During GDC 2026 (GDC Festival of Gaming), we attended the Nintendo Switch 2 Partner Preview, and Hoa 2 took my heart. Developed by Viet developer Skrollcat Studio and published by PM Studios, this third-party Switch 2 title is for those looking to sit back and explore a hand-illustrated natural world.
With a beautiful painterly aesthetic, Hoa 2 is a sequel to Hoa, which was a sidescrolling platformer. Now, Skrollcat Studio has created a 3D world, expanding the puzzle and platforming possibilities while keeping their adorable protagonist in mind throughout.
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In the game, you play as the titular fairy returning to explore nature, partner with fascinating creatures, and discover the secrets of the world as you aim to aid your robot friend, who is in need of fuel. The character design throughout the game draws on aspects and inspirations from animated films like Legend of Hei and the Studio Ghibli filmography, especially Ponyo and Castle in the Sky.
Hoa 2 wears its Studio Ghibli inspirations on its sleeve.
In our 20 minutes with the game during the preview, it is hard to call Hoa 2 anything but charming. A cozy game, there is no combat or death in the game, just cozy hand-drawn vibes that pay off as you solve each puzzle. Hoa 2 offers the simple joy of exploration through puzzle-solving. Set in a world inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli, Viet developers Skrollcat Studio have prioritized comfort and beauty in Hoa 2.
You play as the titular character, Hoa, whose name means flower in Vietnamese. The goal of Hoa 2 is to collect fuel to refill your robot friend’s battery and keep him by your side.
To do that, you must explore a 3D world and find your way through puzzles to unlock the individual fuel droplets, with some offering more than others. With platforming at its core, players use different elements of the world, from pipes to large crabs, to find their way across gaps and up cliffs alike.
This cozy adventure inspires curiosity.
With no fall damage and no fear of death, the game piques players’ curiosity. Fall, glide, and explore a world with no fear. The traversal mechanics feel intuitive, but more importantly, the world doesn’t restrict you. Between the wonder the environment inspires and the soft, whimsical soundtrack, a childlike curiosity is sparked. It’s easy to see a future where Hoa 2 becomes your next favorite cozy game.
Additionally, the title will receive family support, making it even more accessible to young children and tapping into Nintendo’s unique intergenerational appeal. This element expands its audience, and in its simplicity, the game takes advantage of how a beautiful world can speak to all ages.
But even with its ease, the game does offer some challenge in its puzzle-solving. Whether that is from speed or creatively using objects in the world to solve it, cozy doesn’t mean without depth. While some puzzles are easy to navigate, others take more skill as elements introduced slowly evolve over time.
Simple and charming, Hoa 2 is set to be an all-ages cozy game favorite.
One of Hoa 2’s more thoughtful elements of puzzles involves making the player ally with creatures in order to find their path, but also clear hurdles. Hoa is one with the land around her, and it comes through beautifully in the game’s mechanics.
As you get to learn your abilities and master them by solving puzzles, you’ll also be able to get achievements and unlock costumes for your already cute protagonist. With secrets to collect and challenges to clear, Hoa 2 seems likely to inspire more replayability than its simple presentation may suggest.
Hoa 2 has everything it takes to succeed, and the soft joy it offers players, along with its whimsical adventure, is something we can all use right now. Thoughtful puzzle design drives this unique artistic game.
Hoa 2 does not currently have a release date and is scheduled to release sometime in 2026.
