along the way.
You’ll need to help Hoggy to avoid the hazards in some of the vases you visit. There are spikes that will kill if you if you’re not careful, blocks that will explode when you come into contact with them, crawling and flying enemies, enemies that will shot snowballs at you, spinning sentient blades that will rush towards you as soon as they spot you, and more. As you explore, you will also run into colored switch blocks that will remove or add blocks of its matching colors, or switches that can activate some contraptions, to open new paths towards the pieces of fruit you need.
On top of the many levels the game has to offer, it also includes a Level Maker where you can quickly create your own stages. You can move the cursor around with the left analog stick or the D-Pad, scroll around the level with the right analog stick, and draw or grab the elements you will add to each spot as you plan the layout. Once you’re set you can test things at the press of a button to see if what you’ve created can be completed, and is a fun option to play.
On PlayStation 4 the game runs as expected, with a solid framerate and a very colorful presentation that really pops on the TV screen at 1080p. On the other hand, the PlayStation Vita version of Hoggy2 runs well… for the most part. There are some levels that are a bit packed, and when things are like that the game slows down considerably, to the point where if you don’t plan accordingly, you could end up making wrong move that will kill your character.
As for the game’s trophies, Ratalaika is once again giving us a cross-buy PlayStation 4 and PS Vita game with two separate trophy lists with a Platinum trophy. You will get trophies for getting all 20 keys in Kid Mode as well as for completing the game in that mode. The rest of the trophies will be for obtaining five, ten, and twenty kids in Normal Mode, for eating different things that will help your character transform, for getting a star in Normal Mode, for failing a level, and for defeating the first boss in Normal Mode.
Hoggy2 is an entertaining 2D puzzler that offers a nice challenge that will increase as you complete more and more levels, with easy to understand gameplay mechanics, a colorful presentation and even a Kid Mode so that younger gamers can get a chance to enjoy this one.
Disclaimer
This Hoggy2 review is based on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita copies provided by Ratalaika Games.
