The following is a guest post by Mike Gajeski. You can find his game stream at Heythere Kupo, on YouTube.
A Hat in Time is an unheralded delight. It hearkens to younger years, makes me want to go old school: Late nights with friends, playing video games with sleeping bags, mountain dew, and Doritos.
If you love platformers, this is both charming and adorable.
The story is really quite simple. You’re a girl in a spaceship who loses her fuel and needs to get it back. There are many wacky worlds you go to in order to get this fuel, none the same as the last. Each world feels totally unique with objectives changing with every act you play. From a mystery who-done-it on a train to being the lead of a rooftop parade.
The game doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s focused on one thing, being fun.
The game play is reminiscent of Mario 64. And that’s a good thing! The level design is setup with a main hub world that you have various objectives in. But it’s all about collecting time pieces that fuel your ship.
The controls are really tight, allowing for fun tricks and would be perfect for those looking to speed runs. You can jump, dash, run, and climb up walls. All of which you will need to get to your objective.
Overall the game is a hell of a lot of fun. Its not complicated or difficult to grasp, but there is a challenge to it if you go looking. I’d suggest this to anyone who is missing that 90’s era platformer but wants to play something new. It shouldn’t break the bank but it is well worth your time.