[Average Reading Time: 6 Minutes]

Part of a well-balanced shooter!

Of the many game genres I don't dabble deeply in, shoot 'em up's, or "SHMUPS" for short, rank highly in the realm of "I wish I was good at them because they always look really cool". I've played a small handful of them over the years, but whenever I did, I was always satisfied just reaching the end, regardless of how many credits I go through to get there. I played sloppily. I wasted bombs. I needed to use continues every 2 minutes. I struggled 'till the end and breathed a sigh of relief when crossing the finish line. If asked to do a second lap, I'd decline and never look back.

I was made aware of Hazelnut Hex by a friend, and after looking into it a bit I found myself interested in giving it a shot. Little did I know that this would be the first time a shooter would make me want to give it my all, and I certainly did (even if I didn't accomplish the goal I set out to clear in the end).

Behold, Hazelnut Hex! A shooter based on a fictional cereal of the same name! In the world of Hazelnut Hex, all of the breakfast foods are disappearing, and it's up to Nat, the cereal's mascot, and her trusty squirrel sidekick Sam to solve the mystery and aid their friends, who have all turned against her after being in a foul mood from not having the most important meal of the day!

The first thing you'll notice when looking into this game is the visuals. Everything's so cute! Cute character designs are all over the place here, from the main cast to the enemies you'll face on your adventure. For games like this, such as the Cotton series, people will typically describe them using the term "Cute 'em Up", which is basically a shooter with cute visuals. I feel that this term applies perfectly to Hazelnut Hex! Funnily enough, both the Cotton series and Hazelnut Hex feature a witch as the protagonist!

I also really dig the concept on display here. They manage to capture the vibe of a cereal-based universe pretty well, with the mascot and supporting characters giving off that Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops energy that you don't really see nowadays as bluntly as you did back when people watched TV regularly. The dialogue with characters adds to this, as well, with Nat not-so-subtly advertising the cereal as she chats with her friends. Her bringing up the nutritional value of Hazelnut Hex(™) always got a chuckle out of me.

In terms of gameplay, what we have here is a very well-made horizontal shooter! You can hold the shoot button down to rapid-fire shots, or you can charge a shot that penetrates enemies and bullets by not shooting for a bit. You'll find powerups that make your shot bigger and more powerful as you slay foes. You can also find Sam in stages, who will fire shots alongside you, as well as clear enemy bullets off screen when you first pick them up.

You also get access to a bomb equivalent in the form of a giant laser attack. Rather than starting with a set amount of charges of this with either no ability to find more or needing to get them via pickups, you can charge a meter that gradually gives more uses by collecting stars that enemies drop upon defeat. You can only have so many charges, though, and the game clearly displays this limit, so you'll know when to let loose with one of these attacks. Aside from being a big attack, this move will also destroy every bullet on screen, giving you a score bonus as well as some time to breathe!

They also introduce an alternative system to lives that I really like. Rather than having lives, you have hits you can take. You start with 3 by default, with the ability to earn more by meeting specific score thresholds. When you get hit, instead of losing your powerups like you would in other shooters, you keep them! If you use a continue, though, your weapon powerups will be reset. They make up for this, however, by spawning in a ton of powerup icons for you to pick up immediately to get your weapon back in shape!

You also get a ton of ways to modify the gameplay experience, whether you want an easier time or more of a challenge. There are two difficulty modes to choose from, as well as the ability to set how many hits you start with and how much score you need to gain an extra hit! The only drawback to the hit and score modifiers is that you won't be able to post your score to the Steam Leaderboards, so if you care about that, you may wanna leave those options alone. Aside from that, you get things like a level select and the ability to turn off cutscenes to make future runs speedier.

Of course, it would be rude of me to not mention that soundtrack! While there aren't a ton of tunes here, the ones that are go pretty hard and fit well with the gameplay and setting of the game. The songs Theme of Hazelnut Hex, Breakfast Emergency! and Bite After Dark are some standouts for me. I can definitely see myself buying the soundtrack at some point!

The game has 5 stages total, and casually you'll easily clear this game in under a half hour while using continues. While true to the arcade experience, it feels a little lacking in content on its own like this. I would've liked unlockable characters or some gimmick modes or something else to spice up future playthroughs. What's here is nice, but with how quickly you can finish this game, I can't help but wish there was more content here for me to explore.

Because of that, you'll need to make your own fun for future runs, most likely in the form of self-imposed challenges. Outside of doing things like choosing the other difficulty option and limiting hits and modifying the score requirements for new hits, to get more challenge you'll need to restrain yourself from using continues at all. Basically, you'll be wanting to go for the ever elusive one-credit clear, or 1CC, for short.

I enjoyed my time with this game enough to challenge myself to go for this. Sadly, I wasn't successful, but it what I got instead was some skill development with shooters! I learned how important score can be, as well as ways to make sure I could get new hits reliably from it. I learned enemy patterns and bullet formations. I made clever use of the charge shot to take advantage of the score multiplier that pops up when the shot tears through multiple foes. I learned to keep Nat's tiny hitbox in mind, focusing on moving her carefully to weave through enemy fire. I made clever use of bomb charges to clear tons of their shots while melting through their health bars.

All of this, and I still couldn't get the 1CC. Yeah, I could've changed my starting hits to be more and the score requirements for more hits to be less, but I was so excited by the concept of learning the rules and playing tactfully that I chose the puritan route rather than the easy way out. Personally, I felt it was the right call. I feel a lot more confident about giving more SHMUP-type games a shot now. I learned the ropes, and I can see how easily people who are enthusiastic about these games get sucked into them.

Congrats, Hazelnut Hex. While you aren't my first foray into bullet-hell shooters, you're the first one that made me want to try, and I couldn't be more thankful.

This game absolutely gets my recommendation. Whether you're a veteran of the genre or someone who's cautious but curious about SHMUPS, Hazelnut Hex will feed your interest and leave you with an aftertaste that keeps you coming back for more!

STEAM DECK OWNERS, I HAVE GOOD NEWS!
This game runs great on Steam Deck! I had no issues at all during my time playing this game! This game makes for a great portable experience with its arcade style gameplay, so snag it and keep it handy for whenever you've got some down time!