All 56 Time Pieces in A Hat in Time, Ranked

As someone who played A Hat in Time a lot (five full playthroughs in 2021, three full playthroughs in 2022, one full playthrough in 2023, and counting), I have a very clear picture of all of the Time Pieces (the primary collectible) and how to obtain them. Like all Collectathon platformers, some MacGuffins are more enjoyable to collect than others.

Between the actual gameplay, the puzzles, and the story surrounding each, here is my full list of best to worst Time Pieces, ranked:

• #1 – Murder on the Owl Express: Out of all the Time Pieces in A Hat in Time, the best one is Murder on the Owl Express. Not only it involves collection and puzzles, but it also has multiple endings, which you can choose. For instance, if you decided that the victim was the culprit, then the answer to the mystery is that the “victim” committed suicide because he didn’t want to clean the train.
• #2 – Queen Vanessa’s Manor: Sandwiched between two missions I consider to be the worst is another mission in my top three. The game is mostly lighthearted, but when you get to get to this mission, it gets extremely scary. The goal is to navigate the manor and get to the attic. But beware! Queen Vanessa will come after you. If she gets you, then you will turn into an ice sculpture after a terrifying scene.
• #3 – Bon Voyage: The Arctic Cruise Time Pieces are all over the place according to this list. While most are bad or okay at best, this one is one of the best Time Pieces. That’s because it had a similar concept to the Crushing Shed Jiggy from Banjo-Tooie, except that you’ll have to navigate the entire boat to collect the pieces to the broken Time Piece.
• #4 – Time Rift: The Owl Express: The first time rift level I ever did. The first time I entered it, I felt this “it’s like Super Mario Sunshine” feeling. The blue time rifts are the best kind of missions in the game, especially the one you can reach after investigating the “murder” on the Conductor’s train.
• #5 – The Windmill: The best of the Alpine Skyline time pieces. All four different time pieces you can collect during the “Free Roam” session all focus on different skills. For The Windmill, the focus is on intense platforming skills. The platforms are always moving, you will have to use many different skills like wall climbing and sand bag hopping, and you’re gonna need the hookshot badge equipped. The one part I’m ambivalent towards is that if you fall from a higher section, you just take a hit and go back to where you fell from. I felt that this mechanic made this mission too easy, but I wouldn’t take it well if I have to start over from the very beginning.
• #6 – Time Rift: Bazaar: Another blue time rift in my top ten. The platforms of focus were the rolling blocks with eight bumps on them. This clearly shows that Gears for Breakfast was using inspirations from Super Mario Sunshine since no other game had rolling blocks like that.
• #7 – Time Rift: Sewers: Yet, another blue time rift in my top ten. The Mafia Town missions aren’t really my favorite, but their two blue time rifts are in my top ten. The focus is on ledges that pop in and out. It’s not a long level, but I like the kind of obstacle used.
• #8 – The Finale: The dark music in the lava castle section? Check! The platforming sections? Check! The previous bosses you fought against teaming up with you? Check! This is a pretty good story finish. One problem though. The part where everyone is healing you at once at the end seems, anticlimactic.
• #9 – Awards Ceremony (boss): The boss fight and platforming sections were rather okay. What makes this one interesting is the story. Throughout the entire Battle of the Birds chapter, you get to choose to either help the Conductor win, or help DJ Grooves win. Whoever wins is the bad guy. The Conductor winning will remind you why you don’t want him to win, but DJ Grooves winning features the common plot twist where the nice one is mean on the inside. And halfway in the boss battle, you get to choose whether you can either share the time piece or not. They’ll backstab you if you decided yes, but call you selfish (which seems hypocritical, given their intentions) if you decided no. This also shows how different the Conductor and DJ Grooves are. The Conductor is even pettier, while DJ Grooves shows another act of hypocrisy (he’s using fraud to undo “fraud”).
• #10 – The Twilight Bell: Another mission in the Alpine Skyline. This time, the focus is on puzzles, as you’ll have to use both the Dweller’s Mask and the shadow bells to get to the Time Piece. If you have mastered this level, the puzzle becomes too easy, but I still dig.
