Action Henk

My first session with Action Henk turned into a full evening without me noticing, which is either a glowing endorsement or a scheduling problem depending on how you look at it. This is a 2.5D platform-racer about managing momentum across toy-box tracks, and the core loop is basically the same thing that makes Trials so compulsive: reach the finish line, see your time, feel certain you can shave off half a second, repeat until bedtime. The player character is a slightly out-of-shape 90s action figure who runs, jumps, butt-slides down slopes to build speed, wall-slides to reach elevated sections, and later swings on a grappling hook across dedicated levels built around that mechanic. Lose your timing on any of those transitions and you bleed speed in an instant, which means you will restart obsessively. The instant checkpoint and full restart inputs make that sting a lot less than it sounds. Over 70 tracks spread across themed environments, starting inside a kid's bedroom stuffed with Easter eggs (a "Henk the Hedgehog" poster, a Donkey Kong mountain with Henk's face on it) and escalating into disco-colored slides, lava pits, and boss challenges that unlock bonus levels when beaten. The medal system runs bronze through gold and up to rainbow, and chasing rainbow requires real commitment to learning hidden shortcuts and quirky advanced physics the game does not always explain to you. Ghost runners help here: watch the gold ghost and you will spot moves you did not know existed, though having to reverse-engineer technique from a ghost rather than from the game itself is a genuine weak point. Some later levels cross from satisfying challenge into frustration, and a small group of critics found the difficulty spike near the end boss badly calibrated. For the couch crowd, local multiplayer supports up to four players on a shared screen in a Micro Machines-style format where the camera follows the leader and lagging players respawn at the next checkpoint when the frontrunner reaches it. That respawn system keeps everyone in the race, which is the right call for a mixed-skill group. There is a catch though: local multiplayer requires controllers, no keyboard support, so make sure the gamepads are charged before friends arrive. Time data also disappears in local mode, which frustrates competitive types who want to see their split times. Online multiplayer lets you race strangers in real time if you exhaust local options. A level editor and Steam Workshop integration add a long tail of community content. Single-player lifespan is solid for the price bracket. Getting bronze on everything is approachable for most players; going for full rainbow medals is a legitimate time sink. The soundtrack by demoscene musician Wiklund keeps the energy up across all of it. The game does not reinvent the time-trial formula, and critics who compared it unfavorably to Trials are not wrong that it lacks the same long-term gravity, but for a lighter, more accessible version of that compulsion loop set in a world with genuine charm and personality, Action Henk delivers well above its weight class. Casual players will have fun in short bursts, committed speedrunners will sink hours into leaderboard chasing, and a Friday night group with four controllers will have a good time as long as someone brings snacks.

Riley · Scout Team

Sports & racing

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