Whenever I think I’m starting to, once again, get fed up to the brim with roguelikes/lites, another one shows up with an actually interesting and addictive premise to win me over again. It was like this with Balatro last year, and whilst I don’t think Haste is as good as that literally dangerously addictive piece of interactive software, I’ve been playing it non-stop on the Asus ROG Ally, where it ended up being an absolutely perfect fit. Let’s talk about this little roguelite that will win you over, especially if you’re in your 30s, having grown up with vague but fond memories of a little system called the Dreamcast.

The feeling of briefly hopping onto your hoverboard after charging it with perfect landings is delightful.

Haste does have a premise, but I’ll be honest with you, I couldn’t have cared less about its plot and characters. Sure, they are all well-designed, and our plucky protagonist Zoe steals the show, but we’re not here to play a procedurally-generated running-platformer because of its plot revolving around hopping between dimensions and befriending quirky characters. I skipped most lines of dialogue, as, ironically enough, they were ruining the game’s overall pace. We’re here for the gameplay, and boy, does this game deliver in this regard.

How can I explain Haste in a nutshell? Well, think of it as a fast-paced 3D platformer, in which the objective in each procedurally-generated is to reach the end goal as quickly as possible, avoiding obstacles and a wall of miasma chasing after you. In essence, you need to run, jump, use powerups and plan your landings as strategically as possible, as a smooth landing fills up your powerup meter and helps you not lose momentum. Gotta go fast, as the kids like to say. In between levels, you may have the occasional chance to acquire a few powerups that last until the end of said run. A particularly standard roguelite system, but one that simply works.

At the end of each run, there’s a boss fight.

It works so well because Haste is really fast-paced. I love its sense of speed, its momentum-based gameplay, and the fact its gameplay basically feels like you’re playing a linear and POLISHED 3D Sonic level. Imagine a roguelite that emulates that feeling of joy you’ve felt when you’ve first played the first section from the first level from Sonic Adventure 2. No need to stop and look for secrets, no combat, no odd glitches or loops. Just run down that hell like your name is Kate Bush. Dare I say, the sensation of speed and incredibly fluid controls make me think that Haste does “3D Sonic gameplay” better than most 3D Sonics.

Object placement is also randomly generated, but there will always be a perfectly aligned ramp here and there.

I don’t have a lot of points of criticism. Most of them are mere nitpicks, such as the aforementioned utterly forgettable story, and some occasional framerate dips. Thankfully, the instances in which the framerate tanks a bit are during shopping and stopover sections, which didn’t hamper the experience at all. You’re not even meant to actually run in these places, so the framerate dropping to the mid-30s didn’t bother me that much. It’s still worth mentioning, however. It’s just a cheeky little game that does everything it was meant to do with utter competence, and I can’t help but respect the hell out of it for doing so.

Boss battles get utterly ridiculous after a while, but never unfun.

My summarised answer as to whether or not you should pick up Haste is: “yeah, duh”. Do it right away. It stands out from a sea of generic roguelites by being completely focused on just a few core concepts, namely momentum, speed, and platforming. Thankfully, Haste delivers in all of these aspects, so what we have here is an incredibly charming game that is easy to pick up, hard to master, and even harder for you to stop playing.

Haste is available now on PC.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB and Asus ROG Ally.