Hilda and the Forgotten Valley

Hilda and the Forgotten Valley is a platformer action-adventure game based on Luke Pearson's Hilda series of graphic novels as well as primarily the Netflix TV series. It was released on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and macOS on March 27, 2020 and published by Smile Games.

Gameplay
The game is a 3D platformer akin to games such as Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. However, the difference for this game is that it focuses on traveling from point A to point B. At the end of the stage, a Sun Rose will appear for the player to pick up. The goal point won't open until the player has gotten the Sun Rose. Levels will also have hidden collectables that unlock extras such as cutscenes, concept art and bonus costumes for Hilda.

The main playable character is Hilda, and the player will mostly play as her for the majority of the game. In some parts of the game, other characters such as Twig and Alfur are playable.

Certain levels will also have the player control the Raven in his thunderbird form. When played, the level will switch to gameplay similar to the NiGHTS series.

In the DLC packs, David and Frida can also be played as well via co-op.

Plot
Hilda, her mum, Twig and Alfur are enjoying a picnic out from Trolberg. At one point, Hilda hears a mysterious voice. The voice was revealed to be a fairy-like creature called a Haltija. It later reveals itself as Flora. She tells Hilda that the Haltija reside in a forest that the citizens of Trolberg has not yet visited. Meanwhile, a corrupt businessman named Nathaniel wants to cut down the forest that the Haltija reside so he can build a new shopping center.

Flora enlists the help of Hilda to collect the Sun Roses an essence important to the Haltija that helps the forest from being harmed in any way. Accepting Flora's wish, Hilda goes off to retrieve the Sun Roses with the help of Flora and save the Haltija before it's too late.

Development
The game's story as well as characters were written and designed by Luke Pearson himself. The writers of the show also helped in handling the game's script, and the voice cast of the show reprise their roles for this game. The composers of the show handled the music for the game. For the characters original to this game, Flora is voiced by Maria Darling while Nathaniel is voiced by Tim Curry.

Originally, the game was planned to be a collect-a-thon but due to time constraints, it was changed to just reaching the goal.

Four months after the game's release, it was announced that two DLC level packs are in development. The first DLC pack, Hilda and the Mysterious Cave, centers on Hilda, David and Frida getting lost in a cave and are trying to find a way out while avoiding dangers. The second DLC pack, Hilda and the Stone of Light, where Hilda and her friends have to find scattered pieces of the Stone of Light after the Marra broke it in order for the citizens of Trolberg be trapped in an eternal slumber. The first DLC pack was released in September while the second DLC pack is set to be released in Feburary 2021.

Release
Prior to the release of the game, a special event in Smile Games's mobile game Item Camp Dash that gave Hilda, David, and Frida as playable characters to promote this game for a limited time.

A special edition of the game was released, which included the game, a 2-month Netflix free trial, a copy of Hilda and the Midnight Giant and a figurine of Hilda and Twig manufactured by Jazwares.

The PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions of the game were released in Japan by Konami in cooperation of Smile Games of Japan, under the name Hilda's Adventure: The Hidden Forest (ヒルダの冒険 韜晦の森 Hiruda no Bōken: Tōkai no Mori) on May 29, with the former assisting the latter in localizing the game. The voice cast of the Japanese dub of Hilda also return to reprise their roles, along with Mika Kanai voicing Flora and Tessho Genda voicing Nathaniel.

Ports for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are set to be released in Feburary 2021, along with the second DLC pack. Owners of the PS4 and Xbox One versions can upgrade their copy of the game to the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S respectively at no extra cost.

English

 * Bella Ramsey as Hilda
 * Daisy Haggard as Mum
 * Ameerah Falzon-Ojo as Frida
 * Oliver Nelson as David
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Alfur
 * Maria Darling as Flora
 * Tim Curry as Nathaniel

Reception
The game was met with positive to mixed reviews, with players and fans both praising the game's faithfulness to novels and show, while issues such as a lack of co-op were criticized.