Flynn: Son of Crimson – PC Review

Genre: 2D action platformer
Developer: Studio Thunderhorse
Publisher: Humble Games
Release Date: September 15th, 2021
Edited by AlexKnight2005

Sometimes all you want is to enjoy peace. Live your life daily, and deal with everyday obstacles we all find sometimes. But sometimes, that is not supposed to happen. Fate intervenes, and the circumstances force you to stand up against anyone who tries to threaten all of that. Welcome to the beautiful island of Rosantica and meet our main protagonist Flynn.

Flynn: Son of Crimson is built in a very classical 2D action platformer style. Some of the platformer games can start to feel a bit monotonous after a while, but that is certainly something you won’t encounter here. To keep the game interesting, you don’t only get new environments around you or new and stronger enemies, but also new weapons, skills, and also magic. Although the stronger enemies usually mean just a recolored version of the ones you met before. And to spice things up even more, you won’t only be limited to just running forward to take care of even more enemies and get more loot. The game will also challenge you with lots of different puzzles. Pressing the right buttons, beating labyrinths, or timed doors will be something you’ll come across a lot.

Besides crystals that work in this game as a currency and will be your reward for defeating enemies and finishing challenges, there are also collectibles that you can try to find to complete whole sets and get even more gems as a reward. So if you are a completionist, you must keep your eyes peeled for any secret rooms that might hide many secrets.

And if you miss some things on your way through Rosantica, you will be able to return to places you have already finished. The whole adventure is cut up into stages that consist of separate parts. To switch between those stages, you’ll be using an overworld screen similar to the one you might know, for example, from Super Mario World.

If you get defeated by your enemies, you will only have to go through the particular part again and lose some crystals. It’s much easier than having to go through the whole stage again.

To help you to push through the story, you will encounter many weapons on your journey. And you won’t be limited to just one of them, being forced to choose. And the same will go for magic. Different situations require different solutions. And therefore, you will be able to switch between them as needed.

The game is set in pixel art style, which took my breath immediately. All your surroundings are detailed and balanced in a matter of colors. And you don’t have to worry about the environment being too monotonous. Whether you find yourself in a local town, deep forests, meadows, mountains, or even deep caves, everything around you has its ambiance.

Thanks to a very minimalistic HUD that doesn’t interfere with your game, you can enjoy all of this experience. It contains your weapons and magic, your health, and your crystals. All sorted to three corners of the screen, so it doesn’t cover up too much.

And to make your adventures even better, it’s accompanied by a very good soundtrack. It’s not intrusive and, most of the time, very chill. And most importantly, it always fits the environment you find yourself in. This means that while you’re roaming the fields, you will get very relaxing music, which can get very suspenseful if you enter a cave.

The whole ambiance of this game was a very pleasant surprise to me and something that made me very interested.

I enjoyed how the story reveals itself because you keep experiencing things you didn’t know were real. You will follow the journey from being a regular villager to the hero of Rosantica while staying in suspense.

Everything begins when Flynn gets awakened by a strange dream. But was it a dream? That mystery will slowly be unveiled on our hero’s journey. For now, Flynn and Dex, the mythical guardian spirit of Rosantica, go for a simple walk. And that is the moment when everything in Flynn’s life is going to change. It’s going to get full of adventures, fights, and revelations.

During your time with Flynn, you will gradually reveal that the border between Rosantica and The Scourge is slowly cracking, and the evils from the other side start to flow into your world.

What helps even more with enjoying the game is that the controls are pretty simple, and you will be able to get through with just a few keys. The only issue I found is that the controls can be a little unresponsive. Or maybe the keys need a little higher sensitivity. Also, the keyboard layout might feel a bit strange for a while, but I don’t think it’s something you can’t get used to after a while. And if you’re not comfortable enough with it, you can easily redefine the keys or use a controller.

Whether you’re a fan of classic platformers or just looking for a casual and fun gaming experience, Flynn: Son of Crimson is something I highly recommend.

Pros:

• Great design.
• Fitting soundtrack.
• Interesting story.

Cons:

• A small variety of enemies.
• Low sensitivity of controls.

Coipher gives Flynn: Son of Crimson for PC a Drastik Measure of 8.6 out of 10.0 (86)