The Morning After Never Looked So Good
Ukraine-based indie studio Hidalgo Code has announced their upcoming comedy puzzle adventure Olaf and the Crowning Hangover, launching on PC via Steam in Q3 2026.
Blending dry humor, pixel charm, and inventive puzzle mechanics, this game takes the concept of “the morning after” to absurd new heights. Players step into the boots of Olaf, a hapless hero waking up in the aftermath of a truly catastrophic night of drinking. Broken furniture, spilled ale, and more than a few angry faces await as you stumble through the wreckage of your own bad decisions—literally trying to clean up your mess one move at a time.
The Hangover You Can’t Ignore
The story begins as Olaf awakens to a pounding headache, no memory of what happened the night before, and the realization that something has gone terribly wrong. The tavern is trashed, the streets are in chaos, and a long list of mistakes—some potentially fatal—need fixing.
Olaf’s goal is simple: right his wrongs before someone decides to take his head for good. Unfortunately, that list of wrongs is long, and his hangover isn’t helping. Between unfulfilled orders, broken promises, and questionable pub antics, Olaf has a lot to make up for.
To uncover the truth of what happened, players must navigate conversations with colorful characters like Grimlak the perpetually grumpy orc and King Charles de Valois, a royal who secretly loves gambling and ale as much as Olaf does. Each encounter sheds more light on Olaf’s wild night while layering on the game’s distinct brand of absurdist fantasy comedy.
Time Is on Your Side—Literally
Where most puzzle games ask players to push crates, Olaf and the Crowning Hangover asks them to reverse time itself.
The game’s signature mechanic flips traditional Sokoban-style puzzle logic on its head. Instead of pushing objects forward to solve puzzles, you pull time backward to restore what was broken. Tables reassemble themselves, spilled drinks flow neatly back into their mugs, and chaos rewinds into order.
Each level presents a series of mini catastrophes caused by Olaf’s drunken escapades. Solving them requires spatial awareness, strategic rewinding, and a bit of imagination. Watching the world rebuild itself in reverse is both satisfying and hilarious—a fresh take on the puzzle genre that combines humor and ingenuity in equal measure.
Rewind, Restore, and Remember
The time-rewind mechanic isn’t just a clever gameplay feature—it’s deeply tied to the game’s narrative. Every object restored brings Olaf closer to piecing together what really happened that night. Each puzzle solved unravels more of the mystery and reveals how one terrible decision led to another.
As players clean up the mess, Olaf’s memory starts to return in fragments, creating a story that feels both slapstick and strangely personal.
This reflective approach adds emotional weight to what might otherwise be a pure comedy game. Yes, you’ll laugh at the drunken antics and absurd characters, but there’s also a quiet sense of redemption underneath it all—one that mirrors the developer’s own creative journey.
Dwarves, Orcs, and Questionable Life Choices
A Crowning Hangover is set in a tongue-in-cheek fantasy world that feels like a mix between a Dungeons & Dragons campaign gone wrong and a medieval pub crawl gone even worse.
Players will encounter dwarves, orcs, royals, and other fantasy archetypes reimagined with dry humor and a distinctly Eastern European sensibility. Expect plenty of dark jokes, satirical banter, and ridiculous dialogue that teeters perfectly between clever and chaotic.
As the developers put it: “Every problem has a solution… if you rewind far enough.”
A Love Letter to Puzzles and Pixel Art
Visually, Olaf and the Crowning Hangover embraces a colorful pixel art style that feels nostalgic yet fresh. Its hand-crafted environments are full of small details—spilled drinks, flickering candles, half-eaten turkey legs—that make the world feel alive even in its hungover state.
Fans of classic puzzle games will recognize nods to Sokoban and other grid-based titles, but with a completely new twist on how movement and cause-and-effect are handled. Every rewind feels like a small act of magic, transforming chaos back into order with satisfying precision.
The game’s short but rich playtime—around two hours—makes it perfect for players who want a bite-sized adventure full of clever puzzles, quirky writing, and memorable characters.
From Game Jam to Full Adventure
The origins of Olaf and the Crowning Hangover trace back to a 2020 game jam, where solo developer Volodymyr Mikhav first created the prototype. The original idea was simple: a drunk Viking-themed puzzle game with time-based mechanics. But as the project evolved, Mikhav realized something was missing—a reason behind Olaf’s actions.
He shared:
“When I first created Olaf and the Crowning Hangover during a game jam in 2020, I was focused on the fun, novel puzzle mechanics inspired by a drunk Viking theme. But as I developed it further, I realized a raw puzzle game wasn’t enough. For almost four years, the project stalled because I couldn’t answer a simple question: who is Olaf, and why is he doing this? It became clear that a compelling story wasn’t just an addition; it was the missing foundation the entire game needed to be built on.”
That breakthrough came in late 2024, when Mikhav collaborated with a writer who brought Olaf’s world to life through sharp dialogue and absurd humor. The new narrative direction gave the project emotional depth while keeping its comedic heart intact.
“Olaf’s journey in the game mirrors my own development struggles,” Mikhav continued. “It’s about searching for motivation and that incredible ‘aha!’ moment when everything finally makes sense.”
A Promising Indie from Hidalgo Code
Hidalgo Code describes itself as a studio dedicated to exploring the deeper side of human experience through playful, imaginative worlds. Based in Ukraine, the studio’s tagline—“Follow the call of the void and become who you always wanted to be”—captures their philosophy of creating games that are as thoughtful as they are entertaining.
With Olaf and the Crowning Hangover, they’ve crafted something that feels both comedic and meaningful. It’s not just a puzzle game about cleaning up a mess—it’s a story about reflection, redemption, and maybe laying off the ale for a while.
