Hannah’s opinion on Xbox Series

A world too dark for a girl

Hannah It is the first video game from the Mexican studio space boyfounded by 4 members who previously worked in the world of cinema, special effects and virtual reality. With the help of publisher QUByte Interactive, the studio begins with a horror adventure in a retro world full of nightmares to interpret.

The story of Hannah, a girl who loses her doll and will enter a twisted world in her dreams to get it back, is fraught with feelings and traumatic experiences in her life. The dark force that kidnapped the doll will put different obstacles in the way for the girl to find her most beloved toy.

Classic gameplay that takes us back in time

Basically we are looking at a platform title with a resolution of riddles and with a story hidden in vhs tapes which will have to be found in different corners. To access her memories hidden in her nightmares, the protagonist must open inaccessible doors and collect pieces of her childhood.

The puzzles are simple but fun, because to solve them we will have to visit different locations, activate certain levers or insert certain objects in key locations to advance and unlock secrets. These secrets are collectibles that we can view later from the main menu, providing clues to the story.

In the section platformsHannah “skates” a little, because sometimes the character’s movements and jumps can play tricks on us and get us stuck in a specific place. It’s the physics system that’s to blame, something that seems to have been brought back from the 90s, bringing with it its problems.

As for the enemies, we will have to run away from them, since we do not have attacks as such, but rather use the environment against them or use “stealth” to avoid them. The AI ​​is also not very well worked, but the game meets the requirements and is not difficult in that sense. The difficulty of the game therefore lies in solving the puzzles and knowing where to shoot.

A particular artistic conception

As graphic and animation designers, Spaceboy has adapted their style very well in a dark and oppressive world, where sadness and loneliness reign. Playing with the soundtrack, the setting reminded me of titles like Little Nightmares (just right) and other styles of authors like Tim Burton, keeping the differences, obviously.

The animations are quite humble and the only thing that creaks is that the characters slide across the stage, something very typical of video games of generations like the original Xbox. Additionally, there’s a lot of play with camera angles when moving, which in most cases is beneficial for exploration.

Graphically it’s also a low budget game, but it looks great and represents that spirit of the 80s very well, with its cassette tapes, VHS tapes, tube TVs and rotary phones. For older children, it surely brings back good memories, even if Hannah fears it in her nightmares.

Replayable if you want to know the whole story

In each chapter we will try to recover parts of the lost doll, which are part of the plot and are unmissable, but video cassettes and collectibles are another matter. There are several televisions scattered throughout the different rooms, into which you must insert the player to learn the girl’s story.

Depending on various factors, we’ll get a different ending, so replayability lies in whether we want to see them all and delve even deeper into Hannah’s world. There are 2 different doors in two different colors, which provide access to collectibles or VHS tapes, so try to open them all and don’t miss anything.

Perhaps a chapter selector after finishing the game would have been a big plus, because perhaps repeating the entire game, with the system of jumps, platforms and empty spaces, is perhaps be a bit tedious. The ideal would be to collect everything 100% and try to get those extra endings that hide so many secrets.

Conclusions

Hannah is an “original” game that takes us back to the days of the first platform games, with a very interesting story to tell and a dark setting full of anxiety and loneliness. Perhaps Spaceboy has erred on the side of minimalism in terms of its collision system, physics and platforming and needs a little more time to deliver a more well-rounded experience.

Technically the game is compliant, but being undemanding in terms of textures I expected a little less popping and a movement and animation system which transmits better sensations in the manipulation of the character. Additionally, the jumping system needs tweaking in some areas, but it’s a lot of fun and you have to use some brain power to solve the platforming puzzles.

Hannah will be available on October 31, 2024 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. Additionally, it weighs around 11.5 GB and is Xbox Play anywhere. We leave you here with its scary trailer: