3.5 stars

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. That is the philosophy of Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, since it combines elements of games from the Super Nintendo era of gaming into an engaging puzzle platformer.

The story itself is silly on purpose. Legend tells of an extraordinary Gentleman who created the most fabulous suit ever conceived, made of pure gold. This Gentleman was able to rule the world with the power of this glorious suit, but when he died, the pieces of the suit scattered. Throughout history, powerful individuals, such as Napoleon and King Tut, tried to reconstruct the suit, but they all failed.

The game then cuts to the titular Henry Hatsworth and his apprentice, Cole, who are hanging out in the Adventurer’s Guild of Tealand. After recounting the legend, Henry leaves to go explore ancient ruins supposedly full of treasure. The only thing he finds is a golden bowler hat, which not only makes him literally 20 years younger, but creates an opening to an entire other world: the Puzzle Realm.

After escaping the temple, Henry returns to the guild, where Cole informs him that the bowler was part of the legendary suit created by the Gentleman. The two decide that it’d be best to collect the other pieces of the suit, for the sake of closing the Puzzle Realm and making a load of cash.

This 20-hour game’s story is played entirely for laughs. With chuckle-worthy jokes, which are always present, and extreme exaggeration of British stereotypes, there were a few times I honestly burst out laughing while playing.

Besides the laughter, Henry Hatsworth is a throwback to the old days of gaming. Controls are tight and responsive, challenge is always present and the graphics are easy on the eyes.

Gameplay is divided to each screen. All the platforming elements take place on the top screen. The bottom screen is dedicated to a match-three puzzler, similar in execution to Tetris Attack, where a row of blocks are constantly rising.  Enemies defeated on the top screen fall down to the bottom screen, where they then have to be matched and cleared before they reach the top of the puzzle. It’s a surprisingly effective way to connect the two screens. If the screens were separated, the puzzle gameplay and platforming gameplay are perfectly competent but the combination of the two is what makes the game great.

The art style of the game is simple, and character portraits are well-drawn and expressive. But the sound design is hilarious. When characters speak, they don’t have a voice. Rather, it’s a sort of garbled gibberish that fits the character, and the most comical one is that of the first boss, Mrs. D, who sounds like an extremely heavy smoker.

However, the soundtrack is somewhat forgettable. There are some standout songs, such as the percussion-focused “Molotov on the Rocks,” as well as a chiptune-based track in “The Lovely Bolo.” But others pieces, like “Weaseljuice” and “The Gloom,” aren’t exactly memorable. The lack of variety is also a problem since the original soundtrack (OST) only has 21 songs on it.

A lack of music doesn’t dampen the experience as a whole. With its great wit and classic, well-done gameplay, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure is worth playing, and gamers new and experienced will enjoy it.

Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure

Developed by EA Tiburon

Published by EA

Current retail price listed at $7