One word:
A Hat in Time was developed by Gears for Breakfast. This game is a 3D-Platformer which takes inspiration from the N64 era. With a funding goal of $30,000 on the crowd-funding site, Kickstarter, the team successfully raised nearly 1000% of their projected needed funds with donations totaling $296,360. Initially released on October 5th, 2017 on the Steam platform, the team managed to sell 50,000 copies within the first two weeks of launch. Two months later, the game released on PlayStation 4 and XBox One. By the beginning of 2018, the team has sold over 150,000 copies. With promises of more content to come, modders have been actively adding content to the game as everyone patiently waits for the much anticipated release of chapters 5 and 6.
The game's director, Jonas Kaerlev, launched the project to answer his feeling of an ongoing shortage of 3D-Platformers. Taking inspiration from games such as Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong Country, and Banjo-Kazooie just to name a few, Kaerlev created the sensation now known as A Hat in Time. First starting as a single developer, Gears for Breakfast grew into a volunteer-based team spanning four different countries over the development time.
You play as Hat Kid, a space alien whose spaceship is orbiting a nearby
planet and is powered by hourglass-shaped objects called Time Pieces.
During her trip home, an odd intruder comes knocking on her door
and demands that she pays a toll fee for passing through Mafia Town.
Denying this ridiculous act of extortion, the intruder busts through
her spaceship, suddenly releasing all of her Time Pieces due
to the vacuum of space! Hat Kid must now scour the planet in
search of all 40 of her Time Pieces to get home.
This game is spectacular. A Hat in Time is a 2013 Kickstarter indie game that is an homage to all of the Nintendo 64 3D-Platformers. It shares mechanics from Mario, Banjo & Kazooie, DK64 and just about any other 3D-Platformer you can think of. From the instant the game starts up to the moment it ends, it's obvious that Gears for Breakfast has put an absurd amount of love into this game. You play as Hat Kid, a mysterious space traveler whose spaceship uses Time Pieces as fuel. The premise of the game is that as Hat Kid was traveling through space trying to return home, an intruder comes and accidentally releases all of her Time Pieces. Now, she is stuck orbiting a planet until she retrieves enough Time Pieces to make it back home. The story is ridiculous enough, but the movement is what makes this game unique. The feeling of diving around and jumping feels natural and everything is in your control. Nothing ever feels forced, sluggish, or unfair. Each fall down to the abyss is the player's fault and is easily corrected the next time by adjusting the timing of a second jump or dive. This game constantly leaves you with one of the most fluid movement controls. The game plays wonderfully because of this. The worlds themselves are quite a marvel. Each chapter is unique and has a set of objectives to do. These objectives range from exploring the entire level to find certain items to racing a member of the Mafia on a rocket. Each objective awards you with a Time Piece and leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment whenever you finish an objective. With enough Time Pieces, you are able to access the final area for a final confrontation with a certain character in the game. In this level, all of the skills you have harnessed until then are put to the test. This final area is a gratifying experience as you power through puzzle-like sections, conquering them with your newfound knowledge of the game mechanics. A Hat in Time definitely warrants your time and attention. Even if you've never grown up with games from the N64 era, this is not a game you should bat an eye towards.
