An actual customer review of Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure at Amazon.com reads:
Okay, so I complained to some degree about the rapidly-escalating difficulty of the game in my professional review as well. But the difference is, as far as I’m concerned, the game would not be perfect if it stayed “simple and fun”. I strongly prefer games that treat me as a skilled and persistent player as opposed to holding my hand throughout the entire experience; one of my biggest qualms with the modern industry is a dwindling number of products which begin with a simple foundation and build into a significantly challenging yet still comparatively simple formula. Those were the Mega Mans and the Castlevanias of yore, and I know I’m not the only gamer who misses them (though with those two particular series, of course, the challenge thankfully remains).
With more and more so-called “casual gamers” being wisely targeted by the gaming industry, we’re starting to see more and more titles take advantage of the “easy street” and lapse in the challenge and presentation departments; Henry Hatsworth is not one of these titles. It’s brutally difficult and wonderfully-polished, and it’s sure to please hardcore gamers throughout nearly every moment of the experience.
So in case it isn’t already obvious, as far as I’m concerned, we need more games like Hatsworth. It isn’t perfect (an 8.8 by my assessment, which equates to a “Great”, almost Excellent game by our scoring rubric), but it’s creative and humorous, and that counts for a lot. My co-editor and brother Greg Schardein just completed his own copy of Hatsworth (which he received for his birthday as a gift from yours truly) and he had no shortage of positive reactions to share with me regarding his experience with the game. If you’re a self-respecting gamer who appreciates a creative challenge and you haven’t bought a copy for yourself yet, I’ve got just one thing to say for you: