Hue are you…
Game: Hue
Developer: Fiddlesticks
Publisher: Curve Digital
Reviewed on: PlayStation 4 (Review code provided by publisher)
Hue is a platform puzzle game where you play as Hue; a boy in a suit consisting of a black shadow in a monochrome world. He receives messages from a female in distress who explains that an evil Dr. Grey has tried to steal an Annual Spectrum; a ring that allows perception and alteration of colour and explains that something went wrong and she became invisible. After the ring shattered; coloured shards were sent flying among the world and she hopes that you are able to find what is left of them.
As you progress you will soon come across envelopes which will be read out to you by the persecuted maiden better known as Anne, containing information to help you in this dull looking world. Some of which are very useful while others very informative and educational. Soon you will come across the first coloured fragment and this is where the game gets interesting. As you select the colour, the background of that area becomes the same colour. The main thing is to use this to your advantage in progressing through the game. There are various objects in the game blocking your way but are of a certain colour; for example a blue wall in front of you is blocking you while you’re in the initial monochrome world or a world of a purple pigment. However, selecting the blue fragment will turn the background blue and the object that was blue blends in with the background rendering it now passable.
This is a very unique and great concept which creates some interesting puzzles. You can push and pull certain objects. Some are of a certain colour and you will find yourself changing colours several times so you can pass through these to be able to be able to push or pull it from a certain side; however blocks that are black will always retain this colour; same as the foliage and background details such as foliage, candles and chains. The doors to other areas are also of a colour so if you do not find a way out, it could mean that you are in the wrong spectrum so if a door is orange you would need to change to another colour so the door is visable.
While the initial puzzles are generally easy to solve they soon become not only more difficult but involve traps. These can include spikes and boulders which if hit result in your character dying and restarting from the last checkpoint; this is normally the last door that you passed through. As you change to another spectrum, time slows down giving you chance to change as it is required in some instances to do this while in mid jump or whilst running away from a trap. This can become slightly tricky as you will be required to press and hold several buttons almost simultaneously; one slip could send you falling from a great height or into a pit of spikes, having then to restart from the beginning.
Collectibles can be found in the game such as keys; these are required in order to unlock the door in that area to progress further. Vials are another collectible which can be found though I have yet to figure out what they are but several are found in each map and can be viewed from the map screen.
What I find most peculiar about Hue is there is no obvious save feature. When you pause the game you are given several options such as restarting the level and the map; there is also an option to start a new game but doing this will hinder all the progress you have already achieved. There is no option to either save or quit the game; the only way out is to close the game itself using the PS button. I did however find that when I started playing again I started from the last room that I had entered.
What is really awesome is they added an option for people who are colourblind to play. In this mode certain objects will have a certain black outline on and players will be able to distinguish these from each other.
The attention to detail in the game really is something. While you hear the same piano style melody playing throughout, it is wonderful to the ears and it never gets old. The sound of candles nearby can be heard and chains dangling from the ceiling will flail on contact and will rest on Hue’s head if he is standing under them.
VERDICT
Hue is a very fun platformer puzzle game that draws you in, especially with its simple melody playing throughout. The graphic style is very simple but engaging enough to keep you entertained and there are several interactions which I also found amusing. However I have found very little replay value which is a shame. There are collectibles as I mentioned for the completionists but the game offers nothing new on a second playthrough. This being said, Hue is a wonderful little title that I will remember due to its simplistic style and incredible attention to detail.
