- Image from Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot Adventure courtesy of Nintendo

Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot Adventure Review

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming
By Zachary Roberts | Last updated Oct 29, 2024 6:28 PM ET

Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot Adventure is a brand-new adventure title from Limited Run Games, a publisher slowly adding digital games like this one. It is available on the Nintendo Switch, which is fitting. Adventure games and platformers, which this game is arguably a combination of the two, are Nintendo’s bread and butter thanks to Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. But is the game worth your while?

Pros for Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot

Graphics

Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot may be a new game and it may be released in 2024, but it does not bow to the idea that modern games need blistering, realistic graphics. For one thing, the Nintendo Switch doesn’t handle those as well. For another, graphics are quickly becoming overrated. Everything else arguably matters more, and this game knows that. Additionally, a good art style is better, and that’s exactly what this title has. It makes playing more fun even if it’s not as impressive as some others.

Music

The music is also excellent in Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot, which goes a long way. A game can live and die with music. It may not be used to convey emotion or story beats like in some games, but the tunes put to work here do the one thing they need to. Music should not be jarring or annoying. It should fit with the theme of the game and be enjoyable to listen to over and over again. This game’s background music checks all those boxes.

Cons for Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot

Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot Adventure Review 3 Image from Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot Adventure courtesy of Nintendo

Gameplay

The gameplay for Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot is not bad, it’s just basic. The concept of using a hookshot to move around a map is not bad, just ask The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. In this game, it’s just clunkier and a little too simple at times. There are some fun parts that require some skill, but it is overall just a little too easy to move through levels.

Level Length

The level design on many is quite solid, but the length leaves some to be desired. This is not a lengthy game as it is, but some levels end far too quickly. There are a few that really make you work to get through a section and it starts to become really fun before ending abruptly.

In Conclusion

Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot is a solid entry into the genre, which is actually two genres. It’s a fun platformer that puts players into adventure mode, which is a clever mash-up of two iconic genres. It’s not going to blow anyone away, but for $20 on the Switch, it’s not a waste of time or money. It won’t be winning any awards and likely won’t be breaking into the mainstream, but this could be looked back on as an underrated gem in the future.

Score: 3/5

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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