Hi there! Thank you for showing interest in the remastered and way superior version of HA/CK. The original game started as one of my yearly game development projects I embark on each summer to spend time and learn game development. I felt like I needed some community engagement here and there, so I settled on an introduction on HA/CK Remastered came to be.
In the beginning
In the summer of 2018 I started working on yet another project (HA/CK was released in 2017), however it snowballed into something way too ambitious so I put it aside. At this point, working on HA/CK seemed appealing again. It was the first ever project I actually considered finished. Considered is the correct word to use here, as by that point it did not seem finished any longer. After abandoning the new project, I decided to revisit HA/CK.
The abandoned project never went further than this, however it was supposed to be a procedurally generated survival shooter thing with emphasis on mechanics which encourage replayability.
Many factors influenced my decision to revisit. The primary goal for any indie development, I believe, is that the author/s personally feel involved with the project. I would never work on a game I would not enjoy playing, and while the new project began to grind to a halt, HA/CK seemed more inviting than ever. Although in the case I feel as the most influential factor was community response.
Unexpected outcomes
With all my games so far it's been 1) make game; 2) post some tidbits on Twitter and reddit during development; 3) unexpectedly release the game and hope it catches on somewhat. Most of the time, they go mostly unnoticed, only to fade into obscurity. It never bothered me personally, as my main goal is to release something about which I can say "yup, I made that". As expected, on release HA/CK seemed to slowly fade away. Though things took an unexpected turn - HA/CK got featured a few days after launch, as a result popular YouTube personalities noticed the game. The most valuable outcome of this boost was the amount of positive, negative and constructive feedback I received, and was the main driving force behind my choice to revisit HA/CK.
While the original definitely was a game, it lacked any sort of real character.
The future
After consulting with myself and the feedback I had received, my plan for the new HA/CK version was clear - upgrade EVERYTHING. A new look, more levels, more squish and crack and pop! Sounds ambitious, and it is, although I believe I've managed to pull it off with this paid re-release, and are certain that people who have played the original will not be disappointed.
I believe the strongest suit of this new release, in addition to looking and sounding awesome, is going to be the Steam integration. While the old HA/CK also had scoreboards implemented, they weren't tightly integrated with the game. In the remaster, you are reminded of scores each time you finish a level; you can compare them worldwide or with your friends. I hope this change will encourage more replayability and even wilder playthrough strategies (I was blown away by what the original HA/CK speedrunners had found). This also opens the possibility of launching a level editor further down the line by integrating Steam Workshop.
It's the same game, only not, because it's better.
Soon you too will be able to jump in the new and awesome edition of HA/CK. It just needs a few more coats of paint, a few more bugs squished and shines polished. Meanwhile, feel free to treat the original HA/CK as a free demo. Have anything to say? There is a comments section below!