The Hex – Short Review: PC Version
A pox, POX I SAY!
I’m sure anyone that’s played The Hex to completion will say “don’t read any reviews for The Hex”. So…
You really shouldn’t read any reviews for The Hex.
Here’s the score with a blurb that tells you everything your need to know.
Welcome to the Six Pint Inn on a terribly stormy night…
A murder is being planned in the Six Pints Inn and yes, it’s time to solve a mystery. When I say mystery I mean it both mentally and technically as you take control of six very different computer game archetypes and then…
… Game happens.
A sonic, a space marine and a pit fighter enter a pub…
Fine. Let’s try to figure out if you’re the type of person to enjoy a 4th wall breaking clever-dick kinda game. Or should we call it an experience? Nah, maybe not, there is quite a lot of actual game-play buried in The Hex. Thankfully the kinda person to be interested in such a game is the same person that would have (at least) a light sprinkling of computer game knowledge… Well, you can’t subvert the medium if people are ignorant to it. Hey, it wasn’t that long ago every game was a subversion on a theme, with different ideas, control schemes and even whole new genres (“SHUT UP OLD MAN” – Trendy Steve 2018).
The Hex feels like a show-reel of everything, creator (Daniel Mullins) can do… which is anything he can think up.
Clever-clogs.
But I wanna go to the kitchen, dammit.
There are light puzzles, exploration and more importantly an exploration of what it means to control these little people and what it means to create something for the cold dispassionate masses and the… no… that’s enough. The game feels personal for all parties. Now that’s quite an achievement. You can also complete it in a night, which is fine because it feels appropriate to get to the end as soon as possible.
Maybe recent efforts such as the Stanley Parable, Undertale, Superhot and yes, even Pony Island have dulled the surprise of a 4th wall break and the themes oozing out the screen. Although I was continually wowed throughout and impressed with the technical achievements my breath was never really taken away. You can’t subvert the medium if the audience knows it too well. We have been spoilt. If you haven’t been exposed to anything like this, the Hex will blow you away.
You; yourself overrate the game and scream “it’s fucking great”. You give it a day and think to yourself, “yeah, it was alright”, people should play it and they, in turn, will say “it’s fucking great” and clever and all the things you immediately said the day before, before they give it a day and say “yeah, it’s alright”…
That’s the kinda game it is. Which is fine… who can complain about having such a fucking great day?
You’ll remember the day you spend with The Hex and it will give you a new kind of appreciation between the creator and player and small jumping mascot characters.