Inexplicavel o quanto isso é fofo e marcante
this is one of the greatest 3d platformers of modern times
seal the deal was humbling, 10/10 would fight ultra snatcher again
seal the deal was humbling, 10/10 would fight ultra snatcher again
a hat in time is one of those games where I don't think I'll ever truly get my fill. not in a bad way, I think the game is wonderful and it's a very nice 10 hour journey, and I think I'll always eventually come back, even if it's years from now. I feel the same way about Mario odyssey, and if I'm comparing something to that game in a positive light you know it's special. every part of this game hits, the platforming is, you guessed it, as finely tuned as it should be for any platformer, but it isn't just the raw gameplay that makes me love this world. a hat in time is adorable, but it doesn't go overboard. all of the sweet has a slight, slight sour tinge underneath it and it all balances incredibly well to the point the game makes you laugh, and also go "god damn, that's adorable". hat kid is a perfect platformer mascot. she isn't given much dialog, but what she does have paints such a clear picture and really bonds you to her. the side characters are pretty much all hits, i felt compelled to talk to everyone, even if it was a random owl sitting on the train, or some mafia thug that was ready to beat me up. i really want to see what this studio does next
I have exactly one criticism for this game, and it's quite the nitpick: A Hat in Time feels a little too cynical for the genre style it's going for. It's not much, and it's really only in a handful of places - for example, that throwaway line about Hat Kid's soul feeling "the normal amount of empty". It's a really funny line! But it does take me out of things just a little bit.
Everything else, though? Some of the most fun I've had in what's easily my most comfortable type of video game. 3D platformers are comfort food for me, so I was quite excited when this game's Kickstarter was announced. A modern 3D platformer, deliberately evocative of GameCube titles I'd grown up on like Super Mario Sunshine and Wind Waker? I didn't kick in, since admittedly there have been very few games I've backed on Kickstarter, but I was very excited to follow the game's progress.
Then it came out, and it was even better than I could have imagined.
There's an immediate joy to this game. Hat Kid has to be one of the most likable protagonists - cute and fun-loving, but impulsive, rude, and little concerned with the troubles she finds herself drawn into. There are all these hints at the world being fairly dark, what with those character vaults hinting at all the major players' tragic backstories, but this almost never intersects with the actual narrative of the adventure. Hat Kid almost feels like Kirby in this regard: an adorable hero in a sweet world with dark overtones. Only Kirby himself is not wired to interface with tragedy, just friends and foes, while Hat Kid is kinda annoyed by everyone (besides Bow Kid) and is content to cavalierly do her own thing.
Which makes for a great complement to the game's "anything goes" approach to level design! This is one of those games where there isn't really a "tutorial" world, nor is there any point in having one, since what every level asks ends up being so unique. This isn't to say that the game leaves the player in the lurch; "Mafia Town" very naturally shows off what Hat Kid can do and gives the player a ton of space to explore. And then every other world does something wildly different.
"Battle of the Birds" is quite simply one of the most fun and engaging video game worlds, period. What a fun way to bring together wildly divergent ideas! I'm curious about the original "science owls" concept mentioned in the Kickstarter, but I honestly can't imagine preferring it to what we got: two inexplicable rivals, a funky penguin and a train conductor... thing... trying to win an annual film director award. Dead Bird Studios and the respective train/moon film sets make for cool, divergent environments with their own challenges, and while I have a definite favorite (The Conductor), the whole thing's great.
Since I'm going through all the different worlds anyway - "Subcon Forest" is probably the other easy candidate for someone's favorite world. Having Super Mario Bros. 2 in my foundational gaming background, I went in expecting a very dreamlike world (i.e. Subconscious). And while that is the case, it's a dual meaning, since you spend the whole world Subcon-tracting. The Snatcher is suuuuuuch a fun villain, adding a ton of loud personality to what's otherwise a very melancholy, quiet world. I love the scattershot flow that comes from this world, where you can get saddled with contracts in one level that won't even be addressed for another level or two. Makes the whole thing feel way more sprawling than you'd expect.
Speaking of sprawling, there's Alpine Skyline! I've heard it called the also-ran world of this game, and it's hard to argue with that. I do still think it's quite good, though! A big world of pure platforming challenges makes for a fun counter-offer to the game's usual character-driven design. Like you definitely miss the presence of other characters, but there's something nice and silently contemplative to all the obstacle courses that characterize this place.
...other levels I'll cover if/when I get around to doing reviews for the DLC. This write-up just covers the base game.
But, like, I've spent a lot of words articulating a simple point - A Hat in Time is a wonderful, wonderful game. One of those where everything, from the cast to the level design to the writing to the MUSIC, contributes to one of the most enjoyable games I can think of. An easy personal recommendation for anyone.
Everything else, though? Some of the most fun I've had in what's easily my most comfortable type of video game. 3D platformers are comfort food for me, so I was quite excited when this game's Kickstarter was announced. A modern 3D platformer, deliberately evocative of GameCube titles I'd grown up on like Super Mario Sunshine and Wind Waker? I didn't kick in, since admittedly there have been very few games I've backed on Kickstarter, but I was very excited to follow the game's progress.
Then it came out, and it was even better than I could have imagined.
