Remember playing the Tony Hawk Pro Skater games back in the early 2000’s? You’d go to your friend’s place, turn on your Playstation 2 or PC, and compete to see just who could pull off the longest stringing combos or perform the craziest tricks.
The Tony Hawk games, and more recently Skate, were a very big part of my youth as a gamer, and I’ve been actually itching for a new release of the same type. And then, out of nowhere, comes Hover.
With most new games relying on photorealistic graphics and using mostly dark textures, the colourful neon approach of Hover is a welcome change of pace.
The first impression I got from looking at Hover from its trailer is its look. The game is bright and vibrant, and some might say it is too colourful. That, to me, is part of its appeal. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a colourful game, and I absolutely love the look the developers have decided to go with.
The trailer focuses on two things.
First and foremost, the gameplay, which appears to be an arcade type, free-roaming, parkour game with the option for multiplayer.
Second, the sound. The music in Hover is being worked on by the very same person who worked on the Jet Set Radio OST, Hideki Naganuma. It is a wonderful surprise to see him work on an indie release like this.
The game will be set in a futuristic setting, where you play as a Gamer Team from another world, who are shocked at the tyranny prevalent in the city they are currently in. It boasts an open world city and some degree of progression. Performing tricks will earn you the respect of other Gamers in the city, and will allow you to form your team and tackle more serious missions. It will have some sort of upgrade system for each different character (or gamer) you unlock.
It may be compatible with the Oculus Rift someday, and apparently allows you to customize your own race tracks in multiplayer in real time so that you can challenge other players, which adds an entirely new depth of replayability. This is a feature I will want to try out myself to see how it works, as it isn’t something I’ve seen implemented in a game before.
This is definitely a game to keep an eye on, and I hope it gets more exposure.
