It’s a new day, and the hunt to satisfy my hunger for a good shoot ’em up begins anew. Lo and behold, today’s little gem is Hop’s Awakening! Developed by Eden Cruz, this colorful, hand-drawn shoot ’em up will be participating in Steam Next Fest, which kicks off on October 19.
However, there’s no need to wait until then. The demo is already available, and I’ve just booted it up on my trusty AYN Thor via DroidDeck.
As the title of this article suggests, Hop’s Awakening! features a hand-drawn art style with colors that really lend themselves to the AYN Thor’s AMOLED display. The blacks are deep, and the playful, vibrant colors practically jump off the screen.
After completing the fun, playful tutorial, I’ve dipped my toes into the actual demo. My first impressions? It reminds me of some of my favorite games in the genre, like Harmful Park and Air Zonk.
At least in the early going, I wouldn’t describe the action as particularly frenetic. Instead, things move at a more deliberate pace, giving players time to familiarize themselves with the game’s mechanics and learn how to interact with the environment.
Demos are a work in progress, and it feels like Eden Cruz is on the right trajectory with Hop’s Awakening! As I continue playing through the demo, I’m hoping to see more weapon variety and some improvements to the slash mechanic.
While the full game promises 13 weapon sets, I’d really like to see the developer push the envelope when it comes to variety. We’ve all played shoot ’em ups where a weapon upgrade simply means a wider spread or faster bullets, but I think a game as playful and imaginative as this one calls for some out-of-the-box thinking. Of course, the demo only includes two stages, so perhaps some of that creativity is already waiting to be discovered in the full game. I would still encourage and welcome them to really lean into the playful nature of this game. Give us the crazy!
Overall, the demo is a fun romp on the AYN Thor. The colors really pop on its AMOLED display, the soundtrack is enjoyable, and there’s a constant barrage of yummy goodies, crystals, and power-ups to collect along the way. There’s plenty of charm here, and despite a minor gripe, I’m looking forward to seeing how the game develops.
If you enjoy vertical shmups, give Hop’s Awakening! a go!
| Gameplay | |
|---|---|
| Weapons | Unlock 13 weapon sets for Hop’s front and rear guns. |
| Scoring | Destroy enemies to build your score multiplier. Collect food to increase it further and target high-value enemies to earn extra lives. |
| Super Weapon | Collect gems to charge an attack that clears enemy bullets, grants temporary invincibility, and awards bonus points. |
| Focus Mode | Slow Hop’s movement to navigate tight spaces and dodge challenging bullet patterns. |
| Stages & Content | |
| Main Stages | 12 handcrafted levels with unique bosses. |
| Routes | Three routes through the game, with a fourth planned as a free add-on. |
| Bonus Content | Two bonus stages, two secret stages, and two different final boss stages. |
| Hidden Areas | Discover warp zones that allow players to skip stages or switch routes. |
| Presentation & Demo | |
| Visuals | Hand-drawn pixel art with a colorful, comic-inspired style. No generative AI used. |
| Soundtrack | More than 30 original music tracks composed by Eden Cruz. |
| Free Demo | Includes the Intro Stage and Route C Stage 1. |
| Developer Announcement | Eden Cruz confirms Steam Next Fest participation, October 19–26. |
| Steam Store | Official game page, screenshots, details, and free demo. |