I started playing Flinthook on the switch a weeks days ago. The game has been sitting on my Steam wishlist for ages but as soon as it landed on the Switch I figured: “It’s time!”.
Flinthook is a roguelite game. When you die you start over but you get to keep some minor items to buy stuff with. I really like this kind of games. Roguelikes that make you loose absolutely everything and the only progression is the satisfaction of “getting better” are not for me. I like to do a run and get to keep something that makes me feel that I’m growing. I’m putting in the hard work and getting something out of it.
Story
You are a space pirate with a ghost mask (called Flinthook) and you have to save your friends from an evil wizard. At least that’s what I’ve gathered from the cutscenes.
The Mermaidon Galaxy has a surprising amount of lore ready for you to unlock by collecting relics or book pages throughout the game.
Presentation
I love the art of the game. Pixel art very well executed. Quirky characters. Fun enemies. Nothing much else to say. I believe the screenshots say everything. The music is also amazing. I found myself on my daily life humming Flinthook’s music{:target=”_blank”}.
Gameplay
When you start playing, on the first bounty, you have to go through 3 pirate ships to find the location of the boss. You get to choose each stage from a selection of ships, each one with different modifiers. For example: more enemies, more gold or no map and fog. It’s a risk/reward situation.
Flinthook is fast paced, easy to control, responsive and the mechanics are top notch. Never did I feel betrayed by the controller. When I die it’s my fault.
My biggest and only complaint with Flinthook is the menu system. It’s full of stuff everywhere. It’s really hard to understand what is selected and what options there are. I took more time understanding the menus than the mechanics of the game itself.
Conclusion
If you like pixel art, roguelite games there’s no question you need to try Flinthook. Tight controls, progression system where you get stronger with every run you make. Apart from the difficulty to navigate and understand menus, the gameplay is refined and precise. And there’s still more content I didn’t cover like daily and weekly challenge ships you get through the internet.