Flynn: Son of Crimson

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Summary

Traverse a beautifully hand crafted world and unearth the mysteries of a dark past in this fast paced 2D action platformer with metroidvania elements.


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Flynn: Son of Crimson Reviews & Ratings

60
Review by pmasterfunk [user]
June 19, 2022

I really wanted to like Flynn: Son of Crimson, but I feel like it fails on some key elements, and it really brings the experience down.I really wanted to like Flynn: Son of Crimson, but I feel like it fails on some key elements, and it really brings the experience down.First off, the game looks wonderful. It has some of the best spritework around, characters and enemies look great and are animated very well. Locales and backgrounds are full of details, and the whole package looks fantastic. The music is pretty good. All around, the presentation is strong.There's some decent variety in both looks and level design, and levels all feel unique. There are a few annoying levels here and there, but for the most part it's solid. One level is really annoying because of some other mechanics, so I'll get back to that one later.The story? Well, it's not great, but it's not a deal breaker. A lot of "twists" are revealed in text dumps in a late game level, and it feels kinda cheap. I just didn't have any attachments going in, so at the reveals I just kinda went "meh".The action is where stuff kinda went south for me. The game controls well, but a few things annoy me. Grabbing ledges works really well, but climbing up requires the jump button and letting go uses the down button. It just always felt strange. Moving while hanging on ropes is really slow and usually boring. The general battle mechanics also don't do it for me at all. I know it's all nitpick, but it feels like death by a thousand cuts. Attacking just didn't feel good to me. It seemed kinda slow and laggy. Attacking while jumping stops the character mid-air, which seems really weird. Basic enemies take too many hits to kill. Practically all enemies act the same and can be defeated using the same tactic; roll when they're about to attack and hit them from behind. The only difference being the number of rolls it takes to kill them. With many enemies around, the roll cooldown is pretty frustrating. The long range attack is slow, its range is too short, and the cooldown before moving is too long. There's a "Devil Trigger" mode that's so OP that there isn't any point in using the meter for other attacks.  All enemies attack for the same amount of damage: 1 HP. It doesn't matter if it's a tiny bee stinging you, or a huge sentient armour stabbing you with a spear. 1 HP.The really bad level I mentioned earlier has to do with the long range attack. Certain obstacles can be interacted with using an elementally charged long-range attack. Water blocks can be frozen to use as steps, torches can be lit, certain enemies can be stunned with lightning. But changing elements and charging the long range attack are finicky and slow. For that one terrible level, I needed to constantly swap between elements to hit enemies and freeze ice blocks and then light torches to see what I was supposed to do next. It was the slowest, most boring level in the game. It's not challenging, it's just slow. The game has a pretty brisk pace otherwise, and all of a sudden you gotta stop every second platform to swap elements, charge, shoot, swap again, charge, shoot, continue. I don't understand how this level got through testing.On the other hand, levels where the mountable dog runs around are a lot of fun. There should have been more of these.So yeah, Flynn... it could have been pretty good. There's hope for the devs, for sure. But this game falls very short of my expectations.

60
Review by nitorita [user]
April 4, 2022

Flynn: Son of Crimson is a 2D platformer that initially comes off looking promising from its attractive interface and clean pixel graphics,Flynn: Son of Crimson is a 2D platformer that initially comes off looking promising from its attractive interface and clean pixel graphics, but quickly turns flat as the gameplay turns monotonous and linear within minutes and is only reinforced by an unengaging story.Due to the lack of an RPG aspect to the game, there is nothing convincing you to fight any of the enemies except for the compulsory ones. The areas are not provided with any mystique to promote exploration. There is not much to write home about as this game is one you'd want to complete as soon as possible once you've gotten a taste for it, assuming you're able to trudge through it. You experience everything the game has to offer within the first half-hour of the game.The boss fights are all right as a whole, and arguably the most meaningful element of the game, but some bosses like the Aquatic Voltknight are designed very, very poorly, and will cause you to regret ever bothering to play in the first place. The decision to respawn the character right next to a hole is also incredibly frustrating, as you constantly slip and fall in after it happens. The random corruptions of past completed stages which force you to go through them again is bit of a chore to go through as well.Overall, a forgettable experience that I wouldn't recommend even if you are a fan of platformers.

70
Review by Shilfein [user]
February 14, 2022

Good but not great, also don't expect a Metroidvania. It is a linear 2D Action/Platformer (emphasis on the Action part) with a bit ofGood but not great, also don't expect a Metroidvania. It is a linear 2D Action/Platformer (emphasis on the Action part) with a bit of exploration and only 1 unlockable movement skill.Combat is competent, but not excellent.* There is a dodge with invencibility frames you need to absolutely abuse in combat.* There is a healