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A hat in time is a 3d platforming game with combat elements in which you hunt down your missing time
pieces. The protagonist is Hat Kid, a hat wearing alien who is searching for the time pieces that she
uses as fuel to operate her spaceship. She journeys though five chapters in the base game and the DLC’s
add two more bumping the total up to 7.
I will be both asking and answering the question of ‘How did the plot and mechanics of chapter 3 The Subcon Forest change over its development?’ First, we must look at how the game's development started. Development started in August 2012 and was originally
planned for a 2013 release but was delayed significantly. A Hat in Time was created by director Jonas Kærlev, he launched the project as an answer to a shortage of 3D platformers. At the start of
development, he was the sole developer of the game but over time the development grew into Gears
for Breakfast, a team spanning four countries and one that was entirely volunteer based.
The first thing I'll be talking about is The Moonjumper, he was the original antagonist for
Subcon Forest. The Moonjumper lives in the Horizon, not much is known about it other than he’s stuck
there as well as the Moonjumper’s prison. His goal was to get Hat Kid to be stuck there with him and
would attempt to do so throughout the chapter. His interactions with the alien is mostly helpful giving
her advice from the sky, though his motivation were much darker as I just stated, so was he an ally, or
enemy? The answer is that he was a bit of both.
Next, I will be talking about one of the original plots for the at the time 2nd chapter of A Hat in Time, up
until the beta of the game Subcon forest was a battleground for control over the forest between three
individuals. The Snatcher the Moonjumper and Queen Vanessa. The Satcher stated that there was a
game-like thing going on between them, something like capture the flag but without any flags. There are
a few assets left from this stage of development, they are three towers two of which are colored to fit
with Vanessa’s and the Snatchers themes, the third however is bear with only a vague shaped of a
crescent moon at the top, a symbol of the Moonjumper.
Third and finally I will talk about the Snatcher. He is along with Queen Vanessa, the only characters with
unique names in the final version of Subcon. Originally, he was the thing that snatched things from
underneath your bed or in the closet, which is what he was named after. But now it’s been given a new
much more sinister origin, as now it comes from the fact he snatches and devours the souls of the
unlucky fools who enter his forest. When Hat Kid stumbles into one of the traps he sets up the Snatcher
forces her to sign a contract that makes for his servant as well as takes her soul hostage.
The subcon Forest is many including my favorite chapter in A Hat in Time, the atmosphere is one of the
best in the game, and the acts are probably the best in it. Not to mention the different stages it went
through to get there. In conclusion I have discussed the main things of the stages before the final
version and hope you have gained something from this, either an interest in this wonderful game or just
some random knowledge. Thank you for listening to me as well as your time!