If there’s any game that really left a lasting impression at Day of the Devs, it was Big Hops.
Developed by Luckshot Games of Sausage Sports Club fame, Big Hops is a colorful and whimsical platformer starring a frog named Hop.
A little inside baseball here–Chris Wade, the director at Luckshot Games, was one of the first people to e-mail me talking about his game amongst the 50 or so games featured at Day of the Devs on GDC Day 0. Everything from his screenshot to his fact sheet had me interested, and I know I had to try the game. In fact, his was the only appointment I made that day, and I don’t regret it.
The actual swinging hop does on these fruit is wild. Be careful.
The demo station was a little busy, but the team gave me a Steam Deck with their build and I was hooked.
Big Hops does a lot of things other platformers do, and I won’t waste time talking about this.
What I liked most about the demo was the way it actually challenges you to get from point A to point B with just the knowledge of the seemingly basic skills you have. It looks like a standard 3D platformer, but the more I played, the more fresh it felt.
As soon as I got my hands on the build, I was a little shocked to see that Hop didn’t jump. That was weird. I mean, he’s a frog named hop. Eventually I came across a mushroom that not only replenished Hop’s health, but when you throw it, it becomes a trampoline that sends hop high into the air. Now we were getting somewhere.
Eventually I found acorns, which grow like a beanstock depending on where you throw them, and just like the trampoline, it took Hop to even greater heights. I eventually got to a point in the game where I had to find three gold orbs to open another path forward, and each one challenged you with different environmental puzzles to find the right paths to them.
I guess red means lick.
There was one area where you had to tongue lash handles on statues. There was another area where you had to use both acorns and mushrooms in conjunction with each other to get to a high area you wouldn’t think of reaching. There was also a point in the demo where I climbed a stalk as high as possible, jumped, and then dove to get even further. I was unsure if that’s what the game actually wanted me to do. That’s a feeling I haven’t felt since Tears of the Kingdom. Yes, I just compared what looks like a kiddy platformer to my Game of the Year two years ago. Okay well, it was probably going to happen regardless considering Hop has a stamina wheel (or rather, lily pad) for when he’s climbing.
Once I got the last orb, there was more to do, but I just stopped there. I had enough. I wanted to save the rest for when I platinum the game if and when it comes to PS5.
The worst part about the whole experience was knowing there’s no release date set. I had a whole lot of fun with the game, and it was one of the most polished experiences I’ve had with a preview build. I love me a good platformer, and I have no reservations that this won’t be one when it eventually does come out.
If there’s any game that really left a lasting impression at Day of the Devs, it was Big Hops. Developed by Luckshot Games of Sausage Sports Club fame, Big Hops is a colorful and whimsical platformer starring a frog named…
If there’s any game that really left a lasting impression at Day of the Devs, it was Big Hops.
Developed by Luckshot Games of Sausage Sports Club fame, Big Hops is a colorful and whimsical platformer starring a frog named Hop.
A little inside baseball here–Chris Wade, the director at Luckshot Games, was one of the first people to e-mail me talking about his game amongst the 50 or so games featured at Day of the Devs on GDC Day 0. Everything from his screenshot to his fact sheet had me interested, and I know I had to try the game. In fact, his was the only appointment I made that day, and I don’t regret it.
The actual swinging hop does on these fruit is wild. Be careful.
The demo station was a little busy, but the team gave me a Steam Deck with their build and I was hooked.
Big Hops does a lot of things other platformers do, and I won’t waste time talking about this.
What I liked most about the demo was the way it actually challenges you to get from point A to point B with just the knowledge of the seemingly basic skills you have. It looks like a standard 3D platformer, but the more I played, the more fresh it felt.
As soon as I got my hands on the build, I was a little shocked to see that Hop didn’t jump. That was weird. I mean, he’s a frog named hop. Eventually I came across a mushroom that not only replenished Hop’s health, but when you throw it, it becomes a trampoline that sends hop high into the air. Now we were getting somewhere.
Eventually I found acorns, which grow like a beanstock depending on where you throw them, and just like the trampoline, it took Hop to even greater heights. I eventually got to a point in the game where I had to find three gold orbs to open another path forward, and each one challenged you with different environmental puzzles to find the right paths to them.
I guess red means lick.
There was one area where you had to tongue lash handles on statues. There was another area where you had to use both acorns and mushrooms in conjunction with each other to get to a high area you wouldn’t think of reaching. There was also a point in the demo where I climbed a stalk as high as possible, jumped, and then dove to get even further. I was unsure if that’s what the game actually wanted me to do. That’s a feeling I haven’t felt since Tears of the Kingdom. Yes, I just compared what looks like a kiddy platformer to my Game of the Year two years ago. Okay well, it was probably going to happen regardless considering Hop has a stamina wheel (or rather, lily pad) for when he’s climbing.
Once I got the last orb, there was more to do, but I just stopped there. I had enough. I wanted to save the rest for when I platinum the game if and when it comes to PS5.
The worst part about the whole experience was knowing there’s no release date set. I had a whole lot of fun with the game, and it was one of the most polished experiences I’ve had with a preview build. I love me a good platformer, and I have no reservations that this won’t be one when it eventually does come out.
by Danreb Victorio
