HoPiKo Demo

Twitch-based gameplay is not a new invention, but it has certainly been improved over the decades. Modern gamepads are much better designed for the genre, so the experience is that much more engaging. However, developers have a difficult task on their hands, because it’s quite tough to get the right mixture of action and fun.

HoPiKo is a fun twitch shooter in which you have to pass levels by shooting at the menacing computer virus. However, the mechanics are designed to make hitting your target as difficult as possible, given the fact that there are all sorts of obstacles blocking your way. On top of that, you also have to move quickly and respect the time limits, otherwise the stages end and you have to start over.

In short, you have a paddle and a ball that must reach the glowing red virus in the middle of the level. The first few levels are pretty straightforward, but your task gets significantly more difficult later on when obstacles block your path. Naturally, you can bypass most obstacles using deflection and clever ricochets, although this requires a bit of work before you can do it properly.

Probably the most annoying thing about the game is the fact that you have to complete a sequence of stages in a row, rather than pass one and learn how to tackle the next. A simple mistake resets everything and takes you back to the first level in the sequence, which is both frustrating and annoying. This also causes the action to become repetitive, although it depends on how good you are, and it might just be a tutorial feature that's not part of the full game.

Thankfully, only your skills and reflexes can be blamed, because the controls are swift enough not to cause even more frustration. The aiming is a bit tough to handle with a mouse, but things get easier if you use a gamepad. The graphics are pretty basic and sometimes disorienting, but they are not ugly. The music goes fairly well with the action as well, depending on your mood.

In the end, HoPiKo is not a revolutionary game, but it is a pretty polished one, as well as challenging enough to keep you playing for a long time. However, it would be nice for the game to feature a save function after each level, otherwise it might get too frustrating for some players.