A Hat in Time is a 3D platformer that was released October 5th, 2017. The game was developed by Gears for Breakfast and has become the largest Kickstarter-funded indie 3D platformer at $296,360, reaching almost 1000% of its original Kickstarter goal.[1] In just twelve hours, the game was over 50% funded.[2] According to the Kickstarter page, the game seeks to embody the magical spirit of magical Nintendo-64 era games such as Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, etc.
Very briefly, the game follows Hat Kid, who stiches hats that give her special powers, as she tries to receive her timepieces from unique worlds to return to her planet. The story, mechanics, and creativity to indeed evoke the feeling of 3D platformers from the 90’s, but they also transcend the genre they imitate. This game comes two decades after its muses, where videogames are increasingly recognized by institutions, and becoming a medium for artists like Jonathan Blow. Consequently, it is not a surprise that A Hat In Time makes meta-commentary that creates unique dialogues about the player’s role in 3D platformers. On first glance, it may seem as though A Hat in Time makes these just for the purpose of comedy. While it does succeed towards that motive, these embedded meta-narratives create interesting dialogues.
The following more light-hearted example displays the complex relationship between the player, the game, and the game designers. In one scene, DJ Grooves is taking a photo of Hat Kid and instructs her not to move… If you are obedient, you will find that nothing happens if you do not move Hat Kid. In order to progress to the next level, you have to move, against the demands of DJ Grooves. This creates an interesting question about DJ Groove’s true authority. For the entire mission, you have been forced to listen to what he says. But now, the only way to progress through the game is not to abide.
Clearly, since players want to progress through the story, they are going to move and force DJ Grooves to take a blurry photo of Hat Kid. In this case, the player has listened to the game designers instead of DJ Grooves. Furthermore, if the game designer’s instructions end up taking precedence over that of the in game character, DJ Grooves’ previous instructions just so happened to align with those of the game designers. In older 3D-platformers, it was rare for game designers to inject themselves into the story; the world of the game and the real world had a very real boundary (likely to keep the fantastical element).
There are many other moments like this, but I would like to examine how this implication impacts the biggest prop in the game: the timepieces. The timepieces have the power to reverse time, but as players, we never get to use these. Instead, they are automatically locked into a vault. The antagonist of the game, Mustache Girl, realizes that Hat Kid has the power to reverse all of the evil that has ever happened; an admirable goal. Interestingly enough, Mustache Girl has good intentions for the world, but ends up becoming an evil tyrant that casts judgment upon every person in the world that has done something wrong and undoing their existence. The juxtaposition of her intentions and actions parallel the juxtaposition of having a full-grown mustache as a female character.
As we have seen in the situation with DJ Grooves, the priorities of the game designers often preside over the characters, and in this case, the autonomy of the player. The player can never use the timepieces even though they have access to every other one of Hat Kid’s possessions. The messages that the game designers convey become much more explicit: incredible power should be kept away from humanity, or else it can be abused. Mustache Girl’s decision to use the timepieces was detrimental to the world, regardless of what she intended. Notice that the lack of a mechanic further drives the story and the message it sent. If the player were allowed to use the timepieces, unless the story changed, this would imply that it is okay to use timepieces in specific scenarios… But if timepieces cannot be use for attempts at world piece, what other justification can there be for its use?
Overall, I believe A Hat In Time is an incredibly witty game that makes you smile all the way through. After all, there is a reason Gears for Breakfast deemed its tagline as “The Cutest 3D Platformer Ever.” But beyond just being sunshine and rainbows, this game has a lot to say about the role of the player, power and the potential danger of too much of it. In a period of exponential technological growth, these messages are ubiquitous, yet important. What distinguishes A Hat In Time though, is that it evokes this message through methods esoteric to videogames themselves. The dichotomy of the authority of the in-game characters and progressing through the story calls attention to the existence of the game designers in the story. This implication, along with the decision of what mechanics to include and not to include, further drives the messages of the game. The most remarkable part of A Hat In Time is that it manages to capture the essence of the Nintendo-64 era games that inspire it while also elevating the potential of the genre to bring more beauty and meaning.
[1] http://hatintime.com/
[2] https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonaskaerlev/a-hat-in-time-3d-collect-a-thon-platformer/posts/495190
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