Action Henk (PC) Preview

By Brandon (Michael) Howard 08.02.2016

Review for Action Henk on PC

Platformers have long been a staple of the indie scene, with no shortage of variety, ranging from grim to, well, meaty. Action Henk, from developer RageSquid, brings a unique vibe with its bright nineties vibes and butt-sliding good times. After a year and a half of expansion and development through Steam Greenlight, RageSquid has rounded out the levels, features and more to bring an absolutely charming title to PC and console.

Action Henk himself doesn't seem like the type of protagonist to run at breakneck speeds across complex systems of Hot Wheels tracks; in fact, that seems like the furthest thing from his mind. When his "Toy of the Year" award is stolen, however, he must brave the perils of a child's bedroom to retrieve what is rightfully his.

It's a very Toy Story-like setting, and the game posters, oodles of toys, and colourful backdrops all bring a very nostalgic setting to mind. Each set of levels has unique aesthetics, ranging from a messy room, to a whacked-out disco night. Blazing through each of the stages doesn't allow for the full time needed to drink in all the scenery, so it's worth slowing down every now and then to take a look at all the carefully crafted details.

Screenshot for Action Henk on PC

It's a platformer with a definite emphasis on speed, and it controls like a dream. Keyboard or controller, Henk controls exactly as expected in any situation. Building up speed when sliding down ramps or wall jumping to reach higher areas controls without a single hitch. The 70+ levels generally aren't difficult to complete, but achieving the fastest time to unlock every medal each stage rewards requires careful and masterful execution of each slope, wall, hook, and jump.

It's an extremely fun, if not short, experience. Levels rarely take more than 30 seconds to complete, so it's easy enough to power through in a couple of hours. While there is a solid level editor and a decent selection of levels available from the Steam Community, there's just not quite as much here as one might hope.

Screenshot for Action Henk on PC

Final Thoughts

For a debut title, Action Henk shows a lot of promise. While it would have been nice to have a few more levels available, or for some of the unique mechanics to have been taken advantage of more often, it's an exemplary title from a young studio. For platforming fans, the full version is a definite title worth playing.

Developer

RageSquid

Publisher

RageSquid

Genre

Action

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  6/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date None   Australian release date Out now   

Comments

Wow! looks to be an amazing game from review

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