Big Hops Together

This is a fun cute platformer. i never thought I'd look forward to licking so many things.

[This game was provided for free via giveaway] Gotta say, this is the best modern reboot of Chameleon Twist I think we'll ever get. Watch our full review right here: https://youtu.be/m70j8HPeFjM

Big Hops is a colorful 3D platforming adventure that builds its identity around freedom of movement, exploration, and creative environmental problem solving. Developed and published by Luckshot Games, it follows Hop, a young frog whose ordinary life is disrupted when a mysterious trickster spirit named Diss suddenly takes him away from his home. Hop wants nothing more than to return to his family, but accomplishing that task quickly becomes complicated. An elderly raccoon offers to construct an airship capable of taking him home, provided Hop can locate the necessary components. What begins as a relatively simple journey for transportation gradually develops into a much stranger adventure involving unusual communities, Dark Drips, Diss's questionable motives, and mysteries that encourage Hop to investigate the wider world. Movement is the foundation of Big Hops and easily one of its strongest qualities. Hop possesses an unusually broad collection of traversal abilities, including jumping, rolling, diving, crouch jumping, wall running, climbing, swimming, belly sliding, grinding rails, swinging from poles, balancing across tightropes, and traveling in minecarts. These actions are not merely separate tricks used at designated locations. Many can be chained together, allowing players to maintain momentum and devise faster or more entertaining ways through the environment. Learning how Hop moves is therefore a major part of progression even when the game is not explicitly unlocking something new. Hop's tongue adds another layer of flexibility. It works as much more than a humorous frog-themed grappling hook. Hop can use it to grab objects, pull items toward himself, swing from appropriate targets, activate switches, manipulate levers, remove corks, and interact with various environmental devices. Because the tongue complements Hop's other movement abilities, it becomes especially satisfying when incorporated into longer traversal sequences. A difficult gap might involve climbing, jumping, swinging, and diving rather than following a rigid sequence of predetermined platforms. The vegetable mechanic makes environmental problem solving even more inventive. Different vegetables produce different useful effects when placed in the world. Mushrooms become bounce pads, acorns generate climbable vines, balloons provide temporary platforms, apples establish swinging opportunities, Oil Balls create hookshot points, and cacti can form tightropes. This essentially allows players to carry pieces of platforming infrastructure with them. Instead of always discovering a single intended path, players can sometimes manufacture their own route using whatever resources they have available. Hop can directly carry an object while additional vegetables are stored inside his backpack, and opening the backpack slows time during demanding situations. The result is an effective mixture of action and improvisation. The adventure spreads these mechanics across four primary regions built around Forest, Desert, Ocean, and Mountain environments. Secondary locations such as the Boneyard, Bucko Cove, Hydro Plant, and Gulley Gang HQ add further variety. More importantly, these worlds contain their own characters and conflicts rather than functioning purely as oversized obstacle courses. Hop becomes involved with groups such as the Gulley Gang, DrillCO workers, Buckos, and Haven cultists while continuing his search for airship parts. This gives each stage of the journey some narrative purpose and prevents the game from feeling like nothing more than disconnected collectible playgrounds. Collecting is naturally an important part of the experience, but many discoveries provide tangible benefits. Dark Drips contribute to Diss's mysterious plans and reveal secrets, while Dark Bits can unlock Trinkets that modify gameplay. Players can gather resources and currency for vegetables and improvements to Hop's backpack and wallet. Cosmetic rewards include clothing, hats, and dyes, giving Hop plenty of opportunities for personalization. Trinkets even appear physically on his backpack, creating a pleasant connection between equipment and visual customization. There are plenty of optional diversions as well. Players can identify insects and contribute them to Bugsy's Conservatory, locate Blueprints connected with useful gadgets, and discover Mixtapes that can be played through Hop's portable music equipment. These activities reward curiosity and make wandering away from the obvious destination worthwhile. The game benefits greatly from this density because its movement mechanics are enjoyable enough that simply searching an unfamiliar corner can become entertaining even before a collectible is discovered. The presentation supports the playful design nicely. Hop is expressive and charming, while the animal characters and strange communities give the world a lighthearted personality. Character designs contributed by Steven Sugar fit comfortably with the game's animated aesthetic. Luckshot Games has drawn inspiration from numerous platforming, adventure, and animated works, and that broad range can be felt throughout the experience. Big Hops combines the accessibility of a cheerful collectathon with systems that encourage considerably more experimentation than its appearance might initially suggest. The Cappler's Conspiracy photography update expands the package further. It introduces Cappler, a conspiracy-obsessed owl who recruits Hop to investigate increasingly bizarre claims involving phenomena such as ghosts, aliens, and mole people. Photography becomes part of actual objectives rather than existing solely as a decorative camera mode. Completing these activities can provide camera filters, lenses, and the Sky Shifter gadget, while the additional missions give players another reason to revisit and closely examine the game's environments. Big Hops can occasionally feel almost too enthusiastic about introducing mechanics, collectibles, characters, and activities. Players looking for a tightly linear platformer may find its open-ended structure less focused than expected. Mastering the numerous movement options also requires practice, particularly when several abilities need to be combined. However, this complexity is precisely what makes traversal rewarding. The game encourages experimentation instead of demanding that every player solve an obstacle in exactly the same fashion. Ultimately, Big Hops succeeds by turning movement itself into a playground. Its combination of agile frog traversal, tongue-based interactions, deployable vegetables, exploration, environmental puzzles, useful collectibles, character-driven stories, customization, and optional activities gives the adventure substantial personality. Luckshot Games has created a platformer that respects the familiar pleasures of collecting and exploring while adding systems that allow players to approach the environment creatively. Hop's journey may begin with the simple desire to return home, but the unusual worlds and mechanical possibilities encountered along the way become the real attraction. For players who enjoy expressive 3D platformers where experimentation is as important as precision, Big Hops offers an imaginative and rewarding adventure. Rating: 8/10