Hat Trick

Hat Trick

Overview & History

Released by Bally Sente in 1984, Hat Trick is a quirky and surprisingly fast-paced arcade sports game that predates mainstream hockey hits like Blades of Steel. Ditching traditional human athletes, the game casts players as faceless, floating, cap-wearing heads gliding across a frozen sheet of ice. Despite its whimsical, surreal aesthetic, Hat Trick delivers a tense, competitive arcade experience designed for intense head-to-head multiplayer battles against the computer or a rival opponent.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The primary objective is simple: score more goals than your opponent before the 90-second game clock expires. You control a two-player team consisting of a goalie and a skater, though you only directly maneuver the active skater while the AI manages the netminder. The puck moves with erratic, high-speed physics, ricocheting dangerously off the boards and goalposts. Players must master precise timing to intercept passes, steal the puck, and wind up blistering slap shots. A unique strategic layer involves timing your body checks to send opposing skaters sprawling onto the ice, temporarily removing them from the play and leaving the goal undefended. As the match progresses, the background music quickens, ramping up the adrenaline as the final seconds tick down into sudden-death overtime ties.

Keyboard Controls

• Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move skater across the ice
• Action Keys: Shoot puck / Body check opponent
• Enter: Start / Pause