• #11 – Dead Bird Studio: The opening act of Battle of the Birds is a platforming level where you have to sneak through Dead Bird Studio, a studio both The Conductor and DJ Grooves make movies at. The thing is, if you get caught, you will take damage and build up your fine. While the amount you have to pay is meaningless according to the gameplay, you can get fined for disrupting recordings and property damage, as well as stupid stuff like “owl harassment”, “penguin harassment”, “assault on cactus”, and “tee-pee KO”, which is very funny. At the end, you’ll be talking to either bird director about helping them win the award.
• #12 – Subcon Well: The Subcon Forest doesn’t have too much platforming tasks to get the Time Pieces, but this one is one of them. Along with climbing and cleaning the well, this was also the part where you get the hookshot badge.
• #13 – Pink Paw Manhole: Nyakuza Metro is my least favorite level in the game, and none of its Time Pieces made it to my top ten. But there were some more interesting ones, and the best one was the Time Piece found in the Pink Paw Manhole. What you have to do is to ride the cat-pulled trains to collect electric orbs. Collect enough of them, and you will get the Time Piece.
• #14 – Bluefin Tunnel: Similar to “Bon Voyage” and the crushing shed jiggy, there is another mission where you have to collect pieces to a broken Time Piece. I didn’t rank it as high as the other mission because they’re all localized in one area. As for why it isn’t the best Time Piece in Nyakuza Metro, it’s because we already had another Time Piece like this.
• #15 – Time Rift: Dead Bird Studio: Despite being a repeat of “Award Ceremony” as a time rift, this is the best of the pink time rifts. It wasn’t too hard, but not too easy either. The storybook pages weren’t too well-hidden, but they were hidden well enough. There’s only one pink time rift I like more than this, but that is a Death Wish challenge, not one of the regular time pieces. But to be honest, I didn’t like the pink time rifts as much as the blue ones.
• #16 – Heating Up Mafia Town: The best of the main story Mafia Town Time Pieces, this time, you’re siding with the Mafia instead of against them. Because of Mustache Girl’s hatred towards the Mafia, she turned on all of the lava faucets. Your job is to turn them off to save Mafia Town. You’ll have to use your platforming skills to reach each of the faucets to shut them off. Then you can launch back to the headquarters to collect the Time Piece.
• #17 – Time Rift: Village: Another blue time rift in my top 20, this one puts a focus on the shadow bells and dweller’s mask, which you can use to manipulate the platforms, which is one thing you’ll have to do to get to the Time Piece at the end.
• #18 – Time Rift: Pipe: While I enjoyed this time rift, the use of falling blocks as the main obstacle doesn’t require as much action as the use of moving platforms. I see that it requires the hookshot at some parts, but more work could be done for this one. Despite the blue time rifts being easier and less frustrating than Super Mario Sunshine’s secret levels, I think SMS’s levels were more intricate.
• #19 – Down With the Mafia: The early Time Pieces in the game aren’t as good as the ones you’ll eventually collect. For this one, this level is too easy. At least it had a puzzle, a platforming segment, and a boss battle. One thing I will appreciate was the story. The whole reason why Hat Kid was even involved in anything on the planet in the first place was because a Mafia goon punched into her spaceship, causing all of the Time Pieces to fall onto the planet. Hat Kid then teams up with Mustache Girl to fight against the Mafia, but once the Mafia Boss was defeated, Mustache Girl betrays Hat Kid because of a disagreement on how the Time Pieces should be used.
• #20 – Green Clean Manhole: Nyakuza Metro had the “Free Roam” concept like Alpine Skyline, but the reason why they’re not as special is because they all require doing the same stuff rather than focusing on different areas of platforming. Instead, you’ll have to search for the Time Pieces, using wall jumps, crossing and riding cat-pulled trains, and sometimes using the dweller’s mask. There were at least two of them that were more interesting, but the rest, are kinda okay. I will say that the one in the Green Clean Manhole was slightly more fun than the rest.
