HAAK Review (PC) - Gaming with Joy
HAAK is a fast-paced and stylish Metroidvania set in a post apocalyptic world that's very fun to explore. You play as Haak, a young man who's mission is to find his lost brother while uncovering the secrets of this giant cyber-wasteland. There is a lot to collect and especially acquiring new fight or movement based abilities is very enjoyable, because the level design consists of a lot of cool platforming and dangerous areas that are well balanced if you practice your skills.
What really sold me on this game is the slick art style and the responsive controls. It feels very polished and you can see that the developers have put a lot of care and dedication into the creation of this game. It can be a bit challenging, like some platform sections or certain boss fights can be really difficult, but they are very generous with the checkpoints and there is no death penalty other than a slight set back. They even implemented this coin system in the game, that gives you the option to give you some perks if you can't get past a certain event or boss fight. I didn't use this option, but I appreciated the addition of this pretty cool mechanic.
Besides the very fun platforming and very stylish graphics, I must say the story is also really interesting, you have a decent amount of sidequests that can give you a bit more lore about this world and there are some well designed characters that can help or stop you with your goal. I especially really liked that you can rush through this game, but as a punishment you will get a bad ending, because you skipped over a lot of additional gameplay. I was very confused and really unsatisfied with the ending, so I decided to track my steps back and found out that I had missed a lot of content and not to forget some awesome new abilities like getting a hacking device that is required to get the real ending. I love it when games give you this much freedom to explore and backtrack so you can unlock more stuff and in this case a better ending as well.
Most Metroidvanias aren't really that lineair, but HAAK takes it to a new level. I was able to reach the last area while skipping so much side content, which I really regretted after getting the bad ending and because this game deserves your attention. I liked to think that I rushed a bit through this game so I could get a new review up for you guys as soon as possible, because I honestly really enjoyed the gameplay and the presentation of this game, but I'm also glad that I got the bad ending first, so I could experience it and tell you about this possibility. In my opinion this game is a great example of fun but challenging level design that new people and veterans of this genre can enjoy. The combat is a bit button mashy, but the platforming makes up for it big time.
So in general HAAK is besides a very enjoyable Metroidvania, a well balanced Metroidvania that has something for everybody, like linear gameplay, but also a lot of freedom to explore at your own pace, challenging escape sequences and boss fights that may require a bit of optional genie coins to beat and an intriguing story filled with fun interactions with all these different characters. The art design is great, the world building is pretty cool and the settings are bleak, but full of life at the same time.
I highly recommend this game if you enjoy action platformers that are really accessible to any kind of player. It's sadly not the best Metroidvania I have ever played, but I would give this game a high rating for sure and I can't wait for a sequel or a completely new game made by these developers.
So be ready to fight your way through these deserted cities and other post apoclyptic areas and find out what happened to your brother so both of you may return back home safely.
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Gaming with Joy
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