Every possible twist on the roguelite is being represented on the Switch eShop right now, and it's fair to say that there are a few great examples. From the twin-stick robotic shooting of Neurovoider to groovy dungeon crawling in Crypt of the NecroDancer, many conventions have been tried and tested, almost to the point of saturation. Every so often a game comes along with such swagger and style that it's easy to be ensnared by its charm and enamored by its personality, despite its rigid genre criteria. Flinthook is one of those games. While on the surface it might not do that much different than any other in its category, you'll more than likely forget about it because it's just that damn fun.
You play the role of a haunted space pirate zooming across the galaxy to provide sustenance to your sentient and globule-like navigational companion in exchange for the whereabouts of the game's pirate captains (bosses). You'll have to collect a certain number of ghost gems hidden in space shells to feed your compass-shaped friend and in exchange, he’ll share their location. You'll choose a craft to drop anchor on based on a difficulty rating represented by skulls and a brief yet cryptic description, outlining the layout and type of rewards you'll reap.
The titular hook is more integral than any other power up or ability, even the hero himself. Not only is it a faster means of travel than running or jumping, but it's sometimes needed to tackle certain enemies. In addition, early on you'll acquire a Chronobelt enabling you to slow down time. This ranges from being necessary (when trying to out run laser beams) to being a tool used to string together gloriously acrobatic moves, dodges and take downs to increase your combo meter without getting hit.
As you enter a room, if the red warning sign appears and the music speeds up, it's go time. Enemies are likely to come in waves, and traversing a particularly heavily guarded room requires timing, skill and utilisation of all your attributes in order to progress. You'll get to know different enemy traits reasonably quickly, and the strategy of how to deal with certain attack patterns or prerequisites before moving on becomes instinctive. Some subsequent waves spawn in extra hazards as well as enemies, so you are always on your toes, using the environment, your reactions and your arsenal.
Whether you enter a 'battle area' which needs to be cleared before you can move on, or more straight up platforming sections, a fair percentage of the rooms in a typical run are single screen (or close to), so the action is tight and it all happens at a relentless pace, demanding dexterity, skill, and a pinch of strategy.
Where Flinthook succeeds is the accessibility of the controls, sense of fluidity and momentum. While it does take a little practice to perfect, the risk reward of wall jumping and slowing down time, combined with the hook shot that is accurate, yet forgiving enough in the heat of combat feels great only using the right stick. Escaping a line of cannon balls in mid air only to disappear into a pipe that links the rooms together is always gratifying. The game also rewards backtracking and encourages exploration to grab more of that precious gold by finding keys that unlock more passageways.
Of course, you'll want reward for all of your nimble platforming and critter shooting, and put all that precious booty to good use. As with a typical rogue lite, there are a wealth of collectibles that you will loot in Flinthook. After a few failed attempts and plenty of plunder gathered, you'll have to make a visit to the black market, and there you'll trade green tokens for item slots, and in turn, various perks.
Playing your cards right before a raid is pretty important, as you'll have a designated number of slots to fill with health, accuracy and ability upgrades. Whether it's extending the length of your hook shot or becoming more resistant to certain types of hazards, these perks are pretty useful once you've had some time to figure out your play style. Want to be a master blaster? Inflict heavier damage with a higher risk to yourself. Struggling at the end of a run? You can get a much-needed apple at the start of each stage.
Inside a level, it's all about the coin and gems. Enemies drop money which can be spent at the local shop on temporary upgrades or health boosts. In addition, there is a map to collect which shows the full level layout, booster packs to mash open and lore to read. A word of advice - once you open the big chest at the end of the level, you exit, so make sure to collect any booty you've left behind. Likewise, if you meet a surly merchant but are in decent health? Maybe best to come back after a hard fight. There's also a ton of relics and lore to be found from across the Mermadion galaxy, extra modes and challenges that pop up daily and weekly. Luckily, perks earned are available in the standard single-player.
From the insane intro that's worthy of having its own spin-off animation series to the swashbuckling sea shanty soundtrack that's more catchy than scurvy, Flinthooks presentation is on the whole splendid, filled with wacky characters and bosses, smooth, fast animations, witty banter and a wealth of particle effects more accomplished than most other pixel art games. While the game is an absolute blast, there are a few aspects that may grate after a while. The procedurally generated nature of the game does cough up some really frustrating difficulty spikes and structural assets could have been more varied, but the action makes up for these shortfalls.