• #21 – Yellow Overpass Manhole: This one is slightly similar to the Time Piece in the Green Clean Manhole, but with a different layout and less use of the dweller’s mask. Since I have a hard time choosing which one is better, and since I don’t like tying spots, I could rank both manhole Time Pieces interchangeably.
• #22 – Time Rift: Rumbi Factory: Compared the rest of the Nyakuza Metro Time Pieces and the other pink time rifts, this one is more of a breather. Part of the reason why I would rank it higher than the rest was because it had the best storybook tied to it. You get to learn more about Hat Kid and her Rumbi during her stay on the planet.
• #23 – Time Rift: Deep Sea: Coming right after the easiest pink time rift is the hardest time rift. While the environment was relaxing, the level was unusually hard. When I first bought the Seal the Deal DLC, I wasn’t surprised that the Death Wish challenges were extreme. What I was surprised by was how hard the other Time Pieces included in the same DLC was. This one had a pretty nasty difficulty spike.
• #24 – Contractual Obligations: The opening act of Subcon Forest was okay at best. But to be honest, it’s my least favorite of the main game levels. I didn’t like how Hat Kid had her soul stolen and was forced to do contracts for The Snatcher. Because Hat Kid entered the forest, she was to do his contracts, which were pretty dangerous. But she wouldn’t have entered the forest had the Mafia goon not punched into her spaceship.
• #25 – Welcome to Mafia Town: This is where the game began. Personally, I found exploring Mafia Town more fun than the actual mission, which was rather short and simple. If you only followed Mustache Girl and her instructions, this shouldn’t take too long, But if you explore the island to get more pons, this one is a pretty long one.
• #26 – Time Rift: Mafia of Cooks: While I really enjoyed the blue time rifts in Mafia Town, I’m not too keen about the pink time rift. Yeah, it’s easy (also the easiest of the rift collapse Death Wish challenges), but it’s not as interesting. I could go for some more challenge.
• #27 – The Golden Vault: Another Mafia Town Time Piece, and this one was supposed to be the end. After solving every problem related to Mafia Town, there was one last challenge Hat Kid had left – to open a vault made of gold. Previous vaults, which had pieces of yarn or a rift token, required that you collected the tickets to open the vaults. This one also required tickets, but this one reveals a Time Piece.
• #28 – Ship Shape: I told you that the Arctic Cruise levels are all over the place. This one seems to be an okay one. While I did like the music and gotten better as time went by, this one gets pretty difficult. You’ll get to a point that more tasks will keep popping up at once, and you only have a limited time to start each task and get it done. If you keep messing up, you will upset the Walrus Captain. If you don’t memorize the layout of the ship, you will have a hard time.
• #29 – Time Rift: Alpine Skyline: While I enjoyed the main level, its nutshell of a level in form of a pink time rift was a little…okay. Not the best. I also found the storybook to be more boring than the others.
• #30 – Pink Paw Station: Due to how repetitive the Time Piece collection is in the Nyakuza Metro, I’m not fan of the individual missions themselves. It’s already my least favorite level, but that’s because of story reasons. I did like the manhole ones due to their unique nature, but these are rather generic. What made the Pink Paw Station one better was that it took longer to get to the top, and you have a lot more action to go through.
• #31 – Green Clean Station: The Time Piece in the heights of the Main Station isn’t all too bad, except that this one is a bit too short of a mission.
• #32 – Yellow Overpass Station: This Time Piece may not been as short, but there was too much riding and too little action, while almost no variation was present.
• #33 – Train Rush: While I did like “Murder on the Owl Express”, this one isn’t all that great. There may be a lot of action and a limited time, but I couldn’t get into it as much. The Death Wish version and this one during the Zero Jumps challenge are a lot worse, especially at the lava part.
• #34 – Time Rift: Gallery: One of the two blue time rifts accessible via Hat Kid’s spaceship, the one in the art gallery is the better of the two blue time rifts. There may be some moving platforms and balloon hopping, but there’s also a lot of boxes to break with your brewing hat.
