Mr. Sun's Hatbox

Much of the game involves strategizing around these quirks when possible. Upon snapping a guard's neck, for example, the "guilty conscience" trait sends your character hopping around in an uncontrollable panic for a few brief yet potentially pivotal seconds during which they might blunder into a trap or the sightline of another guard. To circumvent this, you can take care to kill exclusively (and presumably more impersonally) with weapons, or you can drag each body to some secluded area where it's safe for your assigned agent to shake off any post-murder jitters.

Mr. Sun’s Hatbox is charming and funny as hell. As silly as it is, the game is quite clever in the way it melds systems together, constantly introducing something new to juggle or consider when planning a mission or expanding your base. Its roguelite elements raise the stakes of every heist and make every success feel all the sweeter. While some balancing issues led to early frustrations, Mr. Suns’s Hatbox is an impressive little package.

Just as the titular Mr. Sun is shocked over how many people you send to their death in pursuit of his hatbox, players might be shocked over how fun and addictive Mr. Sun's Hatbox can be. Impressive stealth platforming with a ton of options makes for a great time, while the colorful, pixelated art plays host to lot of nicely-comical details.

Luckily, as the player progresses, builds an army of strong combatants with useful quirks, accumulates a stockpile of weapons and hats, and unlocks perks in the research lab, the game gets easier. The challenge definitely remains, but the balance begins to noticeably shift from frustration to fun. People jumping into Mr. Sun’s Hatbox should be prepared to get annoyed and occasionally exit the game feeling irked. But those who persevere will be rewarded with an indie roguelite that ticks all the boxes and is perfect for a quick, fulfilling play session.

Mr. Sun's Hatbox comes out swinging with beautiful art, a fun personality and a unique gameplay twist, and while it may not succeed at everything it attempts, it's a worthwhile experience nonetheless.

Mr Sun’s Hatbox blends together a variety of platforming, action, and strategy ideas into one brilliantly creative experience, and believe me, it’s easy to lose HOURS on end absorbed in its charming yet violent world. I’ll admit, I wasn’t too sold on the game when I first checked out its Steam page, but after playing it? I was all in. It’s fun and zany in equal measure, with Mr Sun’s Hatbox easily standing out as one of the more unique action-platforming roguelites that I’ve had the joy of playing.

Mr. Sun’s Hatbox is a rogue-lite with chaotically fun stealth presented in a simple cute art style. But for all its hyperactive successes, it struggles to keep you playing with a clumsy progression system and perhaps a bit too much slapstick randomness.

Drawing surprising parallels to Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker’s mechanics, Mr Sun’s Hatbox delivers an overall enjoyable indie experience.

Mr. Sun’s Hatbox takes advantage of good humor to give life to a structure that tends to be repetitive. The wide variety of items and particularities, in addition to making each game unique, amuse and create unusual situations that make it an excellent title. Despite the minor issues, it's a game worth keeping an eye on.

I had hoped I would find another amazing roguelite in Mr. Sun’s Hatbox. But between the hardcore stealth component and the persistent glitches I encountered, I found the game more of a chore than a delight. While there are plenty of folks that may still enjoy the game, it’s a much harder sell until those nagging issues are patched out.