Hello World - Book 1: The Lonely Islands Review

Imagine a magical and whimsical fantasy world full of interesting people, epic battles, mediocre coffee, and a talking cat. This is where the story of Hello World takes us; on a journey through a 3D universe populated by a whole variety of mythical creatures and bizarre people. Hippies, vampires, zombies, trolls, chupacabras; there is no shortage of strange beings.

In this first-person adventure, Cap and Leet must quest through a universe unlike any other in order to save the magical and semi-sentient land of "Fred." Set in the style of an RPG, players must explore forests, caves, and sail the sea, all while meeting the most unique of characters and poking squirrels with sticks.

The game itself gives off a feel similar to Majora’s Mask, and the humorous dialogue and bizarre story are greatly enjoyable and engrossing. Though the graphics give off a Minecraft-esque appearance, it’s still easy to see that Hello World is unique in its own right. The expansive environments are fun to explore, and the world of Fred has much to see and do. In fact, the game is designed in such a manner that it manages to create a wonderful sensation of realism. So much so that in my case it began to feel like this adventure was my own.

It wouldn’t be an adventure without some kickass battles however, and throughout the game players will discover a variety of ways in which to protect themselves and otherwise learn how to swing a sword like a hero. Featuring a real-time physical battle system, it challenges the player in a variety of ways with the game offering three different difficulty settings. I played it safe as ‘Normal’ mode was exceptionally hard in my opinion, but perhaps that's because it took me some time to get used to the Energy and Focus system. Learning how to balance the two can be tricky, as both energy and focus deplete depending on whether the player attacks or blocks, and it certainly takes some getting used to. The controls, however, are very responsive and smooth, and the interface is simple and designed with the player in mind. Throughout the game, in true RPG fashion, items can be found and used by interacting with the HUD interface and equipping them when needed.

With its quirky, comic book style interactive conversations and standout block-style graphics, Hello World has so much personality it is impossible to stop playing. Seeing as this is only ‘Book 1’ of the series, it clearly has much more to offer, and I for one am excited to see where Cap and Leet will end up next.