Action Henk

 
Developer: RageSquid
Steam Release: May 2015
Hours Played: 3.7
Similar To: Joe Danger / N++ / SpeedRunners
Rating: 5/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY
For anyone who played Hot Wheels as a kid in the days when video games weren't even invented, and wished they had unlimited tracks to make the journey of the cars more like a wild rollercoaster ride... then Action Henk may just be the game to answer that call. Personally, with most things done right, this fantastic game ranks as one of my top speed-running platformers of all-time. Assuming the role of the pot-bellied protagonist with the large head and letterbox grin, you run around on a twisting and turning course - much like with Hot Wheels tracks of my youth. With huge slopes and jumps galore, you butt-slide and swing your way through the course as fast as you can to victory. Well, maybe not to victory, but certainly in an effort towards recording your best time which is ultimately what AH is all about.        

BALANCE & PACE
The game is set in glorious 3D around bright and colourful children's bedrooms or play areas that are clearly throwbacks to the 1990s. With Xbox controller at the ready, for it is best played with that device, you set Henk on his way with the left-stick which immediately sets off the timer. To get a gold-standard time, mastering the art of the timing of the butt-slide is the all-important move as this speeds you up on downward slopes allowing you to gather momentum for that extra powerful leap to help you on your way. With wall-jumps, double wall-jumps and the later introduction of the grappling hook, getting to grips with those key skills will help you get up those leaderboards. The controls and the physics of Henk's movement, not to say the animations, make the whole game fluid and a joy to play.   

PRESENTATION & DESIGN
With the backdrop made up of a huge amount of classic toys, games and items that most will remember from their childhood, there is plenty of realism to make the surroundings familiar. It's just likely that as the game is so fast, you'll miss the nostalgia. One, now practically obligatory, feature in this type of game is the inclusion of a ghost runner and, like Trackmania, their inclusion of this is superb. Before a run, not only can you select the ghost runner of the gold, silver or bronze medal award but also ghosts such as your own personal best or the world's number one! Of course having one of these run alongside you allows you to see all the tricks and definitely helps with motivation. The excellent replay feature, where you can watch the action from all angles, will also help you to improve.  

PROGRESS SYSTEM
Brilliant though the setting is, Action Henk accommodates the needs of all genuine speed-running enthusiasts by incorporating a huge amount of menus and stats to keep players well-informed. The main game is made of nine areas or "batches" with each consisting of six levels. You'll be awarded a bronze, silver or gold award depending on your time and all these are clearly visible on the level-select screen which conveniently shows all batches on one page thus avoiding the time-consuming need to scroll through.  Defeating the final boss of each batch unlocks the next one. Each level has an online leaderboard clearly stating your time as well as showing your world rank. Furthermore there is the welcome and often ignored feature of letting you know how many other players you have beaten as a percentage.

CONCLUSION

To echo my sentiments in the intro, Action Henk is such a well-polished package with such few faults that it's up there as one of the best games of its kind. In fact, if you've had enough of Henk's Elvis hairstyle and swilling pot-belly, you can even elect to play any of the four other characters who become available. Another breath of fresh air about Action Henk is that if you make a bad jump, bump into a wall or just feel you need to restart a level, hitting a button gives you an immediate and instant restart. A final word also needs to be mentioned about the load times... apart from the odd short wait at the leaderboards or while a level is loading, there really isn't any.  It may be a tad expensive for an indie game but for anyone needing an antidote from the usual formula of the 2D speed-runner, this one is well worth a spin.