A Hat in Time Guide

Start here: revisit chapters to assemble your abilities

You do not need to complete every Act in chapter order before moving on. Earlier chapters contain Acts that use equipment obtained later. If a requirement is displayed, check which Acts another telescope opens instead of continuing to search only that chapter.

1. Learn the controls in Mafia Town and collect yarn and Time Pieces. Get the Sprint Hat and Brewing Hat ready to use
2. Progress through Battle of the Birds and prepare to craft the Ice Hat when you find Ice Yarn. You can leave Train Rush until you have its required equipment
3. Complete Subcon Forest Act 1 and obtain the Hookshot Badge in Act 2, The Subcon Well
4. Equip the Hookshot and return to Train Rush. Keep the badge in your exploration loadout because Alpine Skyline uses it too
5. After obtaining Time Stop Yarn in Alpine Skyline, revisit unfinished Acts such as Cheating the Race in Mafia Town

This is a recommended order for first-time players. Skipping equipment or taking shortcuts through advanced movement is not treated as normal progression.

Main-game chapter unlocks and Time Piece guidelines

The Time Piece count on each spaceship door indicates when you can enter that section. Even after opening a door, hats or the Hookshot may be needed to overcome obstacles within its chapter.

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25 unlocks the final chapter. This differs from the base game's total of 40 Time Pieces and the 35 needed for the DLC's Arctic Cruise.

Crafting hats and using mechanisms

Crafting a new hat requires finding at least 1 yarn of its corresponding type and collecting enough yarn in total. You do not need every required yarn to be the same type. If a hat does not appear as an option, first search for a yarn type you have not found.

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Older guides list 24 yarn for the Time Stop Hat, while the current wiki lists 32. Do not assume the same count across versions; prioritize your actual crafting screen. Hat Flairs that change appearance or color differ from hats granting new abilities.

Check that badges are equipped after obtaining them

Badges support hat abilities or enable new movement. If owning one does not let you use it, check that it is equipped in a badge slot. Purchases mainly use Pons, and Badge Pins increase equipment slots.

1. Where Hookshot markers appear, prioritize equipping the Hookshot Badge
2. Consider the Fast Hatter Badge for platforms requiring frequent hat changes. It shortens hat cooldowns
3. Try the Scooter Badge for flat travel with the Sprint Hat. It changes jumping behavior, so compare with it removed on unfamiliar platforms
4. If wall collisions cause falls, consider the No Bonk Badge too. Choose based on the cause of mistakes instead of merely increasing movement speed

You cannot equip every badge at once. Sources differ on Badge Pin prices and sale conditions, so fixed values are not listed here.

Mafia Town: Progress through ordinary Acts, then return to races with equipment

Early on, advance from Welcome to Mafia Town through Barrel Battle and She Came from Outer Space toward Down with the Mafia! Yarn and crates visible while exploring town also offer practice with movement and the Brewing Hat.

1. For Down with the Mafia!, check prior Act completion requirements. After defeating the enemies at the entrance, stand on separate switches with Mustache Girl
2. Remember blue snowflake floors and mechanisms you cannot use yet. You can separate quick Time Piece runs from exploration after obtaining equipment
3. If Cheating the Race reports missing equipment, progress in other chapters and return with the Time Stop Hat. Do not insist on a route demanding difficult movement techniques on your first playthrough

Complete collectible locations for Heating Up Mafia Town and The Golden Vault are outside this page's scope. Listing Act names alone is not presented as a complete item walkthrough.

Battle of the Birds: Movie Acts and the winner's branch

Dead Bird Studio is an infiltration Act focused on avoiding sightlines. Your performance in later movie shoots is recorded and determines the Award Ceremony winner. You do not need top scores in every Act merely to advance the story.

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Scores in Acts 2–5 change the winner. This is not a branch requiring both to win to collect every main-game Time Piece. Detailed scoring values are not listed; use the results display to decide.

Stuck after the ceremony? Check the spaceship phone and Act 1

Receiving the Time Piece at Award Ceremony does not end the bird chapter. The ceremony's winner also affects the later opponent you face.

1. Return to the spaceship and answer the phone when trying to leave the room
2. Check the change to Dead Bird Studio on the Act selection screen and re-enter Act 1
3. Enter the basement through the vents in the darkened studio. Do not expect the same exploration state as the brightly lit first visit
4. If a basement door will not open, look for floor switches connected by red wires. Some platforms use the Hookshot, so check your equipment

The initial studio changes after progression. Collect visible yarn and other items early when possible; if something disappears, investigate other Acts or states too. This guide does not guarantee that no collectible can be permanently missed.

