Hokko Life Critic Reviews

Hokko Life takes the Animal Crossing formula and builds on it with additional gameplay elements and an innovative in-game clock. Its gameplay is addictive and there's a lot of fun to be had, especially if you enjoy crafting. So, if you're looking for a rewarding alternative to the Nintendo classic albeit with more to do on any given day then you should definitely pick it up.

In its current state, I’d recommend picking up Hokko Life on another platform over Nintendo Switch if you have the option. The long load times and performance issues even in early parts hold it back. The developers have said that they are still working on the game and bringing more to it, and Hokko Life has the potential to be much better on Switch. Right now, I can only recommend it with the caveat about technical issues and assuming you like the aesthetic. I enjoyed my time with this blend of elements from Animal Crossing and Story of Seasons.

Even if the whole experience is not perfect, Hokko Life is a chill and pleasant game that will provide us some nice sessions.

This is a title that Animal Crossing lovers will undoubtedly like, since the similarities are many and the purpose and style of the game are practically the same. Perfect for you to relax.

Its similarity to Animal Crossing attracts but its port to Nintendo Switch leaves much to be desired. It has poorly executed content, no believable story, and tons of annoying loading screens.

While playing, I realised that Hokko Life is trying too hard to be other games that it never really has the opportunity to grow into its own thing. It doesn’t shine on its own. The devs tried. They really did. Hokko Life is an obvious labour of love. But there is a certain je ne sais quoi lacking… charm, maybe? I’ve played a lot of life sims that made me excited to return, but this one didn’t. I know that a game’s not really hooking me when I’ve got to talk myself into playing it for hours just so I can get my review done in time.

While Hokko Life isn’t terrible, it fails to rise above its Animal Crossing inspiration.

Hokko Life is a cosy, creativity filled community sim game.

Despite deriving a lot of its influences from games like Animal Crossing, especially with its island life and anthropomorphic animal inhabitants, Hokko Life severely lacks in personality and unique identity. For a game that promises a relaxing experience, you spend more time walking around trying to find something to do rather than sitting back and enjoying the game's gentle progression. There are a few redeemable factors through customisation and its sound design, but outside of that, Hokko Life doesn't offer anything we haven't seen before.

Overall, Hokko Life is a bland shell that wants to ride the coattails of Animal Crossing without doing anything to stand out or be unique. The game could be more polished, with lag and weird choices in camera zooms, though not outright terrible enough to get mad at. While the visuals don’t look bad, the music is forgettable. An average game at best, its $19.99 launch price means I can’t really recommend it.

Hokko Life arrives on Nintendo Switch in an unacceptable technical state, so much so that any possibility of feeling sympathy for the dishes of Hokko's inhabitants and their stories fades regardless. It does not help the low quality of writing and an experience structure that made us feel trapped in Hokko, and not masters of the adventure. Dragged into a whirlwind of assignments, wood gathering and unpleasant fishing sessions, we were not in any way fascinated by a life sim that promised a relaxing and creative experience, but which on balance cannot compete with the most famous exponents. like that, Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley above all.

Hokko Life is very similar to Animal Crossing, but it is very far from its quality.