Hello all! I’m still technically on Avocado Hiatus, and likely will be for a while, but I decided that I might still drop one of these every once in a while when I feel like it. In any case, welcome back to Play It By Ear, a column where in each instalment I discuss my thoughts on a different video game’s soundtrack.
Today’s game? A Hat in Time.
Release Date: October 5, 2017
Platform: macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Gears for Breakfast
Composers: Pascal Michael Stiefel, with guest composers for some of the remixes
Availability: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music
‘Essential’ Playlist Link (This playlist contains only my ‘Top Tracks’ and ‘Other Essential Tracks’)
Number of Songs: 113 including the DLCs
Approximate Total Time: 7 hours
Played the Game? Yes.
What Kind of Game Is This? A Hat in Time is a 3D platformer heavily inspired by Super Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie. The game follows Hat Kid, an adorable alien who looks like a little girl in a cape and top hat whose ship was damaged in an accident and lost all of the hourglass-shaped Time Pieces that fuel it. Armed with an umbrella, Hat Kid must traverse four worlds (six with the DLC) to collect the missing Time Pieces so that she can get back home. Along the way she can collect yarn to create new hats that offer helpful powers like blowing things up or slowing down time.
Top Songs (in Track Order):
Title Screen
One of my favorite title themes ever, this track perfectly encapsulates the playful, whimsical nature of the game itself.
Scootin’ Around Mafia Town
This was actually one of the first songs I heard from the game – before I had even considered playing it – and it immediately hooked me. The thrumming bass combined with the strings, piano, and synth manage to create such an adventurous feel that still manages to fit well with the world’s mafia theme.
Trainwreck of Electro Swing (Remix)
Nothing goes better with attempting to escape an exploding train than good old electro swing.
The Big Parade
Such a joyous big-band theme for what is quite a hellish level.
The Battle of Award 42
This has rapidly climbed my list of favorite boss themes of all time. (The fight itself is not too shabby either!) It rocks way harder than it needs to.
Oh It’s You
This track has such a groovy beat, it’s hard not to get it stuck in your head.
Your Contract Has Expired
Another truly fantastic boss theme. A great accompaniment to a fight against a wise-cracking, soul-stealing demon.
Clocktowers Beneath the Sea
I’m a sucker for soothing, atmospheric music and this definitely fits the bill. The gentle, haunting melody and the water sound effects together make this one quite special. (And I really love the name, too.)
You Are All Bad Guys
Each of the three parts of this final boss theme have a very different feel – rising tension to all out chaos – yet they work quite well together to create a very epic atmosphere.
Peace and Tranquility
As with ‘Clocktowers Beneath the Sea’, another very relaxing (and catchy) track. Dancing smug Hat Kid never hurts either.
Killing Two Birds
Not quite as great as ‘The Battle of Award 42’, but still one of best themes for fighting a disco penguin and an owl obsessed with trains.
Nyakuza Metro
This track does a phenomenal job of creating atmosphere. Just listening to it makes me picture myself wandering through a neon-lit nighttime city.
Rush Hour
The way this continually ratchets up the tension is just great.
Other Essential Tracks: Mafia Town is Asleep, The Badge Seller, Dead Bird Studio, Picture Perfect, Toilet of Doom, The Lava Cake Peak, Alpine Skyline at Night, Subcon Forest Time Rift, Little Help From My Friends, Bon Voyage!, Deep Sea Rift, Collapsing Rift, Wound-Up Windmill, Death Wish, Mustache Girl EX, Green Clean Station, Nyakuza Manholes
Overall Thoughts: From the moment I first started playing A Hat in Time last year, I fell in love. It’s just such an adorable, charming, creative, and sometimes surprisingly challenging game, and one of the key parts of its appeal for me was Stiefel’s wonderful (and wonderfully expansive) soundtrack. There’s such great variety on display, from the extremely chill ‘Clocktowers Beneath the Sea’ to the groovy ‘Trainwreck of Electro Swing’ and the bombastic ‘The Big Parade’, and yet they all feel like they fit together. One thing in particular that really stood out to me – and surprised me a bit, given the game’s general cutesy vibe – is just how hard the boss themes hit. There are comparatively few actual boss fights in A Hat in Time, but with ‘The Battle of Award 42’, ‘Your Contract Has Expired’, ‘You Are All Bad Guys’, ‘Killing Two Birds’, and ‘Death Wish’, there’s no shortage of rocking boss themes. All in all, there is little I don’t like about A Hat in Time’s OST. Just as with the game itself, the soundtrack has rocketed straight into my list of favorites.
And there we have it! Thanks so much for reading and listening to this soundtrack with me.
Next Time: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, probably.