The announcement trailer for Hoa shows off the game’s Studio Ghibli–inspired art style and Vietnamese cultural influences. However, game director Son Cao Tung says that the Vietnamese influence is applied on a much grander scale than any specific part of the game’s look or point in the storyline. Growing up in Vietnam, one of the most popular stories for kids was about the adventure of a young cricket.
This young cricket grows up and decides to go on an adventure to see other insects and animals. While the story only takes place in a small countryside, the tiny size of the cricket makes the setting feel like a whole fantasy world. These stories are meant to inspire a love for nature.
Tung says, “I guess that a lot of us, when we grow up, that joy and our love for nature is forgotten. So by creating Hoa, we just hope to remind people, and also remind ourselves, about the feeling to be a kid whenever we can.”
