HAAK

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"Haak is a single-player Platformer game with Metroidvania elements, set in a post-apocalyptic world with unique pixel graphics. As Haak, a traveler from the north, explore the land using your hook, dash, and charged slash to survive against dangerous mutants and dark forces. The hand-drawn retro-futuristic pixel world and intriguing story will keep you engaged through compelling gameplay and phenomenal music."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 594 reviews

story80 positive mentions

grinding12 negative mentions

The game features fluid movement and a variety of abilities that enhance exploration and platforming.
The level design is well-crafted, with many secrets and puzzles that encourage thorough exploration.
The art style and visuals are appealing, contributing to an immersive atmosphere.

Combat is often too simple and lacks depth, which can diminish motivation to engage with enemies.
The story and lore are considered generic and not compelling enough to drive the player forward.
There are issues with translation and dialogue that can detract from the overall experience.

story
206 mentions
39 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it generic and overly wordy, while others appreciate its intriguing plot and character development. Many note that the translation issues detract from the experience, but the lore and world-building are often highlighted as strong points. Overall, while the story may not be the main draw for everyone, it offers enough depth and side quests to engage players who enjoy exploration and narrative elements in metroidvania games.
- “The story is great and with an amazing twist at the end and also it has an amazing replayability value; it's really mind-blowing.”
- “The plot is intriguing and intricate, and the lore of the world is interesting.”
- “Fantastic platformer metroidvania with a touching story.”
- “Traversing through this game is very tedious, the story is extremely generic and the translation is cringey. (You know those 50-year-old teachers trying really hard to stay young by using 'slang'? Yeah, that kind of cringe.)”
- “The whole story also felt a bit all over the place and the pace felt off. It's not horrible by any means, but barely enough to keep you invested in my opinion.”
- “Generally recommended, but the story doesn't really go anywhere as it abruptly stops without any closure or reveal, leaving you feeling somewhat cheated.”
gameplay
144 mentions
50 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its fluidity, engaging mechanics, and rewarding exploration, making it a standout in the metroidvania genre. While many players appreciate the tight controls and diverse abilities, some feel that certain aspects, such as enemy variety and the uniqueness of gameplay, could be improved. Overall, the game offers a satisfying experience, though opinions vary on its depth and complexity.
- “Gameplay and movement are incredibly fluid and fun.”
- “Amazing exploration and pacing, fun and ever-expanding abilities on top of a deeply involved set of mechanics that chain off one another with style and ease.”
- “Extremely good and fluid platforming, fun mechanics and combat, and really excellent level design.”
- “The plot did not grab me and the gameplay does not feel unique enough to feel like something I could play on Newgrounds for free.”
- “Just from the beginning of the game alone, with the segment where the main character gets a phone call just before he enters his first door, I could tell that this game was inspired by Katana Zero, but what this game needs is to better refine its gameplay as it's bland and not that engaging.”
- “Some mechanics of the game are not explained well, mostly end game.”
graphics
100 mentions
72 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received a generally positive reception, with many praising the unique art style, beautiful pixel graphics, and well-designed character sprites. While some reviewers noted that the color scheme can feel repetitive at times, the overall visuals are described as polished and effective in conveying the game's post-apocalyptic and cyberpunk themes. However, a few critiques mention that the graphics may appear slightly bland or desaturated, but this does not detract significantly from the gameplay experience.
- “The pixel graphics are beautiful with very good seemingly hand-drawn animations, the lighting effects really help sell the mood the game goes for and everything seems to have been built with a great level of care.”
- “Beautiful hand-drawn visuals, tight gameplay, and a post-apocalyptic setting reminiscent of Fallout.”
- “The art direction of this game is simply unique and unlike many things that you've ever seen, so I really loved the visuals as well.”
- “The graphics are slightly bland for my taste, everything is very desaturated and it feels bleak all the time.”
- “However, the game feels very confused at its art style.”
- “Great metroidvania game, with a forgettable story and average graphics but high freedom of movement and lots of fun precision platforming elements.”
music
48 mentions
54 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its atmospheric qualities and unique tracks, particularly in specific levels, while others find it sparse, generic, or overly loud compared to other sound elements. Many players appreciate the guitar songs and ambient soundscapes, noting that while the music enhances the experience, it could benefit from catchier and more varied compositions. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a highlight for its ability to fit the game's ambiance, though some feel it lacks in frequency and dynamism.
