Hard Hat Mack
Description official descriptions
Hard Hat Mack is a platform game similar in concept to Donkey Kong. The player controls a worker who must complete specific objectives in a construction site while avoiding enemies and trying not to run out of time. The game has three vertical levels consisting of simple paths, springboards, conveyor belts, and elevators. The goals involve replacing holes in the floor, catching a moving jackhammer to secure plates, collecting lunchboxes, and dropping wares into a processor. The titular hero loses a life when hit by falling bolts or tagged by wandering vandals or OSHA representatives. The game is over after the player character loses three lives. Completing the three unique levels brings the player back to the beginning, with the game cycling through the same levels at a faster speed.
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (Apple II version)
6 People
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 68% (based on 11 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.4 out of 5 (based on 44 ratings with 4 reviews)
A good game for us nostalgic gamers.
The Good
Ah, I like this game... been so long since I played it I can barely remember anything about it, but I like it none-the-less. It's definitely a good game. Has decent graphics for CGA, good controls and excellent gameplay, and is generally a fun game indeed.
The Bad
What's truly lacking with this game is sound effects, music, anything - it's simply too bloody quiet.
The Bottom Line
A classic for any old game lover.
PC Booter · by Tomer Gabel (4538) · 1999
The Good
If you could get accustom to miserable controls, it did provide a entertaining challenge.
The Bad
The controls were impossible. Jumping, in particular, had to be so painfully perfect in timing.
The Bottom Line
One of the many early platformers, but definitely not one of the best.
Apple II · by Game22 (35) · 2004
The Good
If you like the orignial Donkey Kong, you'll like Hard Hat Mack more. Game play is similar but Hard Hat is a lot more fun.
The Bad
Nothing.
The Bottom Line
This type of arcade game ain't so popular anymore, but Hard Hat is definitely a classic.
PC Booter · by Yeah Right (50) · 2000
Trivia
Controversy
One of the villains in the game is a OSHA agent. OSHA enforces Federal Health and Safety rights within the workplace and at least one California State Senator publicly accused the game of being anti-worker for depicting OSHA agents as villains, which prompted some retail stores to pull the game from their shelves.
Cover art
The front cover illustration, like most of the first Electronic Arts games, has the EA logo (not so) hidden in the photo. But it also appears more cleverly in the inside photo of the two developers; look for it as part of the falling lunchbox.
CGA Composite patch
The PC Booter version of the game only supports CGA 4-color graphics, but in 2012 an amateur patch was released which allowed the game to use the CGA Composite 16-color mode. The patch can be found here.
Title
One of the four large meeting rooms on the first floor of the "Mission Control" building of Electronic Arts Redwood City, CA campus is named Hard Hat Mack. The four meeting rooms are named after EA's first four games.
Information also contributed by Trixter
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Related Sites +
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AGH Atari 8-bit Review of Hard Hat Mack
A nice review of the same game on the Atari 400/800.
Identifiers +
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Trixter.
Apple II added by Droog. Commodore 64 added by tbuteler. Amstrad CPC added by Kabushi. Atari 8-bit added by Terok Nor.
Additional contributors: nullnullnull, Neville, ETJB, Patrick Bregger.
Game added December 16, 1999. Last modified August 17, 2023.