Loonyland: Halloween Hill

I love this game. Its a very unique experience, there's nothing quite like it, but the easiest way of explaining it is calling it an exploration driven, nonlinear, zelda like. Go and find powerups hidden around the world, complete quests, finish dungeons and their bosses to unlock the big final dungeon, etc. The game is very charming, wacky, and funny. Probably the most unique feature is the merit badge system. There are 40 achievements in the game, but the twist is that each one you complete has a bonus gameplay modifier to it that you can optionally equip. Some of these have ridiculous effects and can completely change how the game plays. A lot of my favorite ones give alternate playable characters that vary wildly in how they approach the combat. Plus, new to this release, the randomizer mode adds longevity by shuffling all the items in the main game around to new locations. My playtime is low, but that's because I played this game a ton before it was on steam. I have the only speedrun submission for this game, so I encourage anyone reading this to try and beat my time! https://www.speedrun.com/loonyland_halloween_hill

Loonyland: Halloween Hill is a solid top down RPG (think a twin stick symphony of the night, a bit) all the way back from 2001. Despite being over twenty years old, I think it more than holds up. Sure, I have personal nostalgia for Hamumu Software, having been more or less raised on their games and spending a decent chunk of my time in fan communities... but looking at it from as objective a lens as possible I still believe this is a fantastic game that stands the test of time. Loonyland provides a surprising amount of unique design ideas and gameplay philosophies that make the game experience feel like a giant toybox rather than just a cut and dry -vania. There's the badge system, which essentially makes any achievements you get also unlock new gameplay modes, cheats, alternate characters, and so on. They can be toggled on at any time during gameplay, and most of them stack which can lead to chaotic results! The characters are also all very unique and fun to play as, adding to the replay-ability of the main game (as well as high-score tables, since you're given one once you beat the game!). Aside from the main game, there's also a plethora of minigames on the side, including a wave defense survival mode, soccer, bowling... generally what I love about Hamumu games is that it really feels like the developer Mike wanted to cram the game with ideas and things he personally found fun, adding to playful side experiences like this. There are downsides, but I find them fairly few. There are a few bosses or areas that just aren't fun (I really hate drippy), but the game is only around ten hours long blind, so they feel pretty short. There's no music at all in this game other than the title screen, which some may consider a downside but I personally like the atmosphere it gives the game. Some NPCs are also kind of annoying to deal with (still shaking my fist at the bridge owner twenty years later), but all I really mean by that is colliding with them when you don't mean to. I don't think any of these things make Loonyland significantly less enjoyable, and honestly the roughness around some parts adds to the charm. I would recommend this highly if you're interested in trying a -vania type game off the beaten path. This is probably my favourite Hamumu game, just barely beating out Dr Lunatic: Supreme With Cheese (yes, they all have strange names). While Dr. L has much more content to it and appeals to my achievement hunting brain more, Loonyland is a short and sweet 3-10 hour experience that I've already replayed three times since buying it again on steam. In this steam version there's also a randomizer mode if you're into that sort of thing, I might just have to go back and do another playthrough just to check that out!

As a kid without consoles, this was my Zelda before I knew what a Nintendo was, and it still scratches an itch which contemporary action-adventure games don't quite reach for me. It's a game which plops you in it's world and expects you to unravel it like a puzzle box. While there are the standard lock-and-key progression gates, there are also good amount of areas which are open from the start; it's just a matter if you have the wits and resources to survive through them. In fact, it's open enough that this release officially adds a randomizer mode! All in all I think this is the strongest offering from Hamumu Games' legacy catalog even two decades later. Give it a shot

Another Hamumu classic brought back, this time covering some of Dr. Lunatic's backstory. Turns out he used to be a good guy! The randomizer is a wonderful inclusion. Trying to figure out where you can go without certain items is a fascinating puzzle.

Very happy to see this come to steam, and looking forward to the sequel as well. Old school open world adventure mode where you collect power-ups to permanently increase your stats, as well as other unlockable modes by earning the achievements. Lots of hidden goodies, well worth the asking price!

This is a fun adventure game to play through over and over. It's one of my favorites. With 40 unlockables in the form of badges, there's an endless variety to be had! Not only are there bonus modes to unlock but new playable characters as well, each of whom play entirely different from each other. Also unique to this version is a randomizer, which shuffles around all of the powerups in adventure mode. Perfect for that extra layer of unpredictability.

If you liked Spooky Castle or Dr. Lunatic Supreme With Cheese then you will like this. Although it mixes up the formula by making it a kind of metroidvania where you have to track down abilities so you can progress, as well as using them to unlock hidden powerups. There's also a ton of unlockables and different game modes to play for lots of replayability, including a randomizer! If you are a fan of Hamumu games then this is a must buy. Looking forward to the even better sequel coming to Steam!

i for one really dig older zelda games, specifically A Link To The Past and the gameplay and overall feel of this game is giving me huge vibes of that, it's a considerably small map with a lot of secrets and fun stuff laid around to mess around or collect, and something about the vibrant and colorful mix of the pre-rendered 3d sprites and pixel art style of Hamumu's games really appeals to me, its bizarre and fun! also play Dr Lunatic too if u see dis its wacky bizarre fun aswell

This was one of my favorite games in my adolescence and it still holds up today. Loonyland: Halloween Hill is a Zelda-esque adventure game where you start out performing fetch quests for the townsfolk and gradually uncover a greater story underlying the game world. You collect power-ups and solve puzzles while fighting enemies and exploring. It is in my opinion the best of the classic Hamumu games, made with the isometric-view game engine. It's the product of a solo developer from the early 2000s, so the graphics are simple and the game is short, but it's highly replayable, especially as you discover new badges (i.e. achievements) and unlock more game modes. Yes, this game was one of the earliest to have an achievement system, early enough that it doesn't call them "achievements"! And each one can be equipped to modify the game in some way. This game is a hidden gem that I highly recommend to everyone who likes this style of adventure game.

Way better than the demo version I remember playing non-stop as a kid :)