Hokko Life
A social simulation game with item customization, compared to Animal Crossing.
Hokko Life is a social simulation game released in 2022. It was created by the Swedish developer Wonderscope and published by Team17. The game launched on Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 27, 2022.
The gameplay is often likened to Animal Crossing, allowing players to modify the appearance of items within the game.
Development started in 2017 at Wonderscope Games. Early builds were described by the developer as similar to Transport Tycoon, but the project later evolved into a social simulation closer to the Animal Crossing series. The game was built using the Unity engine. In 2020, Team17 was announced as the publisher. Hokko Life entered early access on Steam on June 2, 2021. At that time, Kotaku Australia reported the game was too buggy to play, though by the full launch, PC Gamer noted only graphical problems with the user interface. During early access, a version for Amazon Luna was released on January 6, 2022. The full version arrived on September 27, 2022, for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Amazon Luna.
Reception was mixed or average, according to Metacritic. PC Gamer highlighted that the game could run on lower-end hardware but criticized the graphical quality on low settings and issues with the UI. TouchArcade praised the creative customization options but noted poor performance on the Nintendo Switch.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Hokko Life
- Developer
- Wonderscope
- Publisher
- Team17
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Windows · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · Xbox One · Amazon Luna
- Released
- 27 September 2022
- Genre
- Social simulation
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Work on Hokko Life began in 2017 by Wonderscope Games. Early versions of the game were compared to Transport Tycoon by the developer, with the game later shifting to resemble a social simulation game like the Animal Crossing series as development progressed. Unity was used as a game engine. In 2020 it was announced that Team17 would publish the game. On 2 June 2021, Hokko Life was published as an early access title on Steam. At the start of the early access period Kotaku Australia claimed that the game was too buggy to be playable, though by launch PC Gamer only noted graphical issues with the UI. While in early access, a version of the game for Amazon Luna was released on January 6, 2022. The full version released for Windows, alongside versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Amazon Luna occurred on September 27, 2022.
Reader's Guide
Hokko Life received 'mixed or average' reviews according to Metacritic. PC Gamer noted that the game could run on lower end hardware, while critiquing graphical quality on lower settings, as well as UI issues in the game. TouchArcade praised the creativity options, while noting poor performance on Switch hardware. The game's development history shows a shift from an initial concept compared to Transport Tycoon to a final product resembling Animal Crossing. Its early access period was marked by significant bug reports, though these were largely resolved by the full launch, with remaining criticism focused on graphical and interface problems. The game's significance lies in its attempt to offer a social simulation experience with extensive item customization, though it did not achieve the critical acclaim of its inspirations.
Did You Know?
- Hokko Life was developed by Swedish studio Wonderscope and published by Team17.
- The game was in early access on Steam from June 2, 2021, before its full release in September 2022.
- A version for Amazon Luna was released on January 6, 2022, while the game was still in early access.
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