Hand in Hand PC Review: An Amazing Occasion To Evaluate Yourself or Your Friendship

Hand in Hand is an atmospheric game with puzzles that rely on teamwork to obtain your goals.

Hand in Hand was Developed by MaxMedia and published by OverGamez, an international publishing company with a headquarters in Georgia focused on porting and other endeavors have brought you the 2D puzzle platformer Hand in Hand, a story of love, separation, challenges, and teamwork.

Starting Hand in Hand, you are shown a very good 2D animated cutscene, and things already start going down an odd path with the storylines. Even though there are no words or narrations in Hand in Hand, the story unfolds visually as two characters, a man and a woman, are presented in a tower. Both are smitten by love, but as all good stories go, there’s always a great evil, and with the appearance of this great evil, the two love birds run from each other, ultimately losing each other along the way.

You are shown the basic tutorial once the male character finds his bearings. This involves how to attack, jump, and work some of the more basic puzzles as you make your way through to the next zone. After having done all the requirements of the basic tutorial for the male character, you will be introduced to the controls of the female character, which will take place on a small part of your keyboard should you be playing solo on the mouse and keyboard.

Take into consideration that playing solo will have you playing both characters at the same time, also attempting to keep them in sync as certain parts of the game will require each character’s unique aspects; these aspects are as follows – For the male character, you will be given the ability to melee attack, now this can be used against enemies or some obstacles that could block your path like stone pillars or fake walls.

While exploring Hand in Hand, you will encounter enemies; this is where your melee and mist form will be most handy. With the melee attack, you will be able to attack and destroy enemies that stand in your way, while the female character will have the chance to phase through the enemies or obstacles for a brief period of time.

As with both unique traits, they are both governed by bars at the bottom of your screen and will have to recharge after use. Don’t fret, though; these bars fill up pretty quickly; just make sure not to be close to an enemy or in the middle of a thorn cluster, as this will end your character and force you to start over from the last checkpoint.

The female character has the unique trait of becoming like a ghost or a mist-like form, which will be your main tool against walls or thorns, crossing distances and revealing ghost-like platforms, which will only appear if she is in her ghostly mist form.

Moving on to the rest of the game, you’ll make your way through the different levels with both characters and discover what looks like massive doorways. After getting both characters to these doors, you will unlock more of the story with more cutscenes not exactly stating what’s going on, but it’s more along the lines of flashing images and moving frames that slowly reveal more while allowing you as the player to make assumptions until enough is revealed for a true answer to be found.

Hand in Hand’s challenges and levels start easy but will increase in difficulty as you progress, although this is to be expected with any puzzle game such as Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Child of Light, or even We Are Eva. However, Hand in Hand will have you jumping, timing movements, pulling levers, pushing boxes, and many other interactive puzzles to solve. Some will have you using only one character to get through, while most others will have you using both at the same time to get certain challenges done.

Although, this concept of using two characters at the same time is exciting and fun. When playing solo, this mechanic can become a lot more difficult and frustrating, so it is recommended to play with a friend to make the challenges just a little more manageable.

While, at the same time, testing the connection and communication between you and your friends. If your communication and timing are perfect, you and your teammate will make it through the game with not much of a hassle, although if communication and timing are not synced enough, it can be a very frustrating game for you.

Hand in Hand will have you working together to solve puzzles, buttons, stones, and lights and overcome challenges to make your way back to each other to further the story. The story itself is a message on the importance of relationships and teamwork; even when far away, you can aid your friend or partner.

Most of the game is self-explained through images and music, where you are visually shown cutscenes and images with the music working to set the mood and tone of this fairytale world. Whether playing solo or with a friend, the split screen aspect is always there as you view two different characters in different zones and situations.

Working together in these different environments, you or your partner will have to look for the switches that open paths for both players or characters to progress. Some of these will be timing challenges like getting through stone doors that will crush any character whose reaction time is too slow to make it, forcing you to start over and return so that both characters can make it through their roadblocks.

Some parts of the game’s challenges and bosses can be difficult, but there is always a way to surpass the challenge or beat the boss, giving a fulfilling and captivating feel to the game and the characters’ story. Hand in Hand’s levels and environmental designs, in general, are well done with a 2D setting; the levels with green and rocky areas and other parts of the game are awesomely done, with each piece of the environment portraying its elements smoothly and without glitches.

Hand in Hand has satisfying challenges and is really fun to play with friends. Your game time will depend solely on how well you do on your own or with your friends while getting through challenges that will have you work on timing and thinking inside and outside the box for strategies to succeed.

Teamwork and patience will be your best bet in this puzzle game. Think carefully, watch everything, and have fun with it. The game’s challenges are only as difficult as you or your partner make them; work together to discover a deeper meaning and message within the game itself.

Hand in Hand sparks the mind to think about situations and relationships along with challenges you could face with the person you love, such as being separated from each other and obstacles in the way that requires you to work together. This is similar to real life in the sense that working together makes it easier to overcome challenges while strengthening each other in the long run.

Overall, Hand in Hand is a fun 2D puzzle platformer that will have you challenging bosses and taking on puzzles that stimulate the mind and help build stronger bonds with friends and partners in the hopes of completing the game itself. The game is worth giving a shot and is definitely challenging and captivating.