Haste review: Free as the wind, just don’t look down

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It’s tough to find three phrases that excite me about a game more than “momentum-based platformer.” The thrill of hurtling through an environment at faster and faster speeds, executing each jump perfectly to propel yourself forward, is one of the most fulfilling sensations in gaming. In fact, this experience alone makes up for the occasional letdown of being a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog.

In just a few minutes after beginning, I found myself effortlessly speeding ahead. From the get-go, I was fully immersed, powering through with an exhilarating feeling coursing through me.

Hurrying, the world seems to crumble around you, forcing you to flee from it at top speed. You’ll sprint through intricate 3D landscapes as the world deteriorates in your wake. Each level’s terrain is deliberately rough and hilly, allowing you to jump high into the air, then land on slopes to gain additional momentum.

It’s fascinating that while you don’t manually trigger your jumps as they occur when running off a ramp, you do maintain control over falls. This gives you greater maneuverability in mid-air, and by pressing the “Fast Fall” button at any point, you can speed up your descent. The aim is to land on an inclined surface at the optimal angle to boost your speed.

Additionally, each level presents a multitude of challenges such as distant explosions targeting you, crumbling ruins and columns to collide with, or deep pits to fall into. Maintaining a low profile and consistently achieving precise landings will accelerate your progress, leading to engaging split-second choices: Will you leap high to dodge obstacles, or hug the ground for a riskier, faster route?

The timing system in Haste is incredibly useful because instead of showing a clock, it predicts the grade you’ll earn at the end of the level based on your current performance. This method is straightforward and allows for quick comprehension, creating exciting moments. For instance, when you initially mess up early in the game and your projected grade drops to an ‘E’, the thrill comes from trying to improve it and eventually reaching an ‘S’ by the end of the level.

In this game, you’ll journey across layers of Shards, each containing stages, shops for items, and rest areas, all structured like Slay the Spire’s map design. Your goal is to conquer a Shard and defeat its final boss while managing your lives effectively. The items you purchase during your voyage can enhance your health, speed, and provide unique abilities such as vertical jumps. Moreover, you have the flexibility to pre-plan your entire route, allowing for seamless transitions between levels without having to revisit the menu.

Although I’m enjoying the dynamic nature of this game mode, it occurs to me that I might have preferred a tighter campaign with specifically designed levels, while keeping the procedurally generated ones for the endless play. This seems particularly applicable to the bosses, as throughout the ten Shards, you encounter only four distinct bosses, three of which you fight three times, each instance becoming more challenging. The bosses are intriguing ideas that demand mastery of the game’s mechanics, such as the enormous convoy you must enter and maneuver to the front, or the large serpentine creature slithering through the level. I was hoping, however, for a bit more diversity in these encounters.

The narrative is satisfactory. It’s not particularly extraordinary, but it serves its purpose by providing a framework for events and a sense of motivation. I’m more focused on moving quickly through the story rather than understanding why the world is deteriorating. However, the characters are quite endearing in their brief dialogues during game levels, and these interactions offer an ultimate objective that prevents the six-hour campaign from feeling overly prolonged.

After obtaining everything I needed from Haste, I moved on, neither wanting nor lacking anything else. The platforming mechanics based on momentum were an enjoyable aspect that appealed to my love for satisfaction in this genre. Although it could have benefited from more diverse boss and level designs, the engaging core gameplay was difficult for me to step away from, and I’m confident that the endless mode will retain my interest for a considerable period.

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2025-04-30 12:46