HOPMON Demo

Exploring mazes can be a dangerous activity, especially if you are alone and the said mazes are also populated by nefarious creatures. The concept is often used in video games to confuse the players, which is why some of the dungeons in RPGs are notoriously difficult to navigate. On the other hand, it is a lot easier to deal with the problem if you’ve got a minimap on the screen.

HOPMON is a basic arcade game in which you have to collect crystals and navigate intricate mazes crawling with hostile creatures, only to return the said crystals back to the starting point. As you manage to reach the higher levels, it gets significantly more difficult to avoid contact with the enemies, which is why you’ll have to use your character's ranged attack.

Speaking of which, the main character is a cute little creature that hops around joyfully, sporting big eyes and pointy ears on top of a round, anatomically preposterous body. Its ranged attack can be used to destroy enemies and gates that stop you from reaching the crystals, although the enemies are a bit tougher to deal with sometimes, especially those that require multiple hits.

Sometimes, it might prove to be too much of a challenge to take on every enemy in the level. However, you do not necessarily have to confront them, as long as you take the necessary steps to avoid running into them. In essence, every creature has a specific pattern you can pick up on, and it’s fairly easy to take advantage of it. On the other hand, the enemies drop their routine if you get too close and they spot you.

As far as the visual quality is concerned, the game is quite basic in this regard, although it does sport a fully three-dimensional graphics engine. However, the environment is dull and uninteresting, with only a handful of blocky items decorating the mazes. Hopefully, you’ll be too distracted by the actual gameplay to notice the game’s appearance.

All things considered, HOPMON is obviously designed to be enjoyed by the casual portion of the gaming community, which means that it can get away with a few flaws. The mazes are challenging enough to keep your mind busy, which is exactly the game’s purpose.