Hob

Lore & Background

Hob is set on a planet where a spaceship carrying four elders and twenty disciples arrived after their sun died. Using the planet's sun, they built raised platforms and a high tower. A second spaceship later transmitted an infection to one elder, who spread it across the structures, represented by spikes and accompanied by chittering sounds. The infection caused robots to awaken, as shown in five lore rooms and a prequel comic on the Runic Games website.

The prequel comic depicts a robot awakening, fighting the infection, being healed by a sprite, and opening disciple chambers. One disciple, with horn-like stubs, became infected and encased in rainbow crystal. The robot eventually opens the chamber of the main character, Hob. Throughout the game, Hob finds deceased disciples, obtains sword components, and encounters the infected disciple, now half-infection with fungi-like horns.

At the end, Hob reaches the High Tower, finds three elders (two alive but incapacitated, one infected), and meets the infected queen. She communicates through gestures, claiming the infection came from above and into her, but shows its beauty through butterflies. She offers Hob a choice: join her in symbiosis, or side with the elders to destroy the infection. Choosing the queen covers the world in rainbow crystals; choosing the elders leads to fighting the infected disciple, after which the queen accepts destruction and Hob takes her place as an elder, cleansing the planet.

Reader's Guide

Hob received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its world and puzzles. Game Informer noted its narrative strength in showing rather than telling. PC Gamer scored it 77/100, calling it a gorgeous world with satisfying puzzles and fun but occasionally clumsy action. IGN described it as a beautiful Zelda-like puzzler with fun combat, though the wordless story caused some confusion and the fixed camera sometimes led to unnecessary deaths. The game's significance lies in being Runic Games' final title before the studio closed, and its enhanced port for Nintendo Switch, developed by Panic Button, extended its reach. Its environmental storytelling and lack of dialogue set it apart, offering a unique narrative experience through glyphs, environments, and creature interactions. The two endings provide distinct resolutions to the infection's fate, and the post-credits scenes show the robot's continued actions depending on the player's choice.

Did You Know?

• Hob is the last game developed by Runic Games before the company dissolved.
• The game has no dialogue or written language; story is told through environments, enemies, and creatures.
• The infected queen makes the sound 'woahlah', which also appears in a lore room.
• An enhanced port for Nintendo Switch, Hob: The Definitive Edition, was released in 2019.