A Hat in Time

Developer: Gears for Breakfast
Release: Oct 5th 2017
Platforms:
Adventure
Indie
Charming
Addictive
Creative
Camera Issues
Performance
A Hat in Time Poster

" Charming 3D adventure platformer with fluid controls and vibrant art but clunky camera "

A Hat in Time Review

A Hat in Time is widely celebrated as a modern classic in 3D platforming, praised for its charming characters, smooth and responsive movement, and creative level design. Players appreciate the game's nostalgic yet fresh take on the genre, with vibrant, cartoony visuals and a delightful soundtrack that complements its whimsical tone. The story, while simple, is well-written and filled with humor, contributing to an engaging overall experience.

Many reviews highlight the strong community support, including modding capabilities and cooperative multiplayer, which extend the game's replayability. The DLC expansions are generally well-received for adding meaningful content, though some players find the difficulty spike in the "Seal the Deal" DLC frustrating. Minor technical issues like occasional performance hiccups and camera control challenges are noted but do not detract significantly from the enjoyment. Overall, the game is recommended for fans of platformers seeking a fun, polished, and heartfelt adventure.

Highlights

Players most praise the fluid and enjoyable gameplay mechanics,
The game's colorful, cartoony graphics and charming art style create a vibrant and inviting atmosphere.

The storyline is appreciated for its humor and well-crafted characters, making the narrative engaging without being overly complex.

Community features like mod support and multiplayer add significant value and longevity.

The soundtrack is frequently described as energetic and memorable, enhancing the overall experience.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on the camera system, which some players find clunky and occasionally frustrating during precise platforming sections.

Performance issues, especially on certain systems like Linux, cause lag and stuttering for some users.

The "Seal the Deal" DLC's challenge mode is seen as overly difficult and sometimes tedious, with lengthy unskippable segments leading to player frustration.

Some hats and abilities feel underutilized or situational, limiting their impact.

Minor annoyances include inconsistent controls in certain mechanics and occasional visual stuttering during level loading.

Pros

  • Fluid and responsive platforming controls enhance player enjoyment and skill expression.
  • Charming and humorous story with well-written characters adds narrative depth.
  • Vibrant, cartoony art style creates a fun and inviting game world.
  • Energetic and memorable soundtrack complements the game’s whimsical tone.
  • Strong community mod support greatly extends replayability and content variety.
  • Cooperative multiplayer modes add social gameplay options.
  • DLC expansions provide meaningful additional content and challenges.

Cons

  • Camera controls can be clunky and frustrating during precise platforming.
  • Performance issues and lag reported on some systems, especially Linux.
  • "Seal the Deal" DLC’s difficulty spike and lengthy retries cause frustration.
  • Some hats feel situational or underutilized, limiting gameplay variety.
  • Button reassignment issues and inconsistent controls affect gameplay fluidity.
  • Visual stuttering occurs occasionally during level loading sequences.
  • Certain challenge modes require repetitive, unskippable segments.

Rating Criteria

Story
Difficulty
Graphics
Duration
Stability
Worth the Price
Capsule image

A Hat in Time is a cute-as-heck 3D platformer featuring a little girl who stitches hats for wicked powers! Freely explore giant worlds and recover Time Pieces to travel to new heights!

Release Date Oct 5th 2017
Publisher Gears for Breakfast, Humble Games
Developer Gears for Breakfast
Platforms

User Reviews

Overwhelmingly Positive (28,584)
99% Positive 1% Negative

Online Reviews

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Metacritic
79