GAME CLEAR No. 126 -- Harold's Walk

Harold’s Walk (2020, New 3DS)

Developer: Luke Vincent
Publisher: Luke Vincent
Clear Date: 3/24/23

Now You’re Walking With Power

The impending (and now passed) closure of the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops prompted me to go on a little shopping spree to grab some titles I had been meaning to download before I could no longer (legally). In particular, I was interested in snatching up some indie titles so that my dollars might actually go to support some folks that could use the money. Nintendo has heaps of it and frankly I fully endorse pirating their 3DS games at this point, but I am glad to have slid a few dollars in the direction of this game’s solo creator Luke Vincent.

I first became aware of Vincent’s work by way of an Automaton Lung recommendation I saw on Twitter in the weeks leading up to the eShop closure. I thought it looked neat enough, and it was on sale, so I grabbed it. I then came to find out that Vincent had released two games prior to Automaton Lung that were also on sale, so I went ahead and bought out the remainder of his body of work. What’s particularly interesting about Vincent’s games is that all three came out 2020 or later, well into the Switch’s lifespan, making them all twilight titles for Nintendo’s last devoted handheld. Automaton Lung even had the distinction of launching on 3DS after it was no longer possible to add funds to one’s digital wallet directly through the 3DS eShop. This whole deal makes him a fascinating figure for me, and perhaps even more surprising, Vincent was not alone. He was one of three solo devs still cranking out content with determination for 3DS (and Wii U) despite their expiration date. You can read a fascinating profile of all three over at IGN.

Vincent’s oddball devotion to making official releases for the outgoing hardware may have been endearing, but it wouldn’t have mattered much if his shit wasn’t any good. Fortunately, I’m here to tell you that Harold’s Walk is a terrific and bizarre freshman effort that I highly recommend.

The only downside to Vincent’s platform of choice, though, is that capturing screenshots or video of the device is prohibitively difficult. Ordinarily this might not matter so much, but it’s a real shame in this case because images of the game would really help convey what a trip it is. I will do my best to paint the pictures with words alone, but I advise you to turn to YouTube if you want a better idea of what this game is.

Don’t get me wrong, Harold’s Walk isn’t mind-bending or anything, but its vibes are truly something to behold. Fundamentally, Harold’s Walk is actually pretty familiar. It’s a 3D platformer starring the eponymous Harold, who is the strange man in the image above. Harold can run, jump, double jump, and roll (in the air or on the ground). And that’s it! There is exactly one kind of enemy in the game, and they appear somewhat infrequently. They run right at you, have no ranged attacks, and can be dispatched with a single goomba stomp. Thus, the game’s primary challenge comes strictly from navigating its platforming challenges. All you are required to do in each level is find the exit, but three collectible crowns are scattered throughout each stage, and you will only unlock the true ending if you get them all. Inasmuch as it only took me about 45 minutes to finish the game with all crowns, I highly recommend you do so to experience all the game has to offer.

But let’s get back to the vibes. Harold’s Walk looks and feels like the 3D platforming Unity prototype group project I had back in college except if we’d had a lot more time to turn it into a true, finished project. To be clear, I mean that in a good way. It’s got lo-fi assets, strange (but fitting) music, and simple but functional physics. I could be wrong, but it comes off in some ways as a product of a man who knows his artistic limits and in some ways leans into them. One stage is just a gas station at a bend in the road of a sparse, desert-like region. Sounds like it would suck shit, right? But somehow it’s fun to figure out how in the hell you’re supposed to get to the top of the gas station sign where a crown rests. The genre, after all, is platforming. Does it really matter how pretty the platforms are if they’re aligned in a way that feels satisfying to negotiate? Well, yeah it probably does. Vincent’s gas station is simple looking, but it is still unmistakably a gas station. Nevertheless, it’s the solid running, jumping, and rolling that drive the game, and Vincent made sure those were nice and tight. Combine that with truly strange levels and worlds, and you’ve got a damn fine way to spend just under an hour.

You may be thinking that this recommendation doesn’t do you a lot of fucking good since the eShop is dead!! Well, fortunately Vincent has confirmed on his Twitter that all of his games are coming to Steam (Automaton Lung is already there), so you will theoretically be able to play this soon enough without pirating a game made by a solo dev. I do hope you’ll play it there if this little post has moved you. In fact, if it does, please let me know because I would love to talk to someone else about this game lol. Please play it.