A Hat in Time

A creative, playful, and polished tribute to 3D collectathons.

A genuinely enjoyable experience that will have you going back to levels past story completion just to have fun in the colorful world Gears for Breakfast have created. A definite recommendation for fans of 3D platformers of yore.

The selfless girl of A Hat in Time is not only a great role model, but she forges her own identity as a true mascot, with subtle notes of likable heroes like Dr. Who (complete with her own time-manipulating Tardis). Any game that makes me smile while I’m glued to it is a great one.

A Hat is Time is a truly charming game. It does not quite have the polish of Nintendo or Rare’s greats, but the sheer amount of originality and care that went into it makes it a must-play for platforming fans.

Aside from its creative hats and hat-based abilities, A Hat in Time never exactly feels like an inventive platformer. But it does its job well, even while suffering from the occasionally awkward camera issues that 3D platformers are often known for. It stands out, though, for its infectious and endearingly goofy personality, its creative and widely different levels, and its enjoyable platforming. And, of course, all those hats.

While rough around the edges, A Hat in Time is still an adorable and highly enjoyable love letter to 3D Platformers, and a potential new classic.

A hugely entertaining 3D platformer that channels the imagination and unpredictability of older games without becoming a prisoner to the past.

A Hat in Time has certainly been well worth the wait, and is easily recommended to platformer fans across all formats. It sits nicely alongside Yooka-Laylee and offers a different take on the N64 nostalgia that both titles share. It’s unlikely to knock Mario off his perch as king of the 3D platformers, but it is a more than acceptable pretender to the crown. It also has a central antagonist called Moustache Girl who is a girl with a bushy moustache. A Hat in Time opens up to be a real standout in the recent renaissance of the 3D platform game.

With the release of Yooka-Laylee, 2017 seemed like the year that would bring back 3D platform games in the spotlight. While Playtronic's game is far from being the worst game ever released, it sadly failed to usher in a new golden era for the genre. Luckily, there's another game that may succeed in doing what Yooka-Laylee failed to do: A Hat in Time, developed by Gears for Breakfast, is the tribute to 3D platform games of the past, wearing its influences right in the open without being bound by them, offering a varied and creative experience that fans of the genre will instantly love. This is ...

I feel like I've been a bit hard on A Hat in Time when I do find it to be a charming and fun game. I had hoped for some more originality to be seen in the game's mechanics or level design, but the lack thereof doesn't hinder the quality of the experience. Nothing in A Hat in Time is going to change how you think about 3D platformers, but if you know that ahead of time and are still looking for an enjoyable, cute collectathon, there are definitely worse options to choose from.

An adorable platforming adventure that steadily finds it own voice.

If you want a 3D platform game with tons of things to collect, but one that doesn’t try too hard to innovate, A Hat in Time just about hits the mark. It’s out today on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One.