A very short-lived charming adventure with room to grow | | Full Review - Strange Hill

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✨Overview Strange Hill is a third-person platformer adventure that recently made its debut on Android and iOS, with a PC (Steam) release soon. This open-world game invites players to the peculiar town of Strange Hill, filled with interactive environments, intriguing quests, and a dash of thrill and mystery.

🟩Pros +Charming Visuals +Fluid Controls +Plans for future content and updates 🟥Cons -Intrusive and annoying ads -Very short runtime of over an hour

📖Story and Art Style The narrative is light-hearted and reminiscent of CGI cartoon films like "Monster House" or "Hotel Transylvania." The artistic design embraces a vibrant, colorful aesthetic, where whimsical bunnies coexist with humans in a town that radiates charm. The town of Strange Hill itself is a character in its own right, filled with distinctive creatures and mysteries waiting to be unraveled. By completing tasks for the town's inhabitants, you'll not only progress through the game but also delve deeper into the histories and destinies of its denizens. The addition of companions like Ben the robot and Howard the hopper adds depth to the narrative, providing a sense of whimsical companionship as you navigate this quirky and “Strange” world. The central mystery of Strange Hill revolves around your Hello Neighbor, Dr. Wood, and his assistant Gloria. As you uncover their secrets, you'll find yourself embroiled in age-old conflicts among feuding clans and even traveling between worlds. 🎮Gameplay and Performance In terms of gameplay, Strange Hill draws inspiration from classic PS2 and PS3-era 3D platformer games. It combines elements of open-world exploration with puzzles and shooting mechanics. The controls are intuitive, and the game's light resource demands ensure a smooth experience. I found the gameplay and controls of the game very fluid. On my Snapdragon 888 phone, the game runs smoothly, without any slowdowns and heavy battery drain. Movement feels natural, allowing you to move and jump effortlessly. However, the combat mechanics may leave some players wanting more.

While you can shoot enemies, there's a noticeable cooldown between shots, foes are only stunned temporarily, requiring a melee attack to defeat them permanently. This adds a layer of challenge reminiscent of classic platformer games, especially since your character has limited lives and can succumb to enemies in just one or two hits. For those who enjoy a bit of stealth gameplay, Strange Hill offers moments of tension as you sneak around and hide from enemies, particularly when navigating Dr. Wood's enigmatic house. This aspect of the game feels very similar to "Hello Neighbor,". One potential drawback of Strange Hill is its relatively short length. It can be completed in just over an hour, which might leave some players craving more content. However, the developers have promised regular updates and extensions, which could address this issue and provide a reason to return to the game in the future. 💵Free to Play, Ad-Driven Strange Hill adopts a free-to-play model, making it accessible to a wide audience. However, it's worth noting that the game is peppered with ads, which can be mildly intrusive and annoying. There’s also in-app purchases available to boost your character's abilities or perhaps offer extra lives/revives. These purchases can facilitate your journey and introduce exciting elements, but the game doesn't pressure you to spend money. It's entirely possible to enjoy and finish Strange Hill as it is now without making any purchases, although some players may opt to enhance their experience with these microtransactions, so it’s a bit pay-to-win in a sense. ⚖️Conclusion Strange Hill is definitely a charming short-lived adventure thanks to its cartoon-inspired visuals, fluid controls, and moments of stealth gameplay. While the combat mechanics may leave some players wanting more depth, the game's short length and ad-driven model are forgivable considering its free-to-play nature, and it can only get better, as Strange Hill plans to evolve with regular updates and extensions.

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