Hue

Hue is a puzzle/platformer game which revolves around switching colours and solving puzzles using the mechanic. It has a good plot, and the art is simple yet charming.

The game is about a boy named Hue trying to find his mother, who is a scientist experimenting with colours. Each section has him gaining a new colour to use which in turn can make things harder and easier. The sections also introduce new mechanics, and new plot pieces to work with which is really what makes this game shine. The way the plot is slowly introduced through the sections with certain parts left out made me want to learn more, keeping me playing it for hours on end.

It’s similar to the game Celeste in some ways. Both games have bigger areas which are shown on the map that then have small levels in those areas. The deaths feel very similar in both games; when you die you go back to the start of the level, and both games I would die repeatedly trying to make my way through the levels. Celeste isn’t really much of a puzzle game though; it focuses more on the platforming aspect while Hue has both involved.

The colour mechanic was fun to play around with. You’d use one of the controls to switch colours and then use that to solve the puzzles. The controls are ok, but quite often I’d accidentally switch to the wrong colour while trying to complete a fast-paced part which would lead to me dying. The way everything in the game slows down when you’re using the mechanic makes up for that a bit though.

Hue’s aesthetics are pretty and detailed with a nice colour scheme that can relax or infuriate you depending on the situation. The game is mostly in greyscale with the only colour you see being the colour you switch to. The backgrounds are well made, from the little details in the university levels like books to the individuality of the houses at the start of the game.

All in all, Hue is an excellent game with a beautiful aesthetic, charming storyline, and excellent level design. There are some things that could do with improvement, but it makes up for that in other parts of the game. It’s hard and will get your brain thinking while you keep dying, but that’s why I like the game. You can get lost in your thoughts while completing the same parts of the game over and over again.