Hue (video game)
A puzzle-platformer where color makes obstacles vanish.
Hue is a puzzle-platform game from 2016, created by the studio Fiddlesticks and released by Curve Digital. It launched on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 30, 2016; later on PlayStation Vita (November 29, 2016), Nintendo Switch (June 6, 2019), iOS (January 25, 2020), and Android (April 22, 2020).
The game is a side-scroller where the player character, also named Hue, searches for his mother (voiced by Anna Acton). She caused the Annular Spectrum—a ring she built to perceive and change color—to fracture, creating an "impossible colour." The world is mostly greyscale, and Hue can walk, jump, climb ladders, and push or pull objects. Some rooms require a key to proceed, and hidden Erlenmeyer flasks can be collected throughout the levels.
As Hue progresses, he gathers eight shards of the Annular Spectrum: aqua, navy, purple, pink, orange, red, yellow, and green. These appear on a color wheel; selecting a shard makes the background match that color. Objects of the same color then vanish into the background, reappearing only when the color changes again. These objects include walls, movable boxes, lethal lasers, bouncing blocks that shift color when jumped on, and slime jets that recolor other items. Touching a spike or laser, being hit by a falling object, or falling into the abyss sends Hue back to the room's start. As more shards are collected, puzzles grow more complex, and previously blocked areas become reachable.
Development began in late 2014. Fiddlesticks co-founder Henry Hoffman said a prototype was built in two weeks, and six months later the team secured a deal to work on the game full-time. They switched from Construct 2 to Unity, which Hoffman called “a pretty steep learning curve.” The soundtrack was composed by Alkis Livathinos, who was freelancing before Fiddlesticks licensed his music for a trailer. Livathinos cited the soundtrack to Machinarium as inspiration for what he described as an “EDM sound.” In 2022, Curve Games acquired Fiddlesticks Games.
Hue received "generally favorable" reviews on Metacritic.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Hue
- Designer
- Henry Hoffman · Dan Da Rocha
- Developer
- Fiddlesticks
- Publisher
- Curve Digital
- Engine
- Unity
- Released
- Windows, PS4, Xbox One · 30 August 2016 · Vita · 29 November 2016 · Switch · 6 June 2019
- Platforms
- Linux · macOS · Windows · Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation Vita · Xbox One
- Genre
- Adventure, puzzle-platform
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Hue is a side-scrolling puzzle platform game. The plot revolves around the protagonist, Hue, searching for his mother (voiced by Anna Acton), who turned an 'impossible colour' due to the fracturing of the Annular Spectrum, a ring that she developed to allow perception and alteration of colour. The player character can walk, jump, climb ladders and push or pull objects. The player searches through multiple areas in a greyscale world, sometimes collecting a key to access the next room, and can gather Erlenmeyer flasks hidden within levels.
As the player progresses, Hue collects eight shards of different colours of the Annular Spectrum: aqua, navy, purple, pink, orange, red, yellow, and green. Players access them via a colour wheel; picking a shard makes the background colour match the selected piece, causing certain in-game elements of the same colour to temporarily cease to exist, blending into the background. These elements include walls, movable boxes, lasers that kill the player on contact, bouncing blocks that shift colour when jumped on, slime jets that change the colour of other objects, and others. If Hue touches a spike or a laser, gets hit by a falling object or falls into the abyss, he is sent back to the start of the room. Collecting more shards unlocks more colours, increasing puzzle complexity and allowing access to previously unreachable areas.
Reader's Guide
Hue received 'generally favorable' reviews on Metacritic. Critics praised its striking visual art style and colour wheel mechanic; Nintendo World Report wrote, 'The game commits so fully to its art style with strong, screen-filling colors that pop against each other that I wanted to keep playing to see more.' However, a common complaint concerned the puzzles themselves, with Nintendo Life claiming they 'don't really become complex or satisfying until the end of its journey.' Pocket Gamer also criticized the game for its lack of checkpoints. Development began in late 2014; a prototype was made in two weeks. Six months later, Fiddlesticks arranged a deal allowing full-time work on the game. During development, the studio switched from Construct 2 to Unity, described as 'a pretty steep learning curve.' The soundtrack was created by Alkis Livathinos, who was inspired by the soundtrack to Machinarium for what he described as an 'EDM sound.' In 2022, Curve Games acquired Fiddlesticks Games.
Did You Know?
- Hue was released on 30 August 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
- The game's mother character is voiced by Anna Acton.
- Fiddlesticks switched from Construct 2 to Unity during development, which they described as a steep learning curve.
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