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 297 reviews

story40 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game features a lot of abilities and secrets to uncover, making exploration rewarding and enjoyable.
Gameplay and movement are incredibly fluid and fun, with a well-designed control scheme that enhances the experience.
The art style and visuals are impressive, contributing to an engaging atmosphere that complements the gameplay.

Combat is often too simple and lacks depth, which can make encounters feel repetitive and unchallenging.
The story is generic and the dialogue can be cringey, detracting from the overall immersion in the game world.
Some mechanics, like the grappling hook, can be inconsistent, leading to frustrating moments during platforming sections.

story
103 mentions
39 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it generic and poorly translated, while others appreciate its intriguing plot and character development. Many note that the narrative can feel overly wordy and nonlinear, with some threads left unresolved, yet the world-building and side quests add depth to the experience. Overall, while the story may not be the standout feature for everyone, it is often complemented by engaging gameplay and exploration.
- “The story is surprisingly decent, as are the characters and setting.”
- “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 story is overly wordy, and I don't appreciate the slow, forced flashback sequences.”
- “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
72 mentions
50 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its fluidity, engaging mechanics, and rewarding exploration, particularly within the metroidvania genre. While many players appreciate the tight controls and diverse move sets, some critique the lack of enemy variety and the occasional blandness in gameplay elements. Overall, the game offers a satisfying experience with a mix of platforming, combat, and puzzle-solving, though some feel it could benefit from more unique content and clearer mechanics.
- “Gameplay and movement are incredibly fluid and fun.”
- “Extremely good and fluid platforming, fun mechanics and combat, and really excellent level design.”
- “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.”
- “The plot did not grab me and the gameplay does not feel unique enough to not 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.”
- “Nothing so far has been mechanically difficult, or required me to think carefully about a situation.”
graphics
50 mentions
72 % positive mentions
22 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many praising the unique art style, beautiful pixel graphics, and well-designed character sprites. While some players noted that the color scheme can feel repetitive at times, the overall visuals are described as polished and effective in conveying the game's atmosphere, particularly in its post-apocalyptic setting. However, a few reviews mentioned that the graphics might not stand out as spectacular, but they still contribute to an enjoyable gaming 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 you've ever seen, so yeah, I really loved the visuals as well.”
- “The art style and color scheme was very same-y for quite a long time at the start of the game in multiple areas before it got changed up.”
- “One thing that I found a little odd, though, is the art style, which there isn't really one.”
- “Graphics are slightly bland for my taste; everything is very desaturated and it feels bleak all the time.”
music
24 mentions
54 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its atmospheric qualities and standout tracks, particularly the guitar pieces and ambient sounds that enhance the gameplay experience. However, others find the music to be sparse, generic, and occasionally too loud compared to other audio elements, leading to a desire for catchier and more varied compositions. Overall, while the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's ambiance, it could benefit from more frequent and engaging musical moments.
- “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 ambient most of the time.”
- “Music - 5/10, atmospheric, but I want more action.”
atmosphere
11 mentions
64 % positive mentions
9 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its rich cyberpunk vibes, impressive visual art, and engaging ambient soundscapes, contributing to a captivating experience. While the level design and nonlinear exploration enhance the immersive environment, some players noted inconsistencies in location uniqueness and a lack of resolution in the story's conclusion. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature, complemented by a strong narrative and planned future updates.
- “Great: level design, nonlinear exploration (there are secrets in almost every nook and cranny of the game), atmosphere especially if you like cyberpunk.”
- “Rich story, great atmosphere, good gameplay!”
- “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.”
- “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).”
- “I played a little - the impression is positive, the game clearly has an atmosphere.”
humor
7 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-received, featuring witty dialogue and clever jokes that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the sassy tone and the amusing elements woven into the gameplay, including the main character's quirky weapon. Overall, the humor contributes significantly to the game's charm, making it a standout aspect for many reviewers.
- “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
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is highly praised, with excellent graphics and performance noted, especially given the small development team. While there are minor stuttering issues, the game is largely free of bugs and offers a polished experience, enhancing the exploration and non-linear gameplay.
- “Exploration is wonderful, performance is great, there are secrets everywhere, the map is non-linear, and sequence breaking is possible in many places.”
- “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
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to segmented levels that require backtracking through an overworld map, leading to a frustrating experience. While there are ample save points, the lack of meaningful rewards for defeating enemies and the high respawn rate contribute to a sense of monotony, diminishing the overall enjoyment and motivation to continue playing.
- “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.”
- “I understand that this decision was to prevent the player from grinding and over-leveling, but if there is no reward for fighting, then at least let me permanently clear all the enemies out of areas to scratch the 100% completion itch.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game features a heartwarming yet bittersweet secret ending, enhancing its emotional depth. Players appreciate the touching story that complements the fantastic platformer metroid-vania gameplay.
- “Very heartwarming but bittersweet secret ending as well.”
- “Fantastic platformer metroidvania with a touching story.”
stability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Users report that the game experiences significant stability issues, particularly noting that actions can cause the game to freeze unexpectedly.
- “That action freezes the game.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it unplayable.”
- “I experience constant lag and instability during gameplay.”
replayability
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game offers good replayability, though some users note it is not perfect, citing a lack of significant incentives to replay. Overall, it provides a satisfying experience but may not encourage multiple playthroughs.