There’s probably no doubt among the general gamer crowd that Super Mario Odyssey is the best 3D platformer in recent years. One of the other contenders was Yooka-Laylee, but after its mixed reception, fans of the 3D platformer genre were basically forced to rely solely on Super Mario Odyssey to fulfill their gaming needs. Luckily, there’s another platformer that took on the challenge of creating a new entry in the genre that is satisfying and fun to play. That game is called A Hat in Time.
The story of A Hat in Time is nothing noteworthy, although it does succeed at giving the player enough motivation to play the game. It involves Hat Kid (she has no given name, so that’s what I call her) being confronted by an inhabitant of Mafia Town for flying her spaceship too close to their planet without paying a toll. Hat Kid refuses to pay, which eventually results in her losing all her hourglasses that power her ship. She crashes in Mafia Town and decides to look for every single hourglass since she needs them to return home. The rest of the story is basically Hat Kid helping out several characters in order to advance.
A Hat in Time plays like most other 3D platformers but adds some nice twists to it. You run and jump around levels while collecting several objects. There are also enemies that want to hurt you or keep you from progressing certain parts of a level, with some of them acting as a boss fight. The platforming itself is nothing new or groundbreaking, but it’s designed well enough. What is unique though, is how some levels alter the gameplay itself. For example, at one part of the story, you have to play through a film-noir setting that is structured like a murder mystery. This particular example puts a hold on the platforming and plays more like a roleplaying game, where you act as the detective trying to solve the mystery. There are not that many levels that play a little different like this one, but they change the pacing of the game in a positive way.
By weird coincidence, both Super Mario Odyssey and A Hat in Time are designed around a hat mechanic. But while the different types of hats in Odyssey were purely created for cosmetic purposes, the hats in A Hat in Time each give Hat Kid an additional ability to help her traverse certain paths or defeat challenging enemies. One hat lets her run faster, while another gives her bombs she can throw. Hats are unlocked by collecting a certain amount of yarn, which is hidden throughout the levels. You don’t need to collect every type of hat in order to finish the game, but it does make some levels a little easier to complete.
There are also badges that you can either buy from a merchant or find in hidden places. These badges work the same as hats, but unlike those, you can equip multiple badges. This greatly enhances the gameplay and gives you more reason to explore every inch of the levels. Most of the badges give you additional abilities, but some of them purposefully make the game harder. One of the badges lets you die in one hit, which may sound like an odd ability, but it’s a nice tweak for those who want the game to be more challenging.
The dev team of A Hat in Time, Gears for Breakfast, describes the game as a ‘cute-as-heck platformer’. After completing the story, I can confirm that it is in fact ‘cute-as-heck’. The game is full of charm and cuteness with its colorful art, energetic characters and a great sense of humor. But the most ‘cute’ part of the game is Hat Kid herself. Even though she doesn’t speak, her personality is so charmingly written that she easily becomes one of the most memorable videogame characters in recent years. She plays patty cake with enemies, makes funny faces and plays with dolls that look like in-game characters when she stands still for a few seconds. She also has a dairy in which she summarizes her adventures and writes her thoughts about them. The other main and side characters are also creatively designed and memorable, although some of their voice lines can sound a little annoying, especially those of Moustache Girl. Luckily, you can turn the dialogue volume down or buy a badge that changes the dialogue to simple mumbles that make them sound like characters from Banjo-Kazooie
If there’s one issue to be had with A Hat in Time, then it’s the visual quality of the game. It doesn’t look bad, per se, but some of the levels look unfinished and unflattering. The colors and art design remain consistent throughout the entire game, but some of the lighting effects need some serious tweaking. I sometimes found myself getting lost in levels since the lighting made them look like one big mess that is difficult to recognize reference points in. It also makes the characters themselves look off in some parts like they are unfinished prototypes. Lastly, there’s a ridiculous amount of bloom in the background of some places. It didn’t hurt my experience with the game that much, but it did result in some unpleasant sights.
Conclusion
A Hat in Time is a great 3D platformer that is most memorable for its cuteness, hat and badge mechanic and subtle changes in gameplay. The platforming itself is solid, although it doesn’t do anything innovative. The visual quality can sometimes be not that charming to look at, but the colors and art design help in balancing things out. If you like games like Super Mario Odyssey, you’ll most likely enjoy A Hat in Time.
