Well for starters, the game's not going to win any awards as far as looks go. It was literally the first game made by the director and his team, so it's definitely rough around the edges. You can pretty much tell in an instant that Yooka-Laylee has the more experienced team behind it.
But as far as atmosphere and characters, I guess it's a bit incohesive, but in the same way that Super Paper Mario or Mario Odyssey is a bit incohesive. Each world you go to is cohesive with itself and has it's own feel to it, and that's part of the charm to it. Each level is pretty well designed, and oozing with creativity.
I don't like this game. I think it's because you aren't free in it. You have to do very specific things like crawling through just the right air ducts, and you get re-set every time you veer off course just a little bit. Games like this must be highly exploitable so you can do things your own way.
@Agriculture Um, what? There are definitely certain levels that have very specific goals, but then there are others that are pretty open. I basically stumbled onto the Queen Vanessa's manor level within Subcon forest.
Right now the conventional design wisdom of sandbox 3D Platformers seems to be that you need to intersperse linear missions into the game in order to include the controlled sense of fun that linear 3D platformers and 2D Platformers have by default.
@Agriculture Um, what? There are definitely certain levels that have very specific goals, but then there are others that are pretty open. I basically stumbled onto the Queen Vanessa's manor level within Subcon forest.
Right now the conventional design wisdom of sandbox 3D Platformers seems to be that you need to intersperse linear missions into the game in order to include the controlled sense of fun that linear 3D platformers and 2D Platformers have by default.
I meant that you can't experiment with doing things differently than the designer intended. For example, in Super Mario 64 you can reach floating islands without hanging on to the bird.
@Agriculture Um, what? There are definitely certain levels that have very specific goals, but then there are others that are pretty open. I basically stumbled onto the Queen Vanessa's manor level within Subcon forest.
Right now the conventional design wisdom of sandbox 3D Platformers seems to be that you need to intersperse linear missions into the game in order to include the controlled sense of fun that linear 3D platformers and 2D Platformers have by default.
I meant that you can't experiment with doing things differently than the designer intended. For example, in Super Mario 64 you can reach floating islands without hanging on to the bird.
Except you totally can. If you get the Dweller mask, you can get through Queen Vanessa's manner without ringing the bells for the most part. There are multiple places where you have the option of either doing challenging platforming challenges or using the hookshot.
Currently Playing: Steamworld Heist, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Tales of Graces F
@Agriculture Um, what? There are definitely certain levels that have very specific goals, but then there are others that are pretty open. I basically stumbled onto the Queen Vanessa's manor level within Subcon forest.
Right now the conventional design wisdom of sandbox 3D Platformers seems to be that you need to intersperse linear missions into the game in order to include the controlled sense of fun that linear 3D platformers and 2D Platformers have by default.
I meant that you can't experiment with doing things differently than the designer intended. For example, in Super Mario 64 you can reach floating islands without hanging on to the bird.
Except you totally can. If you get the Dweller mask, you can get through Queen Vanessa's manner without ringing the bells for the most part. There are multiple places where you have the option of either doing challenging platforming challenges or using the hookshot.
Either is the key word. Super Mario 64 gave you a set of moves and you could just them any way you wanted. This game only allows what the designer intended.
Yeeeaaah, someone's been playing a lot of Mario Sunshine. The Time Rift levels are a blatant ripoff of the "Secret" levels, right down to some of the level gimmicks. Rotating gears and blocks with pegs in them? Where have I seen that before?
@Bolt_Strike The purple time rifts are a lot more interesting if you've gotten to those recently. Each one is specifically in the style of the world its found in.
Currently Playing: Steamworld Heist, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Tales of Graces F
+Hat girl will kill you with adorableness! (She's also surprisingly spry.)
+Environments and the missions is highly varied! Trust me that you don't want em spoiled.
+The various swag that you collect are the icing on the cake. You wanna hunt down them rift tokens.
Other things to note.
