Ever heard of a Time Piece? If you haven’t, then you should know that they are shiny, small hourglasses that Hat Kid uses to power up her spaceship! Hat Kid is a tiny space-traveling little girl from the 2017 video game “A Hat In Time” developed by Gears for Breakfast!
As seen in its trailer, the game starts when a cook puts a halt to her space adventure, scattering all the Time Pieces across a nearby planet. In this adorable 3D platformer game, Hat Kid must stitch powerful new hats to successfully defeat the menacing Mafia of Cooks, jump past the directors of Dead Bird Studios, and overcome countless challenges in order to get all her fuel-acting Time Pieces back and resume her journey home.
When I first got a Nintendo Switch, “A Hat In Time” was one of the first video games I decided to purchase, and I’ll always be happy I did that. The game is wonderful in single player, but if you prefer playing with a friend, there is a co-op option that allows Bow Kid, Hat Kid’s best friend, to join in on the trouble as they take on the different missions together.
On the topic of friends, Hat Kid makes a ton of new pals throughout the course of the game– along with quite a few enemies. Mustache Girl, for starters, accuses Hat Kid of stalking her after catching her following her, but then later asks her if she wants to join her in rebelling against the Mafia of Cooks as she realizes the power Hat Kid actually has. Hat Kid and Mustache Girl’s relationship in the game develops nicely, but to avoid spoilers, I won’t say any more about them.
The Mafia Goons are the main enemies in chapter one, led by their boss, who serves as an overarching antagonist to the overall story. In my opinion, although most of the characters don't have their whole story told on screen, the game does a really good job of introducing them. It is done in a way that tells you about everything you need to know about them in order for the story to progress smoothly.
The story of “A Hat In Time” is told through five main chapters in five massive worlds, with a few acts in each leading up to the grand finale. From Mafia Town to Time’s End, the missions within each act keep you hooked and wanting to continue helping Hat Kid make it home. My favorite chapter definitely lands on Battle of the Birds, where you meet DJ Grooves and The Conductor, and help them both make a movie to win the Annual Bird Movie Award. Depending on whose movie comes out better, the boss battle at the end of the chapter changes!
The chapters in “A Hat In Time” are all detailed, with every puzzle being set with just the right amount of difficulty. Alongside that, the quality of the game is also shockingly highly detailed, considering the small team of developers.
The atmosphere of the game changes depending on what chapter you’re in, and the transitions are done incredibly well. You go from solving a murder on a train to running from Queen Vanessa after trespassing into her manor until you're swinging around Alpine Skyline. “A Hat In Time” is one of those “cute until it isn’t games,” which makes the game more enjoyable.
Not all the available chapters have a free-roam option available, but the good thing is that most of them can be freely explored within their acts, even if they are more linear. As you play the game, you'll notice just how much love was put into decorating every chapter; you can tell that everything was designed intentionally to fit the plot and the cute atmosphere of the game! After you complete an act, you always have the chance to go back, so you don’t have to stress too much over getting all the collectables!
In the game, there are plenty of different collectables available. One, for example, is yarn balls! These allow Hat Kid to stitch five new hats that all come with special abilities that can help you successfully pass different acts in the game.
The sound effects in the game are beautifully done, as well. I find myself still listening to the soundtrack while doing daily tasks, or even as background noise. All of the menu buttons and interactables have a fun sound effect that plays each time you click them. You can also hear these audio effects in the surrounding environment every time a character performs an action or interacts with something.
Almost all of the characters have voicelines, featuring Apphia Yu as Hat Kid and Elieen Montgomery as Mustache Girl and Queen Vanessa. If you liked SungWon’s work in “KPop Demon Hunters” or Kellen Goff’s work within the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” game series, you’ll enjoy their cameos in “A Hat In Time” as well.
I am ashamed to admit how many hours this game has taken from my life, but it was totally worth it. The game has about seven hours’ worth of main gameplay, but I’ve realistically spent around 50 hours playing the game, and I haven’t even completed the Seal the Deal DLC! This game is beyond addicting and seems to go on forever–but in the best way possible!
“A Hat In Time” has two DLC’s (extra downloadable content) available: Seal the Deal and Nyakuza Metro. In the first DLC, “Seal The Deal”, you get a new high difficulty mode called “Death Wish!” as well as another chapter titled “The Arctic Cruise,” which comes with a ton of new outfits, camera filters, and more.
Nyakuza Metro also has its own bright chapter, except it comes with more Time Pieces, dyes, and badges to collect. On the Steam edition, it introduces Online Parties, where you are allowed to play with up to 50 people!
The game also has a Creator DLC, where you can head back to Vanessa’s Manor and collect crowns in a deadly game of tag! It is a multiplayer-only game that has a ton of collectable cosmetics and stickers. Per the press kit, you can “collect the crowns and escape the clutches of your fallen peers. Fail to evade your peers, and you’ll become one of them and need to collect the souls of the living for Vanessa!”
The ending is truly left to the player's interpretation; to me, it symbolizes how people can have great intentions, but horrible executions. However, this leaves a lot of room to grow as a person.
Life may be hard and stressful, but if you are interested, you can get some peace and tranquility by getting “A Hat In Time” on PlayStation, Steam, Nintendo, or Xbox!
