The player controls a snake-like creature to explore 17 whimsical worlds with no set objectives.

[2] Critics appreciated the game's presentation, including its art and music, but felt that the gameplay turned to drudgery towards its end and that the objectives were too vague.

[3][4][5] The player-character is a multicolored serpent creature called the "Long Mover"[6] who glides through whimsical game worlds with loose objectives.

[1] The developer described the game as about "relaxing in a space and just enjoying the experience and the music, instead of trying to complete it to make progress",[7] and an IGN preview said it is "simply about the beauty of exploring".

[1] In Sponge Land,[7] an underwater world, the player gathers fish to swim alongside the Long Mover.

[7] Another level lets the player create shapes in the sky by flying past stars.

The two discussed making a game and began to collaborate when Hogg sent images to Haggett, who was experimenting with Adobe Flash.

[12] The gameplay was designed to encourage expressive play and experimentation[6] as "a playground, a place to wander about".

[15] The game's "Fun Fair" level was based on Portmeiron in North Wales,[16] and they were also inspired by the festival costumes of the Selknam people of southern Argentina.

[6] Hogg described the team's working relationship as informal and their decision-making as fully collaborative, particularly in the feel of the game world.

[6] Hogg was not as involved in the "nitty-gritty of gameplay and puzzle mechanics" due to his skill set.

[6] The name of the snakelike Long Mover is a reference to a snake in a skit by British comedy troupe The Mighty Boosh.

[15] Honeyslug also formed a partnership with Santa Monica Studio to be the game's publisher and co-developer.

[2] Critics appreciated the game's presentation, including its art and music, but felt that the gameplay turned to drudgery towards its end and that the objectives were too vague.

and Sound Shapes and wrote that it was designed for simultaneous "sensory overload and hypnotizing lack of substance".

[5] While he found Hohokum fun and relaxing, he thought it lacked the special element that distinguished Flower, Journey, and Proteus from "ambiguous art-heavy experiences".