Super Adventure Hand just crawled onto PlayStation and Xbox

Upscale Studio and Devile Studio have released Super Adventure Hand on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox consoles today. The physics-based platformer originally launched on PC and Nintendo Switch in September 2023. The new console ports bring the exact same bizarre premise to Sony and Microsoft hardware.

The game puts you in control of a disembodied, sentient hand that is searching for its missing arm. The primary antagonists are a gang of giant, grumpy-looking feet with eyes. The entire setup feels like a spiritual successor to Glover on the Nintendo 64. The execution is just much creepier. Instead of a friendly glove balancing on a rubber ball, your character skitters around the environment like a fleshy spider. Every movement is accompanied by wet slapping sounds. The animation style is deliberately unsettling.

Fleshy physics

The core gameplay relies entirely on physics interactions. The hand has to navigate over 50 different obstacle courses filled with environmental hazards. You will balance on rolling barrels over lava pits, dodge spinning saw blades, and climb vertical brick walls. The climbing mechanics require you to grip surfaces and pull your weight upward.

Your movement options extend beyond simple crawling. Certain levels require the hand to drive tiny pink toy cars, steer miniature trucks, and ride skateboards. The controls demand precise finger placement and momentum management to clear the wider gaps. Every object in the world reacts to the hand's weight and momentum. The physics engine is unforgiving. If you misjudge the angle of a jump, you will slide off the edge of a platform.

The Steam version of the game built a small but dedicated audience over the last few years. Players praised the puzzle design but noted the campaign can be completed fairly quickly. The developers added a speedrunning mode and hidden collectibles to give players a reason to return. Finding hidden cans throughout the levels unlocks various cosmetic items. You can customize the hand with different watches, rings, bracelets, and nail polish colors. You can even give your hand a fresh manicure before throwing it into a pit of fire.

The long road to PlayStation

The original PC release was handled entirely by solo developer Jan Rigerl under the Devm Games label. This new console push brings Upscale Studio and Devile Studio into the mix to handle the porting and publishing duties. The PlayStation 5 version takes advantage of the hardware to ensure a smooth frame rate during the more chaotic physics calculations.

The game maintains its E for Everyone rating despite the mild body horror of a severed hand dragging itself across a forest floor. The humor is very slapstick. Every time your hand fails a level and respawns at a checkpoint, it appears with a small bandage to indicate its previous injury.

You can grab the game today on the PlayStation Store and Xbox digital storefronts. Most modern 3D platformers stick to safe, colorful mascot designs. Super Adventure Hand fully commits to its strange concept and refuses to apologize for it. It is a weird, slightly gross take on the genre. It is hard to look away when a severed hand tries to kickflip a toy skateboard.