One Hour

Hello and welcome to the review of the most mysterious game I've ever played: One Hour! This game is pretty bizarre because it starts without an intro, has no menu screen and ends after one hour closing itself automatically after the ending sequence that may be different, depending on what you will be able to realize.

We start as a lonely guy camping in the woods, but we'll soon realize that this isn't a happy vacation, especially due the sense of urgence and some messages that will sometimes remember the player how much time is left.
Wandering around you will discover that there are items that we can collect but each task require another item (exploring the caves for example requires a source of light, while machete is needed to open paths blocked by vines, gloves for the brambles etc...), except for one that instead requires solving a puzzle. Once you figure out the order of the tasks I think it will pretty easy to complete the game in an hour, so I'm pretty sure that every player will need at least one playthrough to figure out a strategy and understand what's going on.


I love pushing boulders puzzles! If you aren't as skilled as me there is a practical hourglass to reset the puzzle and if you are stuck you can also jump down!

I say this because while some puzzles, like the boulder puzzle one, are quite logical, others like the one that requires to find a path through the vines are not: there you will soon realize that some vines will reveal cut trees that will block the passage anyway, so you will need to find the right path wasting a lot of time clearing brambles even where it is not necessary.
Same thing for the swimming part where you have not only to avoid hostiles underwater creatures, but also figure out where you are supposed to go, and how, since there is no explanations for the mechanics of the two bars on the lower right of the screen. You've to figure out it yourself this too, but do not worry, you cannot die, just waste time, but this will almost surely prevent you to get a good ending on the first try. IF there is a good ending, since I am reviewing this game after the first playthrough, where I assume I got almost every item and I completed each task but I surely missed something (for example I did not unlock the chest with the password). I got a message like "You were close, but as I said before you were too late" and a bad ending cutscene, then the game closed itself (it did not go to the main menu) but at least it explained something about the plot of the game, something I obviously won't tell you of course!

Now, he graphics: game is pretty, really pretty! Despite consisting only in two maps (the outdoor area and the mines) mapping is pretty much excellent. For what I've seen in the credits it includes First Seed Material resources and other graphics that creates a believable colorful world incorporating puzzles. I like how there is no possibility to get stuck anywhere no matter what, you can only waste time. And time will be your worst enemy!
Music is... not there! Really, the game has no music, only sounds. This was made on purpose to enforce the sense of mystery and uneasiness. This is not a horror game (or is it? I mean those mysterious underwater creatures...), I can assure you of this without spoiling the story.


Do we really need a pair of gloves? Well, OF COURSE we need a pair gloves!!!

Final Verdict
One Hour is a pretty weird game: as I wrote I am pretty sure you will need at least one playthrough to understand it and be able to complete it (the developer claims that he can complete in 15 minutes, and I think that's totally possible, once you know what you're expected to do and how you can solve the various puzzles), since the first tour will be a scouting exploration to figure out something, since you will start with absolutely no info or explanation about anything.
I'm pretty sure this will discourage some players that will expect another kind of narrative experience, anyway it's not a bad concept, even if it's clearly not for everyone! I also liked some of the puzzle more than others that I felt will make you waste time depending on your luck, not skill of ability (I's sure I won't remember the convoluted vine path without playing the game at least four time!), and that's unfair, I guess. On the other hand all the rest is very well dseigned, game is beautiful in its simplicity, and it's also an interesting concept. Not bad at all!