'Hi, How Are You' is a Terrific (Acid) Trip

I had never heard of Daniel Johnston before picking up Dr. Fun Fun's psychedelic puzzle platformer Hi, How Are You? But after blazing through 30 levels of of lead developer Pete Franco's other-worldly masterpiece in one go, I had to dignify the man with a Wikipedia search, at the very least. Johnston is the bi-polar singer, song-writer and visual artist who influenced the likes of Beck, Tom Waits and even Kurt Kobain. His somber, black-marker cartoon characters attracted quite the following into the millennium, with the most iconic being "Jeremiah the Frog," the primary playable character in Hi, How Are You, which is incidentally the name of Johnston's most popular cassette. In Hi, How Are You Franco breathes new life into Johnston's work - populating the world with his drawings, his music and the strangely sanguine themes that characterize his artistic career.

In traditional platforming fashion, Hi, How Are You?'s story is exceedingly simple. A boy has found true love, but the devil is bent on testing its bounds by locking up his girl and turning him into a frog. The frog must then endure 30 levels of puzzle/platforming adventure to reunite with his love. The narration-less story is presented in simple cut scenes that enthrall the player with a hand-drawn, asymmetrical art style that is, in my humble opinion, too foreign to the gaming world.         

The levels in Hi, How Are You are something you might find in Super Monkey Ball or one of the many marble rolling platformers in the app store. Using the accelerometer, you must navigate over (and thus activate) all of the green platforms in order to unlock the exit. Some of the platforms are deactivated when you step on them a second time, which adds to the complexity of level navigation. Transparent stop buttons come in handy when maneuvering close to ledges or enemies. You can rotate your viewing angle by tapping on transparent arrows, and a two-finger swipe towards the edges of the screen will zoom out and pause the game so that you can develop your level strategy. A virtual joystick control option is also available (and eliminates the need for a stop button) but I found the default scheme to work swimmingly.

As you advance through the game, additional level elements come into play. You can utilize seeming obstacles to your advantage, like the ladel-shaped pendulums that catapult your character onto higher platforms. You must avoid monsters, swinging spike cubes and ever-present ledges that invite certain doom. One thing that I really appreciated in Hi, How Are You? was the freedom of movement present in each level. Unlike a fair share of platformers that prohibit the player from dropping off the side of a level, or jumping in an unusual location, this game has no such restrictions. It may come as somewhat of a surprise, but I like knowing that one false move can result in my character plummeting from the sky. Such freedom legitimizes the challenge and puts more faith in the player.

Additional challenge is derived from trying to complete a level before the timer runs out, and activating all of the the red bonus platforms. There are a variety of achievements to earn, and depending on your performance in a particular level you'll be rewarded with a bronze, silver or gold trophy. All of these additional incentives reinforce the replayability of the game. Allegedly, if you snag a gold trophy for every level, you'll unlock some sort of goodie, but this could not be confirmed by me at the time of review.

 

Yet another element that spices up gameplay is the evolution of your character. As you progress through levels, the devil will transform your character from a frog, to a square block, to a rolling sphere and finally a human boy. Each model controls differently and this process of adaptation is quite enjoyable.

Of the few criticisms I had with Hi, How are You, the game's difficulty and length were the most troublesome. I managed to conquer all 30 levels in a little over an hour (bonuses and gold trophies not withstanding). I'd love to see more levels (of increasing difficulty) in a future update. I can only hope that positive reviews will fuel the success of the game and prompt more development.

If it wasn't clear from the intro, Hi, How Are You's aesthetic is like nothing on the device. The character models and levels are all presented in three dimensions of cartoonish, cell-shaded wonderment. Navigating through the game is what I imagine walking around a museum of post-modern art on acid is like. It's not far-fetched to say you'll get caught up just looking around. Franco (with the help of Johnston, of course) has created a vibrant, breath-taking world to discover, and Johnston's music is seamlessly integrated. His somber, yet uplifting song list rotates throughout the game and yet manages to avoid feeling repetitive. If it's possible for a video game to be hipster, I'd say Franco hits the mark. I hope to see much more from Dr. Fun Fun on this platform.

TS Recommendation:

Hi, How Are You is more than just a iPhone game. It's a fantastic tribute to an artist who's battled mental illness and come out on top, gracing the world with a visual and musical style like no other. Okay, so it's also a really fun game that deserves a lot more attention than it's currently getting. Hi, How Are You is the recipient of Thumb Spree's first Ribbon of High Recommendation. For $.99, there is no conceivable reason to pass up this title. Click the link below to immerse yourself in a whole new (magical) world.

Title: Hi, How Are You?
Developer: Dr. Fun Fun
Price: $.99, $2.99
Lite Version: No
Compatible Devices: All Devices Supported
Test Device: iPhone 3G

'Hi, How Are You' is a Terrific (Acid) Trip