The game’s level design is similarly, unexpectedly ambitious. Big Hops is split into three major zones, separated by Super Mario Galaxy-esque interludes through a twisty, gravity-shifting dark dimension. There’s a general critical path to follow, but you have a fair amount of freedom within each series of sandboxes. For example, I spent time helping the bunnies in town before heading off to the next objective. I also stumbled across an optional, self-contained platforming challenge. Even mandatory quests offer choice, like fixing three broken machines in whatever order you’d like.
(Credit: Luckshot Games/PCMag)
Even Big Hops’ more scripted sequences delight through their sheer inventiveness. They push the moveset to its fullest and inspire that great feeling when a platformer makes you realize you can skillfully reach areas that initially seemed out of reach. For example, I climbed to the top of an oil platform, shrewdly recharging Hops’ stamina by snacking on bugs. From there, I took in the structure and the many tasks I had to complete before moving on to the new objective: sliding pipes into position with Hops’ tongue. It felt like platforming in a real place, not a collection of abstract blocks.
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(Credit: Luckshot Games/PCMag)
Aside from a pair of boss fights, Big Hops eschews combat, forcing the game to mine even more creativity from the platforming mechanics. The power-ups are all about letting you alter the environment to suit your hopping needs. You can drop a mushroom to spawn a bounce pad or torch obstacles with a hot pepper. There’s a lot of inventiveness on display.
While certain power-ups are needed in certain scenarios, you’re encouraged to dream up your own solutions, and, usually, the levels are flexible enough to make them work. You can store power-ups in your backup and use them later, even in places you aren’t supposed to. It’s very empowering. Because figuring out the intricacies of how and where to use each power-up takes practice, it adds to Big Hops’ deceptive depth. I was impressed at how, by placing just a few sticky globs on makeshift platforms, I turned an insurmountable expanse into a cakewalk.
(Credit: Luckshot Games/PCMag)