• #35 – Picture Perfect: The Conductor’s Time Piece levels are pretty good levels. The same cannot be said for DJ Grooves’ Time Piece levels due to less action and less puzzles. All you have to do is to build up your diva score, which you can do by collecting DJ Groove tokens and getting in front of the cameras. The best part of this level, you get to cuss in front of everyone. Peck!
• #36 – Time Rift: The Moon: The lesser of the blue time rifts in Battle of the Birds is ranked a lot lower than the greater. Is it because of the band that keeps following you as an obstacle? No. The problem is the last part, where you’ll have to try to go under a fence as you do wall-kicking over a bottomless pit.
• #37 – Time Rift: Tour: Just like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Super Mario Odyssey, A Hat in Time has a final level that you can unlock after completing most of the game. And this one is a pink time rift, where every section is a review of the main levels. This time rift is like a memory trip for Hat Kid. I also like how the Alpine Skyline part emphasized everything you went through in one go.
• #38 – The Lava Cake: Compared to the other Time Pieces in Alpine Skyline, this one is supposed to be the easiest and most relaxing. But I find it rather boring. All you have to do is to jump across columns and swing across gaps until you find the next cannon. The only hazard is the lava, which is easily avoidable.
• #39 – The Big Parade: The Conductor isn’t the only one who has a worse second act than the first. DJ Grooves does too. Since you can take damage from the crowds and the band, and since the fireworks adds more hazards, there’s a little room for error in this level. But at least the music is nice.
• #40 – Awards Ceremony (ceremony): This is the easiest Time Piece. Enough said!
• #41 – Time Rift: Laboratory: If you play the game, you can see why some blue time rifts are ranked lower and some are ranked higher. The ones that are lower on my list have much less action, much less moving platforms, and more focus on enemies. The focus of this time rift is the Alpine Pompous Crows and their pushiness from narrow platforms rather than moving platforms.
• #42 – Time Rift: Sleepy Subcon: I wouldn’t say that this one is the hardest of the pink time rifts, but when I first played it, this one was the most troubling. Even as of today, I still don’t like this one as much, but the storybook was one of the better ones.
• #43 – Your Contract has Expired: I’m sorry Snatcher fans, but I didn’t really like this one. And I definitely do not like the Death Wish versions of this one. According to the story, Hat Kid was already finished with her contracts, but since there was nothing left, The Snatcher betrayed her and decided that it was time to kill her. She defeats him, gets her soul back, and gets the last Time Piece, but she also vandalized the last contract, forcing a bond with The Snatcher. The gameplay, though, I didn’t like, especially the part where it goes dark and you have to choose between the actual Snatcher and his decoy (which thankfully isn’t part of the Death Wish variant).
• #44 – Time Rift: Twilight Bell: The Alpine Skyline had some really good Time Piece levels. Not so much for the blue time rifts. The Twilight Bell one was the greater of the two, and the problem is that the level is much shorter, has no obstacles other than the goats, and the only other skill you have is the dweller’s mask.
• #45 – Main Station: Most of the Time Pieces in the Nyakuza Metro were repetitive, but at least they had some challenge. This one did not. This is similar to the very beginning of Alpine Skyline where you have to climb a tower and hit three spinning levers to reveal a clothesline, but it doesn’t seem as epic. It ends when you get to the Main Station.
• #46 – Rush Hour: The gameplay is fine, but this one nearly got to the bottom ten for story reasons. I feel very bad for Hat Kid. She had to work for a crime boss who claimed ownership of her Time Pieces, and once Hat Kid got her Time Pieces back, she was ready to kill her. In fact, she got the entire city turned against her. Hat Kid successfully escapes, and the Empress’s store was closed for an investigation. Even if she does get away with her crimes, the fact that Hat Kid got all of the Time Pieces and left the city shows that Hat Kid won in the end result.
• #47 – Toilet of Doom: While I may or may not agree on which bosses were the best, but if there’s anything I can agree with the A Hat in Time fandom on, it’s that the lesser two bosses aren’t as good as the greater ones. What happens is that Hat Kid’s soul escaped into an outhouse, and you have to defeat the outhouse. Some parts I didn’t like about fighting were swinging to get the correct bubbles and climbing the time bomb before it explodes (which is a one-hit kill move).
