Who knew little larvae slugs could be so soft and springy?Ī similar pattern emerges in the other parts of the forest you'll travel through as well. The beetles are so thrilled to see you, in fact, that they'll follow you around, allowing you to jump on their tall backs so you can reach higher ground. As she ventures further into the forest, simply walking near a slumbering (and weirdly adorable) rhinoceros beetle or springy larvae causes them to stir from their long slumber, and they're just so gosh-darn happy to see you. Hoa's natural ability to heal and restore the world around her becomes the cornerstone of this simple, non-violent adventure. As soon as she touches down, the place - and Johansson's rich piano-led orchestral score - bursts into life, with grass shooting up underfoot, plants erupting out of the ground, and buzzing bees and dragonflies hoovering in the fore and background.

You play as the titular Hoa, a red, hooded fairy who washes up on a barren beach in nothing but a small little leaf boat. The underlying story isn't quite up there with your Princess Mononokes, Totoros or Spirited Aways, perhaps, but this sweet-tempered tale about returning home, reuniting with old friends and the healing power of nature is still very worth jumping into for an evening's worth of entertainment - especially if you're after a non-violent game you can play with your kids. That Hoa manages to capture both the look and sound of a Studio Ghibli film without any direct involvement from Japan's illustrious animation house speaks volumes about what Skrollcat Studio have achieved here. He did, after all, lend his musical talents to both Ni No Kuni games. Johannes Johansson's sweeping, romantic piano score channels pure Joe Hisaishi goodness for the length of Hoa's two hour run time, so much so that I was half expecting to see the iconic Studio Ghibli composer's name in the end credits. Not only do Skrollcat Studio's lush, hand-painted visuals look like they've been plucked straight from the dewy, sun-dappled forests of My Neighbour Totoro, but you can hear it in the music, too. While Level-5's pair of Ni No Kuni games lay the biggest claim to being interactive Studio Ghibli movies (the first having actually been made in collaboration with Hayao Miyazaki's world famous animation studio and the second borrowing a former Ghibli character designer), the Vietnamese-made Hoa comes a very close second. A gorgeous, non-violent puzzle platformer with big Studio Ghibli vibes, Hoa is a brief but brilliant tale about the healing power of nature, and the cutest rhinoceros beetles you ever did see.

Hoa soundtrack