Hook Head

Platformers are designed to be as challenging as possible while still being fun, which is not an easy task to achieve. However, the gameplay mechanics are very similar from one game to the other, which is why they can become repetitive if you try to stick to the genre over long periods of time. It’s quite easy to innovate, on the other hand, especially if you come up with a neat little idea.

Hook Head is a 2D platformer in which your goal is to make it to the end of the level without getting stuck and without falling into the traps that make your life hell. In order to do so, the main character has a hook on his head that allows him to quickly move around all sorts of obstacles. On the other hand, it takes some practice before you are able to use it properly.

There’s no story to follow, theoretically, but you meet a few interesting characters along the way that tell a few things. Granted, most of them are just there to provide you with tips on how to proceed and make better use of the hook, but others are just there to liven the mood. Thankfully, there’s no intricate story to keep track of, which means that you can concentrate on beating the levels instead.

Besides spikes and various other unpleasantries, you can also stumble upon enemies that want to hurt you along the way. When that happens, you can either move quickly and avoid them entirely, or you can use the same hook to hit them and destroy them. This aspect is not very refined, on the other way, because it’s quite simple for the enemies to trap you and make your hook completely useless.

Thankfully, you can quickly reset the level and try again, which means that you won’t lose a beat and it’s easy to put multiple strategies into play. On top of it all, the graphics are as basic as they can get as well, which means that the level design is pretty modest too. Even so, you can certainly enjoy the journey and concentrate more on your performance than on how everything looks.

When it’s all said and done, Hook Head is obviously not a revolution in the genre, but it’s fun and enjoyable over short periods of time. It can pose quite the challenge if you are not used to the fast-paced gameplay mechanics.