Hohokum makes me nostalgic for PlayStation’s bolder days

digitaltrends.com:

If you watched today’s Annapurna Interactive Showcase, you might have left scratching your head over one of the stream’s announcements: Hohokum is available now on PC. No one could blame you if you’ve never heard of it before. The art game featuring a kite-like character moving through colorful worlds was released in 2014 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PS Vita. In a left-field move, Annapurna Interactive ended its Sony exclusivity by bringing it to PC eight years later.

When I tested out the PC version on my Steam Deck ahead of its surprise launch, I was instantly transported back to a not-so-distant time that feels ancient today. Hohokum is a relic of a bolder Sony era, one where it wasn’t afraid to take gambles on titles of all shapes and sizes. It’s a firm reminder of how quickly the video game industry has changed in a decade, as major publishers like Sony target bankable mass appeal over niche experiments.

Hohokum is an abstract game that plays like an interactive art exhibit. Players control a serpent creature that flies around colorful 2D levels like a kite. Toy-like interactions dot its various levels, as players can bounce into objects, look for hidden eyes, and do some light puzzle solving that requires minimal interaction. Some levels are simply made up of abstract shapes, while others paint more of a picture book mini-scene.

It’s a simple, zen-like experience. I lost track of time as I sailed from level to level taking in the vibrant illustrations and bopping along to its excellent soundtrack. While it’s certainly not the first art game of its kind, you can make a clear connection from Hohokum to recent games like Ynglet or this year’s Please, Touch the Artwork.

But what’s especially surprising about