Big Hops Review — Creative 3D Platforming

Big Hops review: A charming 3D platformer that rewards creativity

While playing Big Hops, a new 3D platformer starring an adorable frog, I kept feeling like I was breaking the game — and, like with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, breaking it is kind of the point. Big Hops blends classic Nintendo-style platforming with clever physics-based tools that encourage experimentation and creative problem solving.

Premise and core mechanics

In Big Hops you play Hop, a frog separated from his home who must gather airship parts across several colorful regions to return. Each area introduces cute animal characters and short storylines that give the adventure personality without slowing the action.

Hop's primary tool is his tongue. You use it to grab and toss objects for coins, grapple to new locations, and snag items with special powers sprinkled through the world. Combined with Mario-like jumps, dives, wall runs, and a Zelda-style stamina meter for climbing, the tongue mechanics let you navigate vertical environments and traverse large gaps with satisfying momentum.

Unique item abilities and player creativity

The game's special items — often presented as foods — open up creative solutions to platforming challenges. Examples include:

• A mushroom that becomes a bounce pad to reach higher ledges.
• An apple that turns into a temporary grappling point when thrown at walls.
• A cactus that can be tossed to form a tightrope for crossing chasms.
• Other items such as an oil ball or a bomb rock provide different physics interactions and puzzle options.

Hop can carry multiple items in his backpack. That inventory allows you to mix and match tools to solve obstacles in ways the designers might not have intended. In one scenario I repeatedly fell short on a wall-run challenge; by accident I landed on a nearby wall, deployed a flying fruit, and grappled to a final platform. That kind of emergent gameplay will excite speedrunners and creative players alike.

Exploration, collectibles, and progression

Beyond the main goal of finding airship parts, Big Hops encourages exploration with several collectible systems:

• Purple dots scattered throughout levels, often tucked in hidden corners or on high cliffs. Collect enough and you unlock trinkets that attach to Hop's backpack and grant perks like marking dot locations on your compass or reducing stamina drain when climbing.
• Bugs to find and identify, which offer additional bonuses and charm for completionists.
• Flower petals that let you customize Hop's outfits for visual variety.
• Blueprints and upgrades — for example, a blueprint that unlocked a railgun enabling long-distance tightrope placement across huge gaps.

The game largely lacks roaming enemies, letting you focus on platforming and exploration. There are a few boss encounters, but they felt light on challenge and more like set-piece puzzles than combat tests.

Inspirations and level design

Big Hops wears its influences on its sleeve. If you grew up on 3D Nintendo games, many moments will feel familiar and delightful:

• Dedicated platforming rooms reminiscent of secret areas in Super Mario Sunshine.
• Gravity-shifting sectors that called to mind Super Mario Galaxy.
• An intricate sewer area with design beats similar to a Zelda dungeon.

Where Big Hops shines is how it builds on those inspirations. It integrates tongue-based grappling, item physics, and a light progression loop to create a playful sandbox for traversal and discovery.

Big Hops rewards experimentation: use items creatively, combine tools, and discover shortcuts that bypass intended solutions.

Who should play

If you enjoy 3D platformers, exploration, and emergent gameplay — especially fans of classic Nintendo titles — Big Hops offers a fresh, charming take. Its emphasis on traversal over combat and its toolbox of physics-driven items make it a strong pick for players who like to invent solutions and hunt for secrets.

Availability

Big Hops is available now on Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PC. For ongoing gaming news and updates on platformers like this, follow the game's coverage and community discussions.

Review by Jay Peters