Hirogami Unfolds Brilliance: A Paper-Thin Platforming Masterpiece
In Hirogami, every fold tells a story and every crease hides a challenge. This vibrant 3D action-platformer invites players into Papyrunia, a fragile origami realm under siege by the digital Blight. As Hiro, a fan-wielding master of the fold, you’ll transform into animal forms, glide through paper winds, and battle corrupted creatures in a poetic dance of precision and papery power. From treetop temples to parchment plains, Hirogami is a mesmerising journey through a handcrafted world where every corner begs to be explored.
Hirogami Review Pros
- Such beautiful papercraft graphics.
- 4.58GB Download size.
- Platinum trophy.
- 3 save slots.
- Controller settings – vibration, Invert pitch for flight, and dead zone slider.
- Sound settings – sliders for master, music, ambience, and SFX.
- Platformer gameplay.
- Tutorial pop-ups as you play.
- To match the graphics is the awesome movement and animations of the world.
- Use your Fanta attack to clear out the blight that um blight the land.
- Altars can be activated and serve as a respawn point.
- Healthbar system, and you can collect hearts to replenish it or pay at Altars.
- Press a button to bring up your main and side objectives.
- Enemy healthbars show when you attack them.
- Camera control is just being able to move it around slightly; the game has more fixed camera angles.
- A truly beautiful origami created a 3D world, full of life and colour in equal measures.
- Collect scrolls from around the world, and you use these to build things in the world, like platforms or bridges and blocks.
- The style is just so good, you can fold it into a sheet of paper to float and fly off the wind or crawl under blocks, even fighting looks like a folded nirvana of deadly paper cuts.
- Beautiful in-game cutscenes and character avatar conversations.
- The world map level select is a large area you can fully explore and run around before selecting a level.
- Replay levels, and each one shows how many collectables you have collected so far.
- So levels will have a main mission or even a few of them, which is usually to finish the level, cleanse animals, and then bonus side missions, which can range from getting all collectables to finding secret areas and the like. It tells you what they are, so don’t worry too much.
- Fast loading times.
- Ruz Pappy is the guy in the map where you can craft ornaments, view collectables from images to music and identify any found relics.
- Find loot chests for rewards.
- Paper is basically the currency of the world.
- Clearing out blight isn’t just to clean up the world; it also opens up parts of the level or does things like unstuck platforms, etc.
- You can spend paper at altars to replenish health.
- Rescue animals and creators to unlock the ability to turn into them, and each has unique abilities. Swapping between them is quick and easy.
- A very accessible and playable game.
- The levels do encourage replayability and have tasks like finishing a level without getting hit.
- Combat changes over time; you have normal fan attacks, charged attacks, guide them into elemental hazards like fire and spikes, and then the various animal attacks.
- You can restart the level from the pause menu.
- End of level breakdown showing time taken, score, high score, and what missions and objectives you finished.
- For everything that Tearaway brought to the PlayStation a few years ago, Hirogami perfected, and I mean it in terms of perfected and built upon the idea without the gimmicks of the Vita console, like touchscreen, etc. They made a more console-centric take and then some.
- Every now and then, I get the desire to play a solid platforming adventure game, and this is one that will now be in the rotation as it offers so much replay value and exploration. On days I want to see a story, I just fire through the levels, and on days I want a more chilled approach, I replay levels and search out the many collectables and secrets.
Hirogami Review Cons
- You cannot remap the controls.
- There is no way to skip cutscenes.
- No accessibility options like Colourblind or font size settings, etc.
- There isn’t any real voice work, and it’s just a lot of speech bubble conversations.
- At times, checkpoints are far apart, so you have a bit of replaying sections.
- It doesn’t always make it aware that you are supposed to be able to do something straight away, or if you have to come back later.
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Hirogami
Developer: Bandai Namco Studios Singapore Pte. Ltd., Bandai Namco Studios Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
Publisher: Kakehashi Games
Store Link:
Hirogami Review
Summary
Hirogami – The Thrills and Highlights of Gameplay:
Hirogami delivers a vibrant 3D action-platformer set in the fragile origami realm of Papyrunia, where every fold and crease hides a challenge. As Hiro, a fan-wielding master of the fold, you transform into animal forms, glide on paper winds, and battle corrupted creatures in a poetic dance of precision. The game offers platforming gameplay with responsive movement, varied combat styles, and the ability to craft platforms, bridges, and blocks using collected scrolls. Levels feature main missions, side objectives, and collectables that encourage replayability, while altars act as respawn points and health stations. Combat evolves with fan attacks, charged strikes, environmental hazards, and unique animal abilities, all supported by fast loading times, accessible controls, and a large explorable world map.
Hirogami – Where It Falls Short: Key Negatives:
While Hirogami shines in creativity, it has some drawbacks. Controls cannot be remapped, cutscenes cannot be skipped, and accessibility options like colourblind modes or font size adjustments are missing. Dialogue is delivered entirely through speech bubbles with no voice acting, and checkpoints can be spaced far apart, leading to repeated sections. At times, it is unclear whether certain actions are immediately possible or require returning later, which can disrupt the flow.
Hirogami – Immersive Story and Narrative Elements:
Hirogami’s story unfolds in a handcrafted origami world under siege by the digital Blight. As Hiro, you cleanse the land, rescue animals and creators, and unlock their transformative abilities to aid your quest. The narrative is delivered through in-game cutscenes and character avatar conversations, blending exploration and combat with a sense of purpose. The mix of main missions, side objectives, and hidden secrets ensures the story can be experienced at different paces, whether rushing through for plot or taking time to uncover every fold of the world.
Hirogami – Visual and Performance Aspects:
Hirogami’s papercraft visuals are stunning, with treetop temples, parchment plains, and origami-inspired animations that bring the world to life. The fixed camera angles frame the handcrafted environments beautifully, while smooth animations and vibrant colours enhance immersion. Sound design complements the visuals with adjustable sliders for music, ambience, and effects. Performance is solid, with quick load times and fluid gameplay that make revisiting levels a pleasure.
Hirogami – Overall Verdict: Is It Worth Playing?:
Hirogami perfects the charm of papercraft platforming, offering a console-focused experience rich in exploration, replay value, and creative mechanics. Despite some quality-of-life shortcomings, its blend of engaging gameplay, evolving combat, and a visually captivating world makes it a standout platforming adventure worth adding to any rotation.
Back of the Box Quotes:
Fold, fight, and soar through Hirogami’s breathtaking origami world.
