Hannah's Day [Review]

Hannah's Day is a puzzle platformer centered on an adult girl single-mindedly focused on her musical aspirations. This pursuit comes at the cost of her friends' happiness and personal goals, showcasing Hannah as selfish and pushy. Her parents' disappointment and lack of support are understandable, given her insufferable and immature behavior. Hannah literally screams, “It’s time to run away from my problems.” The game's narrative, much like its protagonist, feels one-dimensional and seems as if it was written by a middle schooler. The unengaging and nonsensical story, coupled with off-putting cutscenes, ruins the experience. In Hannah's Day, the main character, Hannah, uses a skateboard to navigate and persistently solicits her friends to join her struggling band. The game lacks any substantial world-building, and NPCs are simplistic representations of humans. While the contemporary Corporate Memphis art style and graphics are visually appealing, they feel soulless. Empty. Unfortunately, the platforming mechanics are clunky, and their purpose within the game feels arbitrary.

The tilting stick mechanic for world movement and puzzle-solving by rolling objects is enjoyable, as is the roof-flipping ability, distinguishing this game. However, collision issues cause her movement to completely stop. The mechanics oftentimes stop level progression completely. Surprisingly, the music is pretty bad for a game based around a skateboarding musician who's in a band. The music sounded like an AI-generated imitation of a Spyro the Dragon soundtrack. One would expect rock, Ska, or Punk music for the soundtrack. While the unique features are great when functional, the game’s flaws get in the way of the entire experience. Side quests, labeled “Good Deeds,” consist of random and inconsequential fetch quests, seemingly designed to artificially inflate the game's length. In fact, almost all collectibles within the game lack significance. Overall, Hannah's Day is a mediocre game plagued by poor execution and a terrible story, making it difficult to recommend.