Review/Critique: A Hat in Time

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to give a bit of insight into how many of the reviews and critiques will be structured going forward, by reviewing a game I recently completed "A Hat in Time"!

Now of course not every medium's reviews and critiques will be approached in the same way as my level of competency in each medium is very different, and the mediums themselves vary wildly. This should still however, let you all see how these reviews/critiques will be structured going forward, and give you a little taste for what's to come in the next month.

Sorry this came out a day later than I planned, meaning my "Recommendations for February" post will come out February 2nd, and my "Picks for February" post will come out February 3rd, with the reviews/critiques for my January picks to follow shortly after.

With that out of the way, let's get into the review!

A Hat in Time

Review

         For anyone unfamiliar with this title, "A Hat in Time" is a kickstarter game developed by indie company Gears for Breakfast. It was marketed as a "3D collect-a-thon platformer" akin to games like Banjo Kazooie and Super Mario 64. Now you have to understand that this is a genre that, for the most part, does not see new releases. If you want to play a good 3D collect-a-thon platformer nowadays your best option is to boot up your Nintendo 64 and hope to god that your game files still hold a save, that is, if you ever owned a Nintendo 64 in the first place. This is why many fans of the genre were so excited to hear that Gears for Breakfast was creating an all new game from the ground up inspired by these beloved Nintendo 64 titles. An unexpected number of fans if I do say so myself as they were able to raise more than ten times the amount they initially asked for. So with all of this said, does "A Hat in Time" successfully capture what makes these classics great? Well, kind of. Is "A Hat in Time" a good game that's worth your time? Absolutely.

         If you're only interested in playing "A Hat in Time" because of this promise to revive the collect-a-thon genre I would say to give it a shot, but don't get your hopes up. While the game certainly controls like how you would dream any 3D platformer from the Nintendo 64 era would if it was released nowadays, the actual overarching game-play elements are very different. I say this, because "A Hat in Time" feels to me much more like forty back to back five minute plays than a Rare-ware style collect-a-thon and while I understand this may disappoint some, for me it was a welcome surprise. 

         
         Personally I feel like what makes old 3D collect-a-thon games so great is their thick atmospheres, colorful aesthetics, and charming characters. "A Hat in Time" embodies all three of these characteristics to their fullest making it a success in my mind even if it doesn't deliver on the collect-a-thon side of things as much as many would have hoped. This game has more charm than any I have every played. Every single character in the game is incredibly lovable, especially Hat Kid, and they all exist in worlds so vibrant and refreshing, with stories that are so engaging they are some of my favorite moments in any 3D platformer I have ever played. I want to give you some examples but to do so would be a disservice to them, and you would be better off just experiencing them for yourself.

         Now it would be remiss of me to not bring up one quality about the game that will turn many people off from it, an element I did touch upon earlier. This is a dreaded word that is certain to kill any game so unfortunate as to be attributed with its quality. "A Hat in Time" is quite linear... I unlike many though, do not mind this aspect at all. While there is certainly stuff to find and places to explore, for the most part each level has a short story it wants to tell, and once that story is concluded you move on to the next. This works so well though, because every level ended up having its own unique set of platforming challenges, with a story that could meet its natural conclusion. Every world is there for just enough time that you get to explore it, without overstaying its welcome. Like I said before, this game was akin to a series of forty five minute plays and minor platforming challenges, and that is something I loved about it.

         It would also be remiss of me not to bring up one of "A Hat in Time"'s greatest strengths, its boss battles. The boss battles in this game are so good it ruins boss battles in other games for me. They are long, they are tough, they never feel out of place, and they require you to actually get better at the game. There is not much more to be said, other than good job Gears for Breakfast.

         Now I am saying all of these great things about the game, so why only four stars? Well to be honest, while some worlds and levels are incredible many are just okay. This would be completely forgivable if the game was longer, but I was able to get all forty time pieces in less than ten hours. This means that for the thirty dollars I spent on the game I got around four to five hours of great game-play, and five to six hours of just okay game-play. In addition, the last world as a whole takes a pretty big turn from the status quo in a way I did not enjoy at all.

         This is not to say that "A Hat in Time" should have been longer, rather that if it was going to only take ten hours to complete that it needed to be much more consistent in my eyes.

Recommendation:

The biggest problem I have in recommending this game is its price tag. Thirty dollars is a lot to pay for a game of this length, so I'll be as honest as possible in telling you whether or not you should buy it. If you like the idea of a shorter more linear 3D platformer, where every world is incredibly vibrant, every character is incredibly charming, and every level is segmented with its own individual story to see out, then "A Hat in Time" is right up your alley. If this sounds like something you may not like but you have thirty dollars to spare, go in a skeptic and I hope you come out pleasantly surprised at the product you are given. Otherwise, just wait for it to go on sale and give it a try. At its highs "A Hat in Time" is the best 3D platformer I have ever played, so for that I would say it deserves a look at the very least.

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I am now going to move into the section of critique which includes spoilers, so if you are still planning on playing the game, turn back now!


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Critique

         First off, can I just say that I love the title cards for every level? They add so much to the overall cute and charming aesthetic the game has. I kind of wish the whole game was in this style... anyway!

         If you're reading this far, hey! Glad you could make it. I'm going to try and make this part a bit more personal for you guys since there's no issue with spoilers and I'm trying to find a mix between sounding professional and having a strong voice. With that in mind, let me talk about some aspects of the game that are more spoilery territory that I did not like as much. To start off, the alpine skyline.

         Now I will be honest, when entering the Alpine Skyline I was super excited. The world looked so colorful and refreshing (just like the previous three worlds) but unfortunately it took a huge departure from the standard gameplay elements I came to expect from the game, and not in a good way. Unlike the last three worlds where each level had a self contained story, the Alphine Skyline was "free form". There was one overarching story, but what made the other stories interesting for me were the interesting settings and charming dialogue, and the Alphine Skyline unfortunately doesn't really have either of those things. Sure the setting is interesting at first, but aside from "The Twilight Bell" all of the levels feel pretty samey. It's a short platforming challenge in a rustic swiss alps style environment. It gets pretty bland for me pretty fast and like I have said many times, strays away from what I liked the most about the game in the first place. I honestly think if this world had been replaced with one I liked as much as the other three, there is a chance this game would jump up from a four to a five.

         As for the levels I did like, "Queen Vanessa's Manor", "The Owl Express", and "Award Ceremony" stand out to me as my favorites. These levels were just so fresh and inventive, and I really hope if Gears for Breakfast makes a sequel to the game, these are the levels the sequel takes the most inspiration from. I also very much liked every single act with a boss fight, because as I mentioned earlier, the boss fights in this game are superb.

         One other more nitpicky problem I had with this game, was the lighting. At times (like in Award Ceremony) it was perfectly atmospheric, at other times (like in many levels in Mafia Town) it could be quite hard to look at. Just take a look at this picture.

         As well there was something about everyone's facial features that really bothered me. It looks like they are cheaply glued on... it's not a super important point, but it definitely bothered me nonetheless.

         Overall, I liked "A Hat in Time" a good deal. I am not lying when I say that the highs in this game were my favorite moments in any 3D platformer. All I can say is that I really hope Gears for Breakfast takes what I love about this game, maybe adds a little bit more collect-a-thoning (for the fans) and makes a sequel that surpasses this one in every way. This is one of the most charming games I have ever played, and one of the only games I've played that rivals even Nintendo in rich, consistent, cute, aesthetic. I really enjoyed much of what this game brought to the plate, and hope to get something very similar in the near future.

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That's all from me for now, until next time!

- Malachi