Flinthook

Flinthook got me hooked (pun intended) with a very pleasant mixture of gameplay I have never seen before in a 2D platformer. The tether mechanics of Speed Runners, the addictiveness and replay value of Rogue Legacy and the fast paced action of Shovel Knight are to be found with this title. Coupled them with an incredible soundtrack, boss battles that test your patience , skills and beautiful graphics and they make for a game that I can safely say, is one of the best of 2017.

Flinthook is a fine video game that sunk its hooks into me with easy to pick up and play gameplay, a catchy soundtrack, and cute characters. It’s easily a recommendable rogue-lite for any fans of the genre or platformers in general. Just don’t expect the game to anchor you to your seat unless you’re the kind of person that needs to uncover every piece of treasure possible. Even if you aren’t, Flinthook is a dandy game, in space.

Indie game developers love making action-packed 2D platformers. Flinthook manages to combine elements from many inspirations and craft a solid roguelike experience so let's get ready to pillage some pirate ships in space!

Zipping around levels with your hookshot and using your various power-ups to navigate some of the tough scenarios that the game throws at you is rewarding. If Roguelikes are your thing, but you’re not looking for something that’s too taxing Flinthook is worth a look.

What Flinthook might lack in lore, story, and cohesion, it more than makes up for with its boatload of personality and style, all of which find themselves backed up by some of the smoothest 2D platforming gameplay around. It’s all built around the hook, and once you put in the time to master it, you’ll almost certainly be anchored.

Attack pirates, steal their gold, demolish their bosses, rinse. Repeat.

Flinthook is something of a roguelike training regimen. Rather than present you with one long-winded, daunting task at the outset, it first presents you with a series of lighter, shorter challenges to let you dip your toe in the genre. It doesn’t nail the long-term replayability of the genre, but while you’re working toward the endgame, it offers the great thrill of just barely overcoming challenges that at first feel far out of reach.

Despite cribbing gameplay elements from a number of different games, Flinthook manages to be its own unique beast. Its unforgiving and repetitive design is not for everyone, but those craving pixel perfect platforming with a dash of difficulty will find a lot to like here.

It’s an odd complaint, but Flinthook really does feel like a high-calibre platformer trapped within the confines of a popular genre. It’s a blast to play and I don’t even mind just how punishing it can get at times, but the interest wains as soon as death occurred. It took me straight out of the zone when playing and when the game doesn’t have much to it beyond the gameplay, it’s a bit of a downer. The foundations are there, but really the curtains don’t match the décor.