Conclusion
Make no mistake about it - Flinthook is a really well crafted, charming and fun experience. To a certain extent, however, it feels impeded by the constraints of its genre. It is one of tightest action platformers and addictive rogue likes around, but due to the randomly generated levels, you will encounter the odd frustrating spike in difficulty or structurally very similar areas in close proximity. These complaints are reduced to niggles though due to its charm, personality and action packed gameplay. This trek across the galaxy is sometimes a tough and repetitive one, but it's also incredibly enjoyable.
Comments 36
I think I saw the main character of this game on TV at the Charlottesville protest a few months back.
I was going to pick it up on pc a while back. May do Switch instead.
Yet another pixel indie platformer for the Switch, yet another 8/10. The reviewers here REALLY love this sort of game.
Been waiting for this, Hollow Knight, Undertale and Hyper Light Drifter for moons now. OPEN THE FLOOD GATES!!!
Allright, I'm gonna buy it then.
To the wishlist it goes! Can’t say I’m a fan of the rougelike genre, which is why I’ll wait for a sale. The last rougelike I bought was Gonner and I got frustrated quickly.
@GrailUK yup! One of the most exciting reveals for me was undertale, one for the game itself and two because of the probable GameMaker support! Can't wait for all of them goodies to start pouring
got it for my trip this weekend! Hope it's similar to Rogue Legacy which was one of my all time favs
It's a shame "rogue-like" had to be put in there to ruin the game for me.
@Biff_ARMStrong I concur - I would't touch roguelikes with a 10 foot pole
Had my eye on this just because of te main character design. Glad to know its good!
@Fazermint 'Cause everyone loves to die once and start from the beginning! Yay!
@Dayton311 its quite similar, i havent played much but i think it may actually be better than RL. It feels like the lovechild of rogue legacy + enter the gungeon
@Fake-E-Lee purple mii with the "paint me like your french girls" pose? Must admit steredenn is stealing all my attention 😉
Bouncing between this and Steredenn myself. Love em both. Glad I chose these over Earthlock. I still really want that one, but these are scratching an itch I didn't know I had.
@Fake-E-Lee very tempted by bit dungeon, would you recommend it?
I'm trying to hold myself not to buy it yet (I have it on PC).
Needless to say it's not working
@PhilKenSebben sounds like we share similar tastes, be awesome to have another NL player to pit my crap skills against 🙃
“Randomly generated levels,” aaaaand interest GONE. Dang.
@Fake-E-Lee Steredenn is superb. Love everything about it so far. It's tough going though and I will likely never even get close to @Daftbomb current high score . Maybe once one gets access to better ships that score will be not as intimidating as it looks now.
I played quite a bit of this on PS4 and really enjoyed it. It gets a little old after awhile and doesn't offer the replayability of some other roguelikes, but it's still a great game with wonderful art and music.
Adding to wishlist to wait for a discount...
@OorWullie you seen the guy with a billion at the top 😂 Hells bells thats insane
@Daftbomb is it hard?
@Daftbomb You have just sold me on this before I even booted it up! Thanks for the heads up and can't wait to start tonight
I will try to get the physical release, whenever that happens.
@rockodoodle yes, but im easily excited
But seriously, yes, it's quite challenging.
Very Interested in this game. Im an art Guy, and I love the art of this game
@JayJ Good games are good games. Pixel art is an art form not just something that happened years ago.
I see this game is getting some love from others as well so it's on my radar (meaning wishlist) but since I have so many other games I'll have to wait.
@Daftbomb how is the learning curve? I am OK with hard games as long as I am eased into it....
@rockodoodle the tutorial is nicely done and prepares you adequately with all the moves you need to learn. Given that its comprised of random rooms, there are difficulty spikes, but the overall progression does mean you get stronger as well as getting more familiar with the mechanics. Takes a while for the controls to gel, but overall pretty enjoyable getting to grips with it all.
Looks great, but is sadly rogue.
@justin233 I'll agree, Gonner was just a little too rough for my liking. I enjoy Binding of Isaac, Rogue Legacy etc. But Gonner sessions were always sort of the same.
Start > Miss a jump or get swarmed > Sprint on low health for a room or two > Die
@Biff_ARMStrong yeah I’m not a fan of “rogue-like” games myself.
I'm not a fan of "rogue like" games either but can't help but feel really interested in this one. Am still going to wait for it to come down in price though.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...