While Level-5's pair of Ni No Kuni games lay the biggest claim to being interactive Studio Ghibli movies (the first having actually been made in collaboration with Hayao Miyazaki's world famous animation studio and the second borrowing a former Ghibli character designer), the Vietnamese-made Hoa comes a very close second. Not only do Skrollcat Studio's lush, hand-painted visuals look like they've been plucked straight from the dewy, sun-dappled forests of My Neighbour Totoro, but you can hear it in the music, too. Johannes Johansson's sweeping, romantic piano score channels pure Joe Hisaishi goodness for the length of Hoa's two hour run time, so much so that I was half expecting to see the iconic Studio Ghibli composer's name in the end credits. He did, after all, lend his musical talents to both Ni No Kuni games.
That Hoa manages to capture both the look and sound of a Studio Ghibli film without any direct involvement from Japan's illustrious animation house speaks volumes about what Skrollcat Studio have achieved here. The underlying story isn't quite up there with your Princess Mononokes, Totoros or Spirited Aways, perhaps, but this sweet-tempered tale about returning home, reuniting with old friends and the healing power of nature is still very worth jumping into for an evening's worth of entertainment - especially if you're after a non-violent game you can play with your kids.
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