Subcon Forest: Distinguish missing contracts from missing equipment

Time Piece count alone does not open every Subcon Act. Contracts with Snatcher are unlock requirements. If an Act is missing, check for unaccepted jobs before replaying completed Acts.

1. Sign the first contract in Contractual Obligations and pursue the objective involving the village's fire spirits. Finish Act 1 by collecting the Time Piece that appears
2. The Subcon Well unlocks next. Choose from the offered Mail Delivery Service and Queen Vanessa's Manor contracts
3. If the unchosen contract or Toilet of Doom remains, enter a purple ring-shaped trap in the forest to meet Snatcher. Continually avoiding these traps prevents further unlocks here
4. After accepting a new contract, check Act selection and unfinished objectives. Complete all jobs to reach the chapter finale

Finishing Act 1's objective but leaving without collecting the Time Piece may not produce the expected completion state. First check its completion marker on Act selection.

The Subcon Well: Steps to obtain the Hookshot Badge

The well is an important Act leading to Chapter 2's Train Rush and Chapter 4 exploration. The Hookshot is found in a chest inside the well rather than bought from a shop.

1. Head toward the objective on the swamp side and enter the well using platforms revealed by the bell
2. If your route inside is blocked, throw nearby fruit at the ice wall. Examine the chest further in to obtain the Hookshot Badge
3. Equip the badge and ascend using hook points such as hanging lamps
4. Climb the rising-water section while checking the next platform. Use upper switches and ladders, break the final ice wall with fruit, and head to the exit's Time Piece
5. Back on the spaceship, check Train Rush again. It needs the Hookshot obtained here, rather than the Time Stop Hat

Ordinary completion differs from the achievement requiring you not to fall in water. You can first obtain the equipment and finish the route, then attempt the achievement once familiar with it.

Queen Vanessa's Manor: Escape takes priority over keys during a chase

In the manor, move away from the idea of defeating enemies head-on. Enter through the basement behind the building. Picking up keys can trigger changes, so check escape routes and hiding places beforehand.

1. Enter through the basement and open paths with keys. Do not keep searching only the front entrance
2. On the piano floor, investigate the key and piano mechanism. When Vanessa approaches, retreat to hiding places near the desk or piano
3. Balloons provide progression clues in the upstairs bedroom. The key's location changes, so do not keep examining only the same bed
4. When taking the bathroom key, move away immediately afterward and head upstairs. The final objective is the attic chest

Only key route points are provided. This does not include collecting every item, chase AI timing in seconds, or guaranteed safe spots.

Alpine Skyline: Open routes to the peaks from Goat Village

This chapter shifts from selecting numbered Acts to exploring a broad mountain region. Use the Hookshot on the entrance bell and ziplines, then open routes with horns from Goat Village.

1. Climb the entrance, ring the bell with the Hookshot, and continue. Open the starting zipline route and travel to Goat Village
2. Look for Time Stop Yarn near the village. Check hat crafting after finding the new type
3. Explore The Birdhouse, The Windmill, and The Lava Cake, collecting each peak's Time Piece. When first reaching a place, also check its shortcut on Act selection
4. In The Twilight Bell, use the Dweller's Mask and bell toggles. Revealing a platform can remove another wall, so check where you will stand next before switching
5. After completing the 4 peaks, advance to The Illness Has Spread. Routes change from ordinary exploration, so do not simply follow the old peak paths

The short entrance climb cannot be revisited, but sources state that it contains no collectibles. Twilight Bell's unlock follows the current wiki's requirement to finish the other 3 peaks; this guide does not guarantee every possible order.

Where to find more Time Pieces

Time Pieces appear in Time Rifts as well as ordinary Acts. Collecting yarn, Pons, Rift Tokens, or Storybook Pages does not itself increase your Time Piece count.

1. Check ordinary Acts and Time Rifts separately on each chapter's Act selection screen
2. If a blue Time Rift photo appears, locate the pictured place in the original stage. You may not be able to enter directly from the selection screen
3. If a purple Time Rift has not appeared, check for missing Relics to assemble on the spaceship's pedestals
4. In purple Rifts, collect Rift Pons to reach the next section. Storybook Pages add story details and differ from the Rift Pons required for progression
5. After visiting the chapters, check the spaceship's Rifts too. The base game has 2 inside the ship

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The final main-game chapter unlocks at 25. Collecting all 40 is a separate goal, and remaining pieces can be collected before or after The Finale.

Requirements to start DLC: Check separately from the base game

Beyond purchasing and installing extra content, check its in-game unlock conditions. The table below follows Gears for Breakfast's official support information.

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The base game has 40. Seal the Deal adds 6 Time Pieces and Nyakuza Metro adds 10, giving 56 with both. Do not count Death Wish's additional challenges and stamps as equivalent to ordinary Act Time Pieces.