Hobo

Hobo is a beat 'em up about a homeless man who wanted nothing more than to be left alone to sleep, and reacted to being moved on by declaring war on an entire city. It is crude, it is very funny, and it plays far better than its reputation suggests.

What Is Hobo?

Hobo is a Flash beat 'em up released in 2008 by the Finnish developer SeethingSwarm and published by Armor Games. It is the first game in a series that eventually ran to seven entries, and it is the one that set the formula: a side-scrolling street brawl where the joke is the moveset.

You walk through the city picking fights with police, other homeless men and ordinary pedestrians who are just trying to get past you. Some fight back, some run, and chasing down the ones who run is exactly as unhinged as it sounds. Each new area of the city unlocks another combo, and the combos get steadily more disgusting as you go.

How to Play Hobo

Controls

• Arrow keys - walk, and double-tap left or right to run
• A - punch, and also the key that picks up an object you are standing over
• S - kick
• P - open the combo list, which is worth checking every time a new one unlocks

There is a difficulty setting, and it genuinely matters. On easy the game is a walkover; on hard the crowds gang up and you need the combos rather than mashing punch. The game ends with a boss fight, so arriving there with health left is the whole objective.

Fighting Dirty

• Combos unlock by area. You are not buying them - clearing a stretch of city hands you the next one, so progress and moveset grow together.
• The environment is a weapon. Bins and bottles can be picked up and swung or thrown, and they hit far harder than a bare fist.
• Enemies drop what they carry. Anything a downed opponent leaves behind is yours, which is how a bad fight turns around.
• The moves are the joke. Punching and kicking are the boring options; the unlockables involve spit, vomit and worse, and they do real damage as well as being the reason people remember this game.

Tips for Staying On Your Feet

• Do not stand in the middle of a crowd. Back to a wall or to the edge of the screen means only one side can reach you at a time.
• Check the combo list when it updates. A move you never learned is a move you never use, and later fights assume you have them.
• Grab a weapon before a group fight, not during. The pick-up animation leaves you open, so do it while the street is still empty.
• Run past the fights you do not need. Health does not come back easily, so a pedestrian who is ignoring you is not worth the damage.
• Turn the difficulty down for a first run. Learning the combos on easy and then replaying on hard is far less frustrating than the reverse.

Why Play Hobo on Unblocked Games 88?

• Runs straight in the browser - no download, no install, no plugin.
• Loads on a school Chromebook or an office laptop where most game portals are filtered.
• Free to play, with no account and no sign-up.
• One-click fullscreen, plus like, comment and a heart button to keep the game in your favourites.

More Fighting Games

Madness Project Nexus keeps the side-on brawling but trades the comedy for guns, Big Shot Boxing puts the fighting in a ring with rules, and Happy Wheels shares the same taste for cartoon violence.

Hobo FAQ

Is Hobo free to play?

Yes. It runs free in your browser on this page - nothing to buy, download or sign up for.

Can I play Hobo at school or on a Chromebook?

Hobo unblocked is hosted here rather than on a separate games portal, so it usually loads on school and work networks and runs in Chrome on a Chromebook. Check your own school or company rules first - this one is rude enough that it is worth knowing where you stand.

What are the controls?

Arrow keys to move, double-tap to run, A to punch or pick something up, S to kick, and P for the combo list.

How many Hobo games are there?

Seven. After the original came Hobo 2: Prison Brawl, Hobo 3: Wanted, Hobo 4: Total War, Hobo 5: Space Brawls, Hobo 6: HELL and Hobo 7: Heaven, which closed the series out.

Who made Hobo?

SeethingSwarm, a Finnish developer, with Armor Games publishing it in 2008. All seven games were later collected and re-released on Steam.

Does Hobo work on mobile?

Not really. It was built for a keyboard in the Flash era, and the combo inputs need real keys, so a desktop or laptop is the way to play it.