Game: Hannah’s Day
Genre: Adventure, Puzzle
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer | Publisher: Watt Games
Controller Support: Yes
Steam Deck: Tested, not playable currently
Price: US $ 12.99 | UK £ 10.99 | EU € 12,99
Release Date: July 25th, 2024
A review code was provided, with many thanks to Watt Games.
Hannah’s Day: Skating Through Dreams and Puzzles
Hannah’s Day is a casual puzzle adventure that follows a young girl chasing her dreams on a skateboard. It’s a tale of growing up, set against a backdrop of quirky puzzles and charming visuals. Let’s dive into Hannah’s world and see what makes this game tick.
Time to Grow Up
Meet Hannah, a young girl at a crossroads in life. Her parents want her to head off to college to study business marketing, but Hannah’s heart beats for music. With her skateboard in tow, she sets out to find her friends, form a band, and prove her parents (and her own doubts) wrong. The plot is straightforward, catering to a young adult audience, with a small cast of characters and decent voice acting. Hannah’s bubbly personality makes her a likeable protagonist, which is good since you’ll hear a lot from her throughout the game.
The Darkness Lingers
While the plot might be predictable, the game’s graphic design adds some nice touches. It starts in black and white as Hannah faces her parents’ disapproval. But once she leaves and pops on her headphones, the screen blooms with colour and soothing music, symbolizing her escape. Occasionally, messages from her parents darken the screen with oily black blobs and spiked shards, showcasing the disruption to Hannah’s psyche.
Near the end, there’s an entire level where she’s chased by a creeping black mould, a highlight of the game for me. Overall, the tone is happy-go-lucky, sticking with a simple, positive message of following your dreams. While older players might crave more depth, young optimists will likely enjoy it.
Navigation
Hannah’s Day features nine levels with simple objectives like finding one of Hannah’s bandmates. Translation: make your way from A to B. Your main mode of transport is your trusty skateboard. Movement is easy but can be tricky for fine navigation since you’re almost always moving. You’re not just confined to the ground, either. In certain areas, you can jump and start riding on the ceiling, as indicated by a small yellow marker.
The game often shifts from 2D to 3D, adding a puzzle-solving layer to the experience. Levels range from malls to apartment buildings and fun fairs, all grand in scope and populated with simple NPCs. One standout level dives into Hannah’s creative process as she writes a song, showcasing the developers’ artistic flair.
Push and Tilt
It’s not all about skateboarding and listening to Hannah’s musings. Hannah’s Day includes simple puzzles involving pushing and tilting. You’ll need to move large chunks of the level, clearly highlighted in gold, to find your way through. You can also tilt the entire level to move objects, such as blocks, onto switches to hold doors open.
The puzzles are minimal in challenge, making the game appealing to casual players. There are also opportunities to perform ‘good deeds’ for NPCs, acting as side missions. These are usually very easy, often just requiring a quick tilt to complete. As well as puzzling, you can explore the levels, looking for collectables like musical notes and photos, but this is not essential to complete the game.
Niggles
A few niggles to note. Failing usually involves falling off a platform or touching the black goo, triggering a game-over cutscene followed by a long loading screen. Despite having a decent PC, these loading times felt excessive. I also encountered several glitches, like the camera locking or puzzles freezing. Restarting from a checkpoint fixed these issues, but they were still irritating.
Conclusion: A Nice Day Out
Hannah’s Day is a cosy puzzler you can likely complete over the weekend. Its focus on a follow-your-dreams narrative and simple puzzles make it perfect for casual players. While the story didn’t entirely hit the mark for me, its positive message is one we can all get behind. Whether or not you decide to pick up the skateboard and ride with Hannah, her journey is a pleasant one. There is a free demo available on Steam to try out.
Final Verdict: I Like It
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