HOOKSHOT
GITHUB A badge on purpose
Hookshot badge in A Hat in Time
The Hookshot in A Hat in Time is a badge you find in the Subcon Well. Equip it to swing from marked hookpoints; it occupies a badge slot rather than the hat wheel.
Why it is a badge
Hats in A Hat in Time are the large traversal kits. Badges are the smaller pins you swap on and off. The badge page files the Hookshot under Action and Useful, with the line 'Press and hold attack to swing from hooks!' That control is why people expect it on the hat wheel: you hold attack, the chain goes out, and you swing. The game still treats it as a badge. Most badges are sold by the Badge Seller. This one is picked up in the world instead. I do not have a developer interview that explains the choice, so I stop at the slot the wiki documents.
Subcon Well
The item wiki and Neoseeker's Act 2 walkthrough both place the Hookshot in the Subcon Well. Neoseeker describes breaking an ice wall with a fruit and opening the chest. After you equip it, specific points in the level become hooks. Some Time Pieces need that swing, so leaving the badge in the inventory is not the same as wearing it. The Steam achievement list independently confirms Fan-Tastic!: hook onto a ceiling fan with the Hookshot. That achievement is separate from obtaining the badge; it is not the Subcon Well completion reward.
| Fact | Status |
|---|---|
| Badge is found in The Subcon Well | 2 independent guides |
| Fan-Tastic! asks for a ceiling-fan hook | Steam achievement + community wiki |
Questions
Why is the Hookshot a badge instead of an ability?
The game places it on the badge list. The wiki documents that slot. A studio quote explaining the choice was not in the sources I checked.
Where is it?
The Subcon Well. Confirm the badge icon after you pick it up, because a hat would show on a different wheel.
Sources
| Source | Evidence status | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Neoseeker — The Subcon Well | 1 reference · shared publishers and mirrors count together | 2026-11-11 |
| Steam — A Hat in Time achievements | 1 reference · shared publishers and mirrors count together | 2026-11-11 |
| A Hat in Time wiki — Badge | 1 reference · shared publishers and mirrors count together | 2026-11-11 |