HAAK Hook, dash and slash through a sunken wasteland

Haak travels with a hook, a dash and a charged slash, and the game keeps finding new uses for all three. The hook latches onto points to swing you across gaps or yank you upward; the dash works on the ground and in the air, in any direction; the charged slash breaks walls as well as enemies. You play a wanderer crossing a post-apocalyptic wasteland of deserted cities, metro tunnels and mountain outposts, and the routes open up as you go: a ledge you could only stare at in the first hour becomes a shortcut once you have the right trick. The controls are quick and responsive, so chaining hook, dash and slash across a whole room feels smooth rather than fussy. When a new ability lands, old areas quietly rearrange themselves into new questions.

This is a game that rewards poking at walls. Hidden rooms and secrets are scattered across the whole map, and the puzzles range from switch mosaics and hacking doors to timing-heavy platforming gauntlets with lasers and moving crates. The map design is the strong suit: areas connect in ways that make sense, save points sit where you need them, and fast travel keeps backtracking painless. There is real nonlinearity too, since some destinations can be reached the intended way or by pulling off an advanced jump sequence you were never explicitly taught. The look matches the mood: hand-drawn pixel art with a comic-book edge, retro and futuristic at once, over a grim, atmospheric world of metal and dust. Fair warning: combat stays light, with few bosses, so come for the exploring more than the fights.