Haak cements itself firmly in the upper echelon of metroidvanias. The level design may seem uninspired visually, but the absolute confidence and fluidity with which the gameplay is executed lends well to the simple 2D world. It just feels good to play, with snappy mechanics and movement, both of which are so important in a 2D platformer of this scale, as you'll be spending close to 25 hours to achieve 100%.
There's a stellar map system, progressive upgrades, and a proper teleport system that leave you with close to zero secrets left to find after the final boss, which is a massive plus in my book. The game respects your time, and by the last leg of it you have and are able to utilize Haak's entire toolkit to its fullest, rather than snagging the final upgrade or two when there's nothing left to do. Bosses, enemy variety, and combat in general aren't particularly satisfying, nor where the game shines. Enemies are to be looked at more as platforming obstacles, and there isn't a single difficult fight to be found. The exploration, platforming, and engagement with the tools provided to you are where Haak really shows its prowess.
The UI is entirely readable and follows general common sense design, and there are close to zero bugs. There is a story here and it's not uninteresting, but the translation is incredibly stifled, which ended up being the only other detractor in my experience; there is no word of mouth at all in English for Haak. It's readable, but you're almost better off skipping the text unless it's improved; just let the gameplay speak for itself. Some may not be able to overlook this but the atmosphere, world building, and superb execution of mechanics are more than enough to wash down the lackluster translation.
There's a stellar map system, progressive upgrades, and a proper teleport system that leave you with close to zero secrets left to find after the final boss, which is a massive plus in my book. The game respects your time, and by the last leg of it you have and are able to utilize Haak's entire toolkit to its fullest, rather than snagging the final upgrade or two when there's nothing left to do. Bosses, enemy variety, and combat in general aren't particularly satisfying, nor where the game shines. Enemies are to be looked at more as platforming obstacles, and there isn't a single difficult fight to be found. The exploration, platforming, and engagement with the tools provided to you are where Haak really shows its prowess.
The UI is entirely readable and follows general common sense design, and there are close to zero bugs. There is a story here and it's not uninteresting, but the translation is incredibly stifled, which ended up being the only other detractor in my experience; there is no word of mouth at all in English for Haak. It's readable, but you're almost better off skipping the text unless it's improved; just let the gameplay speak for itself. Some may not be able to overlook this but the atmosphere, world building, and superb execution of mechanics are more than enough to wash down the lackluster translation.