Hostil

Hostil is a short, atmospheric point-and-click adventure game with a sci-fi theme centered on a crash-landed astronaut trying to escape a hostile alien planet. The game features beautiful hand-drawn static backgrounds, a calming and fitting soundtrack, and a bittersweet narrative that many players found touching and immersive. Gameplay involves pixel hunting and simple puzzles, some leaning towards hidden-object mechanics, with a few music-based puzzles near the end. The game is linear, with no backtracking and no manual save option, auto-saving only at scene starts, which some players found frustrating. Its brevity (around 30-60 minutes) is a common point of critique, making it more suitable as a casual or introductory experience rather than a deep adventure. Despite its simplicity and short length, many appreciated the art and sound design, recommending it especially for fans of the genre or those seeking a quick, artistic narrative experience. Price-wise, it is considered fair, especially on sale.

Highlights

Players praised Hostil's beautiful and atmospheric artwork, describing the hand-drawn backgrounds as captivating and wallpaper-worthy. The soundtrack complements the mood effectively, with ambient and sci-fi inspired music that enhances immersion. The storyline, though simple and familiar, was found touching and bittersweet, successfully delivering emotional impact within its short duration. Gameplay mechanics, while basic, were noted as easy to understand and accessible, making the game suitable for beginners in the point-and-click genre. The inclusion of achievements and some secrets added replay value for achievement hunters. The game’s linear design and lack of backtracking were seen as a fresh and interesting design choice by some players.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on the game's extremely short length, with many players feeling the experience was over too quickly, limiting story depth and character development. The puzzles are generally easy and simplistic, with some players frustrated by pixel hunting and unintuitive music puzzles that required trial and error or external help. The lack of manual save functionality and inability to backtrack were inconvenient, sometimes forcing restarts that interrupted flow. Some reviews pointed out minor bugs, crashes, or graphical issues on certain platforms, though these were reportedly addressed in updates. The story was sometimes described as clichéd or underdeveloped, and language localization issues were noted. Overall, players suggested waiting for a sale before purchasing due to the short gameplay time.