Have You Played... Hernhand?

Have You Played? is an endless stream of game recommendations. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time.

We've gushed an awful lot about Bernband, but have you played its fellow waggly-handed walking simulator Hernhand [official site]? The two are companions of sorts, with Tom van den Boogaart (BB) and Jake Clover (HH) riffing off the same idea of exploring an alien city and both citing other as inspirations. They make interesting pals.

Like Bernband, Hernhand is a wander 'em up set in a strange alien city. But while Bernband artfully papers over its seams and limits with a minimalist style, Hernhand delights in its scrappiness. It's a sprawl of MS Paint art, with textures stretched across sloppy architecture and slapped on cuboids for characters - complete with black space filling in the gaps. Even your waggly hands are drawn onto black blocks. And while BB's world is neatly sectioned off, HH will let you roam around and get lost inside its big cubeworld. It's ugly but charming, with lots of great weird details and noises and decorations. I'm really into the intricate bits of machinery on otherwise-blurry walls, which tend to screech at me.

(Tip: look for a door in the bar to head downwards - HH is bigger than you might initially think, and not that bothered about signposting.)

It's interesting to see as a companion to a game I adore. As you've surely played BB and enjoyed it, you might enjoy seeing its sibling.