When Gears for Breakfast’s A Hat in Time was first revealed several years ago, the idea of a new cartoony 3D platformer seemed delightfully out-of-step with modern gaming trends, and while that’s still true to an extent, the goggly-eyed Yooka-Laylee has warmed the world up to the idea. A Hat in Time is a little different, with a considerably smaller budget but maybe a bit more ambition, and an aesthetic that reminds players of Wind Waker and Super Mario Sunshine rather than Banjo Kazooie.
There hasn’t been much about the game for a good long while, but here’s a new trailer that confirms that Gears for Breakfast’s GameCube-style platformer is very much alive. Not only that, but it’ll be out next year.
You play as an umbrella-wielding girl named Hat Kid, who’s trying to gather fuel for her spaceship (as you do). She’ll do this by exploring a selection of large 3D worlds, either alone or in (local or online) co-op, pleasingly. There will also be modding support, courtesy of the Steam Workshop. The trailer below shows off chapter 3 of the game, which appears to involve birds, trains, a penguin DJ and a colorful city environment.