Energy Hook Review
Energy Hook has been explained with one main selling point, that being that it’s made by one of the main designers behind Spider Man 2’s web-slinging. But, I saw it in a different way. Watching the trailer and reading interviews and previews, I identified how Energy Hook had similar qualities to Mirror’s Edge. The dangerous identity of the gameplay hook, (no pun intended) the colorful style, and talent adapted into a new but still familiar way. Unfortunately, Energy Hook fails to capitalize on any of this, and even be a good game at the same time.
Gameplay:
On paper, Energy Hook sounds like a dream come true, and not just with the impressive dose of talent behind it. The game combines SSX’s tricking, the jetpacks of Dark Void, and the extensiveness of Mirror’s Edge’s adventurousness and flow. However, it fails for completely separate reasons. A lot of these are present in the wonky design, but there’s also considerable issues at the heart of the gameplay. One of the worst examples of this is the game’s non-reliance on hand-holding, which makes the first couple of hours frustrating on top of confusing.
Story & Design:
Energy Hook doesn’t have much of a plot, and it frankly ends up in the long list of games that doesn’t use this as a positive, as so much of the focus is put on the flawed concepts. While the challenges are fun to accomplish, there isn’t much depth, and the repetition gets even more aggravating when the presence of a bad camera and clunky controls exist. It’s a shame because there are some systems that could have worked in perfect unison, including the combo system.
Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:
Energy Hook could have been slightly less flawed if it’s graphics and overall presentation were impressive or unique, but this falls apart among the rest. Menus are clumsy and feel broken, and the graphics are either mind blowing or dirty and grimy. It almost makes me feel like I’m playing two different games, although both are cumbersome and unclear.
Conclusion:
Energy Hook is a mess, but not the type of one that’s fun to play around with for a couple of hours. More or less, it’s the type of game that is depressingly bare. So much could have been done with the concept, but so little was done in the end.
Energy Hook gets a 4/10 (Bad)
We’d like to thank Happion Labs for giving us a code!
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