*The bosses are tough! By no mean dark souls/cuphead hard but the bosses can definitely take a licking (and not in a bullet spongey way). Prepare for trial and error, keep an eye on their attack patterns and don't be afraid to try 'em later. This ain't your 3 hits to win type of boss. (
*It has a teen rating for a reason. It's in chapter 3.
Edited
Welp: Apparently the ESRB made an oppsie and rated it teen for the "blood" on the murder train chapter.
*Mumble mode only applies for one on one conversations, not when walking in the gameworld.
*A few spots in the game has the choose this or this choices! Also applies in the final boss but that's after you beat the boss.
*The game camera while not too problematic, doesn't always get you where you want. (I maybe haven't tinkered with it enough?)
Negatives.
-While not egregious, this port could've gotten a bit more time in the oven. There are frame rate dips, few seconds of freezing and had a crash (it crashed when I had the camera mode on) and a few more graphical glitches.
-Some of the NPC's animations look a bit robotic.
-Could use a bit more signposting on a few missions which broke the immersion a few times. (What I mean is, You're gonna do this: Ready? Go. But instead the game sometimes has, You're gonna do this: ....Go! Something along those lines.)
-Mustache girl disappears for 90% of the story after a few points of chapter 1. Would've wished for more of her, if not for story progression, just for humorous back and forth dialogue/hints that mustache girl was here, etc during progression through the game.
That aside, A Hat In Time is defiantly worth your purchase. 3D Mario is getting competition again.
8.5/10
Any questions?
@Snaplocket I haven't played/looked at the PS4 version but I'll put things in more detail.
Disclaimer: Most of my playtime so far was undocked.
Graphics: Overall game is in 30 fps with ocassional dips in big environments and distant objects move in half frames.
Polish: There are few bouts of freezings (some points when you turn on the scooter) and one software crash when I was in camera mode. And one point where an NPC was in black and white. Loading times can be a bit long but manageable.
I wanted the physical version, but only a few online-shops sell it over here. Its much more expensive than download...and the dlc still has to be downloaded (voucher included, as far as I can tell). So I have decided to do the download someday, and wait for a discount!
Come on @Henmii !!, I'm trying to wait for the physical release!
If you want to see pricing elsewhere, here are US prices.
Digital - $30
Physical - $40
I only buy at dutch shops. I find that safer (I live in holland). 40 is still pretty expensive. Over here it would be 40 Euro. Here the cheapest would be 45 Euro (and still the dlc as a voucher). If I download the stuff it would cost me 32 Euro at the moment. I'll wait for a discount, may save me even more money.
@baller98
Yes, it is running better. Here is what they changed:
*Fixed stuttering in Picture Perfect, Big Parade and Subcon Well
*Fixed stuttering when using scooter/laser badge
*Fixed bug where, in rare cases, textures could corrupt after extended play
Source: https://nintendoeverything.com/a-hat-in-time-switch-update-ou...
Mario Maker 2 ID: 99C-3DN-SVG
Smash Mains: Toon Link, Chrom, Inkling, Joker, Robin, Pyra/Mythra, and Sora.
"May the light illuminate your path."
My Nintendo: Thundrtron | Nintendo Network ID: Thundertron55
@Ralizah
From what I've tested, for the most part yes. I haven't done a thorough look but this update makes the game run much better. There are still a few drops in FR and and awkward pause here and there but it is much more stable than it was last week when I got it. Most of the pauses was from using the Scooter Badge and the Laser Badge and those have been fixed 100%. It used to take about 5 seconds for the game to process that I activated the Scooter for the first time in a level but now I can activate it all I want with no stuttering. Hope this answer gives a sufficient amount of information.
Mario Maker 2 ID: 99C-3DN-SVG
Smash Mains: Toon Link, Chrom, Inkling, Joker, Robin, Pyra/Mythra, and Sora.
"May the light illuminate your path."
My Nintendo: Thundrtron | Nintendo Network ID: Thundertron55
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