I just completed A Hat in Time 100% by spawning rift tokens with a console command cheat since the game doesn't give you enough
It's a very fun game. The platforming is great. I was diving and dive-canceling a lot to reach places. I found that if you dive and hit the dive button again right when you touch the ground you get a blue boost forward. I never really used it much except by accident to fuck up landing on small platforms. The "phase shift" I guess I'd call it, which turned solid objects non-solid and non-solid objects into solids was really neat. It reminded me of those segments in Twilight Princess when you phase-shifted time around Link to reveal a path and solve puzzles. The first time I really saw this used much was "Twilight" Peak so I wonder if that's a reference.
I have many minor complaints yet my one major complaint is the lack of polish. For instance, there were times when the camera clipped through the wall. Sometimes if you moved the camera far enough away all the platforms and objects would vanish. The moped would clip into ramps. If you went into in a level and immediately spawned the moped it would spin around clipping into the ground.
I wish the moped could run over (at least) the small enemies. It makes no sense that you cannot damage anything by slamming into it with a moped. I also dislike that you cannot do an air attack with the umbrella. Just a simple jump and swing would have really helped when your enemy is on a platform above you. Instead you use a jump and dive lock-on attack like in the 3D Sonic games or the brew bombs which can be thrown while jumping. Wall jumping was alright but it sucks that you need a hat badge in order to dive into a wall and run up it instead of smacking off of it and falling. There were a few instances of "double jump underneath this obstacle then run up the wall on the other side of it" where it helped to have the patch in order to quickly dive into the wall on the other side and run up it.
They reference Mario Sunshine to the point of passing from homage to rip off. Like goddamn, look at any beginning sequence in Sunshine revealing the location of a Shine Sprite then look at any sequence in A Hat in Time revealing the location of an Hourglass. In Mafia Town there's a sequence of crystals that makes a platform raise. The effect when it raises looks just like the effect would have in Sunshine. Not only that, but there's a red "X" mark on the pale stone wall just like in Sunshine. There are platforming levels like in Sunshine with rotating cubes and such that looks very similar. In those areas there's one particular geometric shape, an elongated rotating block with pegs sticking out of it, taken straight from Mario Sunshine. One thing I liked them ripping off was the Subcon Forest looks a lot like Tomba 2's "Laughing Crying Forest" with lots of saturated colors and platforms up in the trees. Considering how much and how often A Hat in Time resembles other games I cannot help but think they're ripping off even more games than I can recall. All that said, it is taken far enough to be called "rip off" but in many cases I enjoy seeing things I recognize from other platformers. They're exploiting "nostalgia" no differently than Nintendo has successfully done for decades.
The hardest boss was that dancing bird with the afro and only because it takes forever. I could end the other fights quicker. The Mafia boss fight was kinda long too, but not nearly as needlessly as the fight with the afro bird.
Overall, fun game, cute characters, very enjoyable platforming, very fun game mechanics, really neat levels, aesthetically pleasing, nice references although a bit too much. Imperfect, as anything else, but a solid non-shill 8 out of 10 regardless IMO.
Mustache Girl did nothing wrong. Her only crime was not remaining humble and ignoring those she meant to protect (including Hat Kid). Mustache Girl could have been a much better fascist but lacked the maturity. Also Time Stop is overpowered and Hat Kid is technologically advanced enough to essentially be God to these people.
