Hue
Overview -
A collaboration between 'Q.U.B.E. 2' designer Dan Da Rocha and 'Mortar Melon' creator Henry Hoffman, 'Hue' is a puzzle platformer that is designed around color. Developer Fiddlesticks' game takes place in a world where everyone sees in grayscale, and only a few scientific minds know that additional colors exist. It's up to players to help a young boy named Hue discover color, while also tracing the steps of his missing mother.
Video Review
I'm not sure if the screenshots really do 'Hue' justice, but it's simply gorgeous to look at. The game is initially only presented in grayscale, and soon the world lights up once Hue finds his first color. The contrast between the bold backgrounds and the black foreground creates a clashing style that looks wonderful. It's a great reminder of how dull life would be without color, and how lucky humans are to be able to perceive it.
It's also worth noting that the game does have a colorblind mode, which is key since the puzzles all revolve around colors and switching to red instead of pink accidentally could cause instant death.
Audio Review
'Hue' features an original piano-driven soundtrack with over 30 songs. These solemn pieces add a lot of mood to what is otherwise a puzzle-heavy experience. It also features some great voice acting by British actress Anna Acton, who reads the letters that Hue's mother leaves behind. While I was a bit underwhelmed by some parts of the narrative, her performance is great.
Final Thoughts
While the narrative falls a bit flat, 'Hue' succeeds at being both a puzzle game and a platformer. Most puzzle platformers only test my brain, but my reflexes also received a workout here. It impressively walks a tight line between being difficult, yet never left me feeling frustrated. Fiddlesticks have masterfully designed a game that dangled a carrot in front of me until its story ended.