Recent reviews by IceMage

Reminds me of the old flash game "Motherload", which I enjoyed back in the day. It's not the deepest game, but it has nice bite sized chunks of roguelite fun. One thing I'd like to see in future updates is more gadgets (and perhaps a bit of a balance rework, a couple gadgets really outshine the rest).

A beautiful game with a stellar soundtrack. I don't play many fighting games because I'm not that great at that them, no exception here, but I've still enjoyed the time spent with this game. I can only imagine how much I'd love this game if I wasn't terrible at it. I've probably spent triple my playtime just listening to the soundtrack.

Having played so many games, it's always a nice surprise to find a new game which does something you haven't come across before. Outer Wilds did this for me by being an adventure game in which you progress solely by learning. You are the same at the start of the game as you are when you finish it, but as player you know things you didn't before. Not much more can be said about this while avoiding spoilers, and this is a game that's really best played knowing as little beforehand as possible.

I can't recommend this game to everyone, as I think it's a little too niche. Some players may feel the gameplay loop leaves something to be desired, as it may strike some players as a walking simulator. Furthermore, if you are type of player that is stressed out by time limits from games like Pikmin, this game will not be your cup of tea. By virtue of its strengths, this game is not very replayable, so don't go looking to get 100s of hours out of this journey. However players that enjoy exploration based games and puzzles will find a lot to enjoy here. This is a unique experience, elevated by a strong soundtrack, and I hope to find more games influenced by it in the future.

Originally I passed on A Hat in Time because after I finished Super Mario Odyssey didn't feel like jumping right into another 3D platformer. However, recently a friend gave me a spare key and I'm glad I got a chance to play this game after all. A Hat in Time is a solid, if a little short, platformer with a lot of character. Each level has its own feeling, the characters were memorable and you even have buttons to blow raspberries or hearts for when you feel the situation requires it. Further adding to the charm was the humour, much of it text based, which made me let out a chuckle here and there. I feel the most important quality for a good platformer in my opinion is for movement to feel good. If simply moving around the level without any goal or task in mind feels good, the platformer is probably a good one. A Hat in Time, in my opinion, succeeds in reaching this nebulous feeling. I found myself jumping and diving around Mafia Town without without actually exploring my surroundings or trying to finish the chapter.

Each area (chapter) is split up into levels (acts) which give you tasks to complete in the same area à la Mario 64/Sunshine. There are also Time rifts which come in blue and purple varieties. Purple time rifts feature platforming, collecting and a bit of backstory. Blue time rifts feature pure platforming (and I heavily suspect took inspiration from the Super Mario Sunshine void level) As mentioned earlier, each of the levels has its own distinct feeling both visually and mechanically. Herein lies an aspect of the game that could make the game for some and break it for others. Whereas many platformers may have a unique mechanic for each world or area (which is still sort of present here with the different hats you get), a Hat in Time varies with how much it feels like a platformer from area to area. One area, chapter 2, has several more scripted levels which have surprisingly little platforming. Another area, chapter 3, has a larger emphasis on exploration as new sections open up and feels a bit more like a collect-a-thon platformer than the other areas did for me. If you like the idea of variety in levels rather than always just straight platformer this could be a draw for you, but if you only want platforming in your platformer it could be a turn off. Personally I liked the variety, but as this is already a shorter game at around 10 hours of playtime, it is worth noting if you want a lot of platforming bang for your buck.

The mods do help extend the longevity of this game. As someone who doesn't usually dip into mods until after I've finished with the main game, I was pleasantly surprised here. The game encourages completionists into checking out the mods with achievements and the chance to earn additional rift tokens (used to unlock cosmetics and music tracks, there aren't enough in the main game to get everything). I found there was a respectable amount of well made mods for this game. If you want to run around Hyrule Castle dressed as Princess Zelda with the Monado you can do that. If you want more straight platforming levels in the form of time rifts, there are several that feel like they could fit right into the main game. There are also some more open ended community made levels which focus more on collecting everything in the area or completing tasks for NPCs, though I did not find as many polished ones myself. Even after getting all the other achievements, messing around with mods gave me around 10 more hours of fun with this game.

*Pros*
-Charming and funny
-Enjoyable Platforming mechanics
-Memorable characters and locations
-Modding community for extra fun
-Fun customization options for cosmetics and music

*Mixed*
-Platforming identiy feels conflicted, good if you like variety bad if you only want platforming
-Like many platformers story is present but mostly forgetable

*Cons*
-Occasionally feels lacking in polish (weird clipping or physics problems)
-Game crashed a couple of times for me

Do you like stealth games? If so, this is an easy recommendation. With a remarkable artstyle, fluid gameplay, and mechanics that really should be in all games of the genre, it is probably the best game I've played in the genre.

The level of polish the game has is easy to see, and for the price, it definitely left a mark on me.