Break the Game: Hack ‘n’ Slash Now Available Through Steam Early Access

Ever get to a point in a game where you wish that you could hack your way through? That is exactly what you can do in Double Fine’s new puzzle-adventure title Hack ‘n’ Slash.

Hack ‘n’ Slash is a game entirely about hacking, and rewriting the game’s code.

Is an enemy giving you trouble? Hack into it and bring its health down to zero for an instant kill. Need health? Program that same monster to drop plenty of hearts to keep yourself going. According to the game description: “The only way to win is not to play…by the rules!”

Hack ‘n’ Slash stars a hero and sprite who look very similar to another hero we know and love, and gives players the ability to literally break the game. Players solve puzzles by hacking the game code, and Double Fine claims that there are multiple ways to solve a dungeon, including some that they did not anticipate. When you hack, you are hacking the actual game code, and you are even able to break the game if you wish. 

As you progress through Hack ‘n’ Slash, you gain items that allow you break the game further. These let you twist the game code even more, and find hidden elements in levels such as invisible platforms, or see the vision cones of enemies. This helps the player find more ways to hack and navigate through the game.

Early Access

Hack ‘n’ Slash is available on Steam through Early Access, and runs at $20, or $25 with the game’s soundtrack. As the game is not entirely complete, Double Fine has released this statement:

“We’re releasing on Early Access so that players can influence the tuning of the mechanics, provide ideas for puzzles, help guide our Steam Workshop integration, and support the final game. Hack ‘n’ Slash is still in development and there will be bugs, but players who get in now will help us improve a game that can expose people to a whole new way of playing and thinking about games. Check out our development roadmap below for more details on our Early Access plan!”

Hack ‘n’ Slash looks like an intriguing game.

The ability to actually hack the game sounds like an interesting idea. I just wonder how puzzles are actually formed when the idea is that the puzzles are hacked. The game has obvious nods to the Legend of Zelda series, and looks great. As this is an early build, there will likely be problems with the game, especially a game a complicated as Hack ‘n’ Slash. Hopefully Double Fine will keep the game as promising as it looks. This is a game that I will be looking forward to when Double Fine completes it.