I don’t know how people have enough time to work a 9-5, go to school, and have enough time to play and talk about a video game. It’s tough, but I played a demo, had an absolute blast, and am all for talking about it.

This week is Hangtime!

Hangtime! is a volleyball roguelike from Leo Langlois. The game was released on Steam in November 2025 and retails for $15.

Hangtime! is all about trying to come out as #1 in a volleyball tourney, except every time you win, you get an upgrade that enhances your game.

I don’t really know the rules of volleyball, but the score goes to 8, and you can hit the ball up to 3 times. In single-player, the player is mostly the one making the plays and serving. WASD are the only buttons that are used, which is important because my right hand hurts from shoveling snow. Pressing W launches the player into the air, and pressing it again spikes the ball hard onto the opposite court.

There is a strategy in all this simple gameplay. Opposing AI is smart and will try to block when you jump in the air, so lobbing the ball can get one over on them. The same goes for serving the ball. It is theatrical that I can back up, sprint, jump halfway to the net, and spike the ball at what looks like sonic speed. Hit a perfect shot, and it will CRACK THE EARTH.

I was screaming every time I faked a spike, then came back for a quick spike on the bump.

This is all due in part to the choices at the end of each game. You will get a choice of a special ability, like the ball falling early or absorbing more force when bumping. Aside from that, you get a random choice of buffs like power, serve strength, jump height, bump, and block strength. Hard to understand, but the player skills graph at the bottom shows how each of the buffs plays out.

I think the game looks like a Flash game, amplifying its appeal. Characters and the environment are minimalistic, highlighting the riveting gameplay experience even more. Watching the ball flatten as the player hits it and watching the characters bouncing back as they bump a heater of a spike is a nice touch.

I haven’t played too much co-op because my wife was busy, but I was hyped every time that I played a round. The games are fast and super fun, and the upgrades are powerful, and I notice the difference during play. Sometimes the AI is a little too smart, but that might just be the demo’s difficulty. Super fun demo that everyone should try out.