I'm not 100% sure why I'm running, but I know it feels good. A few NPCs have mentioned something about the end of the world, sure. And I know I'm traversing floating islands while dodging what looks like overzealous mining equipment and running from an all-consuming corruption, but Haste: Broken Worlds feels so good to play that I don't really care about any of that. All I really know is that this is a better Steam Next Fest demo than I'd hoped for, and everything else will have to be extremely impressive to beat it.
I first got wind of Haste: Broken Worlds thanks to a very different game. The extremely silly ragdoll strategy game Totally Accurate Battle Simulator introduced me to developer Landfall, which has been teasing clips of its speedy new project for a few years now. Early prototype clips of a character moving at incredible speed through shattered landscapes caught my eye and ensured that Haste was one of my first Steam Next Fest downloads.
As Zoe, you're escaping the end of the world. As you sprint through each procedural level, you're doing your best to outrun the corruption that's scarily close on your tail. Zoe's speed means that she can pick up some serious air off the gently undulating ridges of the remaining shards of the universe she's running through, but the catch is that while she's quick on her feet, she's not so fast in the air. As a result, Haste becomes a game about perfectly cresting those ridges, adjusting your trajectory ever-so-slightly to make sure you stick a perfect landing and keep sprinting ahead.
The result is an incredible flow-state, reminiscent of the best of 3D Sonic and freerunning games like Mirror's Edge. A genuinely smooth run feels so good that you almost don't notice the obstacles scattered around the map like the world's most chaotic minigolf course. Add in the collectible sparks that function as both this world's currency and a subtle guide as to the optimal route, and you feel like you're almost floating through each
Strategy
Simulation
UPS
Extreme
sprint
reports
Ali Jones