There's an immediate joy to this game. Hat Kid has to be one of the most likable protagonists - cute and fun-loving, but impulsive, rude, and little concerned with the troubles she finds herself drawn into. There are all these hints at the world being fairly dark, what with those character vaults hinting at all the major players' tragic backstories, but this almost never intersects with the actual narrative of the adventure. Hat Kid almost feels like Kirby in this regard: an adorable hero in a sweet world with dark overtones. Only Kirby himself is not wired to interface with tragedy, just friends and foes, while Hat Kid is kinda annoyed by everyone (besides Bow Kid) and is content to cavalierly do her own thing.
Which makes for a great complement to the game's "anything goes" approach to level design! This is one of those games where there isn't really a "tutorial" world, nor is there any point in having one, since what every level asks ends up being so unique. This isn't to say that the game leaves the player in the lurch; "Mafia Town" very naturally shows off what Hat Kid can do and gives the player a ton of space to explore. And then every other world does something wildly different.
"Battle of the Birds" is quite simply one of the most fun and engaging video game worlds, period. What a fun way to bring together wildly divergent ideas! I'm curious about the original "science owls" concept mentioned in the Kickstarter, but I honestly can't imagine preferring it to what we got: two inexplicable rivals, a funky penguin and a train conductor... thing... trying to win an annual film director award. Dead Bird Studios and the respective train/moon film sets make for cool, divergent environments with their own challenges, and while I have a definite favorite (The Conductor), the whole thing's great.
Since I'm going through all the different worlds anyway - "Subcon Forest" is probably the other easy candidate for someone's favorite world. Having Super Mario Bros. 2 in my foundational gaming background, I went in expecting a very dreamlike world (i.e. Subconscious). And while that is the case, it's a dual meaning, since you spend the whole world Subcon-tracting. The Snatcher is suuuuuuch a fun villain, adding a ton of loud personality to what's otherwise a very melancholy, quiet world. I love the scattershot flow that comes from this world, where you can get saddled with contracts in one level that won't even be addressed for another level or two. Makes the whole thing feel way more sprawling than you'd expect.
Speaking of sprawling, there's Alpine Skyline! I've heard it called the also-ran world of this game, and it's hard to argue with that. I do still think it's quite good, though! A big world of pure platforming challenges makes for a fun counter-offer to the game's usual character-driven design. Like you definitely miss the presence of other characters, but there's something nice and silently contemplative to all the obstacle courses that characterize this place.
...other levels I'll cover if/when I get around to doing reviews for the DLC. This write-up just covers the base game.
But, like, I've spent a lot of words articulating a simple point - A Hat in Time is a wonderful, wonderful game. One of those where everything, from the cast to the level design to the writing to the MUSIC, contributes to one of the most enjoyable games I can think of. An easy personal recommendation for anyone.
Love the characters and platforming. Humor can be surprisingly dark, and one level in particular is surprisingly scary. Not the prettiest game though. In-game steam workshop support is great and provides crazy amounts of content. Most of the DLC was worth it to me, with late-game challenges and co-op. I come back to it every now and then to work towards some achievements.
Evidently made by and for folx who fell victim to the menticide program proclaiming that the Gamecube was a bänger console with bänger games. The lunchbox handle was arguably convenient but what use is that if at the other address awaited a boX that allowed one to play the very same game as a kewl character voiced by not-Keith David instead of some mute fairy boy, O gamerS...?
I can see why this game was so popular when it came out, but I just thought it was ok.
It's fun! And I really like this weird world and characters they have created. It is cute and charming, I really like how this game looks, how it sounds, some of the missions are pretty fun and unique.
I particularly liked the film studio level, the cat mafia level or the cruise level. I like when these games try to tell a mini story in different parts every time you jump back into a level and the whole layout changes.
My biggest complaint with this game is that, as a platformer...it's just not very challenging. The game will give you plenty of opportunity to fuck things up and your character can spend so much time in the air that it is really hard to mess up jumps.
On top of that, the movement here is solid but it doesn't quite reach the same level of mechanical complexity or sense of flow that some of my favorite 3D platformers do accomplish. That and some of these levels are just too cluttered and/or too big in my opinion, so a lot of these feel a bit longer than they should.
Still a really solid experience and I recommend it. If anything for how charming and unique it still is.
It's fun! And I really like this weird world and characters they have created. It is cute and charming, I really like how this game looks, how it sounds, some of the missions are pretty fun and unique.
I particularly liked the film studio level, the cat mafia level or the cruise level. I like when these games try to tell a mini story in different parts every time you jump back into a level and the whole layout changes.
My biggest complaint with this game is that, as a platformer...it's just not very challenging. The game will give you plenty of opportunity to fuck things up and your character can spend so much time in the air that it is really hard to mess up jumps.
On top of that, the movement here is solid but it doesn't quite reach the same level of mechanical complexity or sense of flow that some of my favorite 3D platformers do accomplish. That and some of these levels are just too cluttered and/or too big in my opinion, so a lot of these feel a bit longer than they should.
Still a really solid experience and I recommend it. If anything for how charming and unique it still is.
A fantastic 3D collectathon with immaculate boss fights. The first DLC did sour me on it to the point of never playing the second one, but the base game is a very easy recommend.