Aside from the online component, the central gimmick in HomeLand is that you have the ability to, um… hold hands. And you’re not just limited to one-on-one hand-holding, no siree. We’re talking looooong chains of HomeLanders, several dozen in length, like a big virtual game of crack-the-whip. Wait, come back, it’s actually not as frooty as it sounds, and is a key element to several aspects of the game. By holding hands with a fire spirit, for instance, you and everyone else in the chain gain the ability to traverse pits of lava without taking damage. By holding hands with a wind spirit, you gain the ability to blow obstacles out of your path. In battle, the hand-holding mechanic serves a few purposes. First, the person at the very front of the chain gains a stat bonus from each person behind him, and also gains the use of the abilities of everyone else in the chain. Secondly, it serves to protect weak or wounded characters from harm, being that the person at the front of the chain is the only one who can give or take damage. The point of this system is to foster cooperation between players, which means you must choose your party wisely, especially when playing the online component.