• #48 – Time Rift: Curly Paw Trail: As a fan of the blue time rifts, I did not like this one. Not only is there less action, but the gimmick was fighting against the Lazy Paw Gang, which steals from Hat Kid, including her hat. She can’t perform hat abilities without her hat. There’s also a part where you have to wait until the door to the Time Piece opens.
• #49 – Time Rift: Balcony: The only blue time rift in the DLC, and the worst one. But the problem isn’t that it’s too easy. The problem is that it’s too hard. There’s only one checkpoint, and your focus is sliding down falling blocks while dodging hazardous obstacles. The last part really gets frustrating since you have to focus on the timing. For a blue time rift, this is a disappointment. Adding insult to injury, this is the worst of the time rifts, blue or pink.
• #50 – She Came from Outer Space: Judging by the first few Time Pieces, the game’s first impressions hint that this game might be too easy and cheesy, but later Time Pieces have proven otherwise. This one is about following a goofy Mafia goon, pretending to be a slimy alien, scaring him. But Hat Kid seems to be a friendly alien, if you don’t mess with her.
• #51 – Barrel Battle: The first boss of the game, but also the worst boss. But this is supposed to be a warm-up of a boss level. It’s too hard for a newcomer, but too easy for a pro. And there’s really no boss.
• #52 – Mail Delivery Service: Throughout the entire Subcon Forest chapter, you had to fulfill the Snatcher’s contracts. You had to search for paintings to burn, clean and climb a well, fight a possessed outhouse, and explore a dangerous house. And what’s this? Just some easy mission where you have to shoot mail and packages at the Snatcher’s minions. There’s like no challenge here.
• #53 – The Illness has Spread: One part of Alpine Skyline is that for every Time Piece you collect (not counting the pink time rift), the strange purple flowers grow. If too many of them grow, you’ll unlock this act, where they overtake the skyline. Since they caused the goats to feel sick and go crazy, you’ll have to go all over the skyline, hunt the three large flowers, and defeat them. An interesting fact is that no matter what order you defeat them in, the first one will always be the easiest, the second one will try to shoot up roots, and the third one will try to shoot up roots and have more barriers. I didn’t like it as much for being a depressing finale and for the backtracking.
• #54 – Rock the Boat: As the finale to the short Arctic Cruise chapter, this was a disappointing last level and a depressing one. The cruise crashes into an iceberg and sinks, and you’ll be doing another escort mission to save the passengers. While it’s not as sad as the Titanic, it’s still sad when you think about the other two Time Pieces, despite the poor job the seal pups did.
• #55 – The Birdhouse: Of the four Time Pieces in the “Free Roam” part in the Alpine Skyline, this one is the worst. And it’s even worse than the lion’s share of all of the Time Pieces. The focus is on navigating a field of enemies, and the birds are quite frustrating enemies
• #56 – Cheat to Win the Race: There’s a reason why this is at the bottom of this list. It’s because it’s a racing mission. In 3D Collectathon Platformers, I do not like racing missions, especially if there’s an overabundance in them. The point of racing missions is that you’re supposed to come in first place to get the prize. And there’s no room for error. This Time Piece isn’t as bad of a racing mission compared to some other horrible racing missions from other 3D Platformers, but it still sinks to the bottom.

Yeah, this entry is a very long one, but you can now see what my opinion are on each Time Piece in the game and where I rank them. In regards to how I rank the levels, there are:

• #1 – Battle of the Birds
• #2 – Time’s End
• #3 – Alpine Skyline
• #4 – Welcome to Mafia Town
• #5 – Arctic Cruise
• #6 – Subcon Forest
• #7 – Nyakuza Metro

Just letting you know, there’s not much to talk about A Hat in Time, so unless if I decided to mention it in a future entry, this is going to be the last time I’ll be talking about it extensively on this site.