Hack 'n' Slash

Hack 'n' Slash hinges on a very clever and very great (though frequently very frustrating) gimmick. The hacking/programming component is fun and inspired at first, but the further into the game you get, the murkier it becomes regarding what you can or should be doing -- or where you should be going. Even navigating the map itself can get frustrating; in one puzzle, you need to float on invisible platforms to flip two switches to help you complete a puzzle that's offscreen. Much of the game is like that one particular sequence: Some really neat things are at play, but the execution is undercooked and results in more frustration and confusion than likely was intended.

That said, tooling around in a game world that lets you actively mod it while you go is fascinating. It may be too much freedom ultimately, as you can actually end up crashing the game or your system (find a spawning point for turtles, and, if you like, produce so many your computer chugs and freezes). There's a lot of freedom here and a lot of creativity at play, but it's almost like you have too much freedom. For example, you will find creatures you can hack for no apparent reason and which are only there for set dressing. As a result, the world is full of a lot of red herrings. Hack 'n' Slash is worth hopping in and checking out but unlikely worthy of your attention all the whole way through.