Hirogami review

There’s a lot to like about Hirogami, a new platform game from Bandai Namco’s Singapore and Malaysia studios, not least its stunning art style. Set in an imaginative papercraft world, it really looks beautiful, and uses origami as an ongoing theme to move the game forward. Putting you in control of a pocket-sized paper character, you’ll gain the ability to change into origami animals to overcome the challenges that each level throws at you.

A level-based platforming adventure, Hirogami feels rather old-fashioned in its design. Each level will take you roughly 10 to 15 minutes to complete, give or take, and each one will introduce you to new challenges. There are enemies to face off against, sure, but Hirogami’s main obstacles come in the form of tricky platforming sections.

As your starting human character, you can attack, jump and not much else. It doesn’t take long, however, for you to unlock your first alternative ‘fold’: an armadillo. As a paper armadillo, you can turn into a ball, rolling quickly along platforms or bashing into enemies to swiftly defeat them. It’s perhaps my favourite of all of Hirogami’s forms, as it feels swift and responsive to control — the other forms can feel rather sluggish in comparison.

Once you’ve unlocked the armadillo fold, you’ll soon get a frog and, finally, a gorilla. Each of the three folds have different uses, and you’ll frequently have to switch between them all in order to reach the end of a level in Hirogami. As a frog you’re imbued with an extra-high jump, allowing you to reach higher platforms. You can also shoot venom, interrupting enemies’ attacks, and stunning them in place. Your jump can also be used to damage them, jumping above their heads and pounding down on them.

The gorilla fold, on the other hand, is all about strength. You can charge up a hit, allowing you to destroy certain pieces of the environment to reach new areas. You can also swing on ropes, Donkey Kong style, to get across great ravines in Hirogami’s environment.

All in all, then, you have quite the repertoire of moves available to you in this platforming adventure. The trouble is, it can feel a bit of a slog to switch between them. Destroying certain boxes can only be done as your human form, as can activating shrines that need to be done to progress through a level. But for the majority of the game, that’s about all you’ll use that form for. It’s annoying to have to switch back to simply destroy a box to get some sheets of paper — the game’s currency — which any other origami fold should be capable of hitting.

You’ll also occasionally come up to sections where you need to quickly switch from one form to another, with only a matter of seconds between you and death. For instance, I’ve sped down a ramp as the armadillo ball, only to be faced with a large jump that requires the frog. Switching means holding down a trigger then pressing a face button that corresponds with the particular form you need. It’s not overly complex, but if you’re not super co-ordinated, it’s all too easy to fumble over buttons.

There’s also the small matter of Hirogami’s platforming not always being as accurate as it should. It’s clear that every section has been designed with a particular fold in mind, so if you’re embodying the wrong paper animal you might find it overly difficult. The trouble is, there’s little signposting to suggest what animal form you should take — and it’s only human nature that you’re going to gravitate towards your favourite.

With all that said, there’s still plenty to enjoy about Hirogami, and some sections are absolutely joyous. Speeding through obstacles as an armadillo ball is seriously satisfying, and when you manage to perfectly land a series of rope swings as a gorilla, you’ll be whooping for joy. There are also a few sections in the game that cast you as a bird, briefly turning the game into a flying simulator. Navigating a paper crane around obstacles and shooting enemies as you go is a real rush, and a highlight of the experience for me.

Ultimately, Hirogami can be a little frustrating at times. With checkpoints not always equally placed, you might end up needing to backtrack a fair bit — particularly annoying in a tricky section. You’ll need a fair bit of patience to overcome Hirogami’s toughest bits, then, but persevere with it and there’s a good time to be had here. You’ll enjoy its beautiful art style, its clever characters and its wonderfully designed levels, so if you’re a platformer fan, it’s well worth trying out.