HASTE: Broken Worlds Impressions: Peaks & Valleys
Landfall continues their wonderful tradition of surprise April 1st drops with the launch of HASTE: Broken Worlds, a roguelike action-runner where the end of the universe is hot on your heels. As a fan of the studio and a certain blue hedgehog, I was thrilled to dive into the lush world of HASTE the night before it’s launch. However, after a few runs, I found myself conflicted in my early thoughts. As I said to Six One EIC Becca Smith over DM last night, HASTE is so close to being an unbelievably sick, but a few design choices hold it back for me personally.
Before diving into why I’m conflicted, it’s important to outline the core gameplay. HASTE is split into ten roguelike worlds, each called Shard Runs. The goal is to navigate each level of a world filled with running challenges, classic roguelike stat boosts, and, ultimately, an epic boss battle to complete the Shard. Each Shard must be completed without fail to advance to the next. In true roguelike fashion, failure means starting from scratch. Fortunately, each Shard Run is digestible enough that failure doesn’t feel like a waste of time. As someone who traditionally isn’t a fan of roguelike gameplay, HASTE has a loop that makes me appreciate the genre. It never feels like a chore to dive back in, and even in failure, you still earn rewards toward permanent upgrades, creating a sense of progression.
HASTE is a game of momentum and rhythm with a simple mechanical core. There are three key inputs: steer, dive, and pull out a board. As Zoe, you soar through lush landscapes carved with peaks and valleys. To keep up your speed, you must ride the natural slopes of the terrain, using the valleys to propel yourself into the air. The key is nailing a perfect landing. Landing at the start of a valley earns you a ‘perfect,’ rewarding you with forward momentum. If you think you’re going to overshoot a landing, you can dive into a slope for an attempt at a perfect hit. A messy landing, however, causes Zoe to slow down, sometimes even coming to a halt depending on how rough the landing is. Thankfully, you can pull out your board for a bit of a boost to help carry any lost momentum. Speed is your friend in HASTE—stay still for too long, and it’s the end of your run. Nailing momentum delivers satisfying results at breakneck speeds, but capturing the rhythm can be tricky.
HASTE’s Shard Runs and the levels within them are procedurally generated. While the idea of procedural generation sounds appealing on paper to keep things fresh, it doesn’t always feel like a great fit for the gameplay. Whether it’s through collectible currency (sparks) or mapping, there’s a lack of signposting that makes the game feel disjointed. Sometimes, it feels like the game is actively working against you. Rows of sparks lead to obstacles that result in unfair fail-states, or a seemingly logical path leads to an endless fall. There are countless moments when I simply don’t know where I should be heading. The openness in each level is aesthetically pleasing and prevents the linear runs from feeling claustrophobic, but that same openness can throw off a run at a moment’s notice. As silly as it sounds, I almost wish there was a Crazy Taxi-like arrow pointing me in the right direction. While procedural generation does offer the benefit replayability, the rhythm and flow that are staples in other speedy platformers are often lost here due to the lack of handcrafted levels.
While I may sound hyper-critical of HASTE: Broken Worlds, I want to stress that I’m still enjoying my time with it. The game is gorgeous, the characters are endearing, and when you nail the aforementioned rhythm and flow, the game delivers a satisfying experience. However, when the game fights back, it can be disappointing. Thankfully, it’s all wrapped up in an alluring, digestible package that invites you back for one more run.