- “I bought this game expecting an okay metroidvania, but this game is amazing, from music to levels, to combat, everything feels so smooth.”
- “Music and sound were quite good too, the guitar songs are especially awesome.”
- “Great atmosphere, art direction, and soundtrack.”
- “The grappling hook often just doesn't work and the controls feel sluggish overall; there is barely any music in the game, and if there is, it's very generic and about 100 times louder than everything else.”
- “This is especially true for the soundtrack, which is mostly ambience most of the time.”
- “Music - 5/10, atmospheric, but I want more action.”
atmosphere
22 mentions
64 % positive mentions
23 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its rich cyberpunk vibes, impressive visual art, and captivating soundtrack, creating an engaging environment for exploration. While the level design and nonlinear exploration enhance the experience, some players noted that not all locations felt unique. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's appeal, despite some narrative and translation issues.
- “Great atmosphere, art direction, and soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere drips cyberpunk vibes (post-apocalyptic, tech/robots mixed with melee sword combat, samurai level, mind control, etc.), and the visual art is consistently impressive and captivating throughout.”
- “Rich story, great atmosphere, good gameplay!”
- “The atmosphere drips cyberpunk vibes (post-apocalyptic, tech/robots mixed with melee sword combat, [spoiler]samurai level, mind control[/spoiler], etc.), and the visual art is consistently impressive and captivating throughout.”
- “The story and atmosphere are all pretty well-handled even if the rough translation gets in the way at a few points, and the ending is... a bit awkward (you can fight the final boss early with no indication that it's the final boss, and the actual ending is a short extra region and then a cutscene that doesn't really resolve anything and it's... strange, the DLC doesn't really address this issue either in my opinion).”
- “Great: level design, nonlinear exploration (there are secrets in almost every nook and cranny of the game), atmosphere especially if you like cyberpunk.”
humor
14 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-received, with players appreciating the witty dialogue and sassy interactions that enhance the overall experience. Many noted the clever use of humor throughout the gameplay, including funny moments tied to unique mechanics and character design, such as the protagonist's kunai weapon. Overall, the game's blend of humor and engaging storytelling contributes positively to its appeal.
- “A lot of exploration, backtracking, good humor; I want more like that!”
- “The dialogue can be quite funny, with a lot of sass to it. If I had to be nitpicky, I'd say the font could be smaller, just to reduce the number of text boxes that the game has.”
- “Storytelling - 9/10, funny jokes and not annoying.”
optimization
12 mentions
50 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is highly praised, with excellent performance and polished visuals, especially for a small development team. While there are minor stuttering issues, the majority of players report very few bugs and commend the non-linear exploration and gameplay mechanics.
- “Very highly polished visuals, gameplay, and performance especially considering the size of the team.”
- “[*] excellent optimization and graphics”
- “Lastly, performance was great and there are only very few bugs, if any.”
- “Some stuttering issues.”
- “But the performance issues...”
- “Very highly polished visuals, gameplay, and performance, especially considering the size of the team.”
grinding
12 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to segmented levels and a cumbersome overworld map that necessitates backtracking, which detracts from the overall experience. While the enemy design is appreciated, the high respawn rate and lack of rewards for combat lead to frustration and a loss of motivation to continue playing. The game’s structure, intended to prevent over-leveling, ultimately results in a grind that feels unmemorable and unsatisfying.
- “It's segmented into individual levels (with fast travel only within the level) that you access via a Fallout 1/2 map, making backtracking the most tedious of any game I've ever seen.”
- “Not great: tedious boss fights (there aren't very many of them), levels are not linked together and you have to go through an overworld map to teleport between them.”
- “This sounds fun, but it just gets tedious and unmemorable, and I lost the drive to keep playing.”
emotional
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its emotional depth, featuring a touching story that combines heartwarming moments with a bittersweet secret ending. Players appreciate the blend of engaging gameplay and a narrative that resonates on an emotional level.
- “Very heartwarming but bittersweet secret ending as well.”
- “Fantastic platformer metroidvania with a touching story.”
stability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Users report that the game experiences significant stability issues, particularly noting that certain actions can cause the game to freeze.
replayability
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game offers good replayability, though it is not perfect, with some users noting that it has almost 0% replayability. Overall, while enjoyable, it may not provide enough incentive for multiple playthroughs.