Mr. Sun's Hatbox

About

In "Mr. Sun's Hatbox," players must build a team of reformed hat thieves to recover a stolen hatbox delivery from the dastardly Mr. Moon and his troublemakers. With a variety of stylish headgear and weapons, players can choose to either eliminate or extricate enemies, working together to complete covert or chaotic missions and bring the package back to its rightful owner. Starting from modest beginnings, players will gradually build a unit capable of taking down Mr. Moon and his minions.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 186 reviews

story14 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Mr. Sun's Hatbox combines engaging platforming with XCOM-style base management, creating a fun and addictive gameplay loop.
The game features charming art, humorous writing, and a variety of hats and weapons that add depth and creativity to missions.
Co-op play enhances the experience, making it a chaotic and enjoyable game to play with friends.

The permadeath mechanic can be frustrating, as losing a leveled character feels punishing and can lead to a sense of regression.
Combat can feel chaotic and unpredictable, with many instances of unfair deaths due to environmental hazards or enemy abilities.
Some players find the gameplay repetitive over time, with a lack of variety in level design and character progression.

story
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
76%
4%
The story in "Mr. Sun's Hatbox" is light-hearted and humorous, featuring entertaining dialogue and quirky scenarios that enhance the gameplay experience. Players engage in a variety of missions, from retrieval to abduction, while managing a base and dealing with the consequences of character permadeath, which adds a layer of strategy and emotional investment. Overall, the narrative serves as a charming backdrop to the game's addictive mechanics, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate a less serious plot.
- “The story is genuinely entertaining with funny dialogue and easter eggs all over the place.”
- “I laughed out loud more than once at the story bits, and the story is as bite-sized as the rest of the game, which is super enjoyable and services this entire package!”
- “Very fun co-op hidden gem with a story that is genuinely quite funny.”
- “What's not very fun is having to do several missions to level up a character, and death (permanent) often feels too random.”
- “I'll go ahead and recommend this, as it's pretty fun; however, the skill ceiling really ramps up fast. If you lose your leveled staff, you'll have a tough time replacing them. There doesn't seem to be any opportunity to do easier missions, you're stuck doing really difficult objectives with staff that are challenged at every turn.”
- “Ridiculous story and challenging gameplay.”
gameplay
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The gameplay is a blend of roguelite platforming and base-building mechanics, offering a mix of addictive, humorous interactions and strategic elements reminiscent of titles like Metal Gear Solid. While the core mechanics are engaging and creative, some players find the controls clunky and the combat frustrating due to unpredictable slapstick elements. Overall, the game provides a rewarding experience with a unique gameplay loop, though mastering its intricacies can be challenging.
- “There are some unexpected gameplay twists, like how your team members can get captured and you have to go rescue them, but the game is actually enjoyable.”
- “The gameplay is smooth and every level feels like it has something to offer.”
- “I am truly captivated by this game, as it boasts a remarkable combination of unique, addictive, and enjoyable gameplay elements.”
- “But the minute-to-minute gameplay just doesn't really click for me, and there are too many character debuffs to keep track of.”
- “A decent roguelite platformer let down by its core gameplay loop and frenetic, frustrating combat.”
- “A lot of the time, combat losses are out of your control due to the game's slapstick gameplay, bouncing around the map, landing on traps, being stun-locked, and just watching for enemies to walk over and damage you while you lie helpless on the ground.”
humor
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised for its quirky and slapstick nature, often eliciting laughter through unexpected interactions and absurd scenarios. Players appreciate the lighthearted storytelling, funny dialogue, and amusing gameplay mechanics that create a charming and entertaining experience, making even frustrating moments enjoyable. Overall, the game's blend of humor, engaging platforming, and whimsical elements contributes to its appeal as a fun co-op experience.
- “It's got all the fun of building out an XCOM-style base with light platforming (and heavy humor) instead of turn-based tactics.”
- “The story is genuinely entertaining with funny dialogue and easter eggs all over the place.”
- “Losing them because you didn't notice a banana peel on the sky level, so you trip and fall off the map to your death... very funny.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for being enjoyable, catchy, and unobtrusive, enhancing the overall experience with its chill and poppy vibes. Players appreciate the excellent soundtrack, particularly highlighting the library theme, which complements the game's charming art style and humorous gameplay. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's addictive nature and immersive atmosphere.
- “Addictive and humorous gameplay, excellent music, charming art style, funny little story.”
- “Music is enjoyable and unobtrusive, yet poppy.”
- “Accompanied by the wonderful sound effects of the entire world & the music, it's simply spectacular.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics are praised for their charming art style and clear visuals, contributing to the game's addictive and humorous gameplay. While some players note that the visuals can become chaotic, they still maintain a quality comparable to other well-regarded titles. Overall, the graphics, sound, and art style are consistently highlighted as strong aspects of the game.
- “Addictive and humorous gameplay, excellent music, charming art style, and a funny little story.”
- “Usually very clear visuals (can get chaotic at times, but no worse than Spelunky in that regard).”
- “Everything, humor, graphics, and gameplay just work for me.”
- “Usually very clear visuals, but can get chaotic at times, though no worse than Spelunky in that regard.”
- “Graphics, sound, and art style are lacking.”
- “The graphics feel outdated and do not match the quality of modern games.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and often frustrating, as leveling up characters takes too long and many have significant downsides that make them less appealing. While some enjoy farming missions for resources, the overall consensus is that excessive grinding isn't necessary to complete the game.
- “I understand the point is that you level up a specific set of characters and then they become your strong assets for the heists, but the leveling up just doesn't happen rapidly enough for that to come into play for me. The majority of characters I got had so many downsides that it would take far too long grinding with them to make them worthwhile and to prevent them from dying.”
- “Although I appreciate that it isn't necessary to do a lot of grinding to beat the game, the overall experience still feels tedious.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization has been criticized for being poor, with players experiencing significant slowdowns during key events, such as alarms, despite its 16-bit graphics.
- “Terrible optimization; the game gets extremely slow every time the alarm goes off (like really??? in a 16-bit game??).”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game's single-player replayability is somewhat limited, as it tends to favor chaotic gameplay over emergent strategies, unless players engage in full stealth. This limitation highlights the value of the "pause to plan" feature in enhancing strategic options.
- “The game offers a variety of playstyles, making each run feel unique and encouraging multiple playthroughs.”
- “With different character builds and choices, every playthrough can lead to a completely different experience.”
- “The dynamic world and random events keep the gameplay fresh, ensuring that no two sessions are ever the same.”
- “Somewhat limited single-player replayability, as unless you're doing full stealth, it's more about chaos than emergence. This highlights the need for a feature like Heat Signature's 'pause to plan'.”
- “The game lacks significant replayability due to its linear structure and predictable outcomes, making multiple playthroughs feel redundant.”
- “After completing the main story, there isn't much incentive to replay the game, as the side quests and additional content feel repetitive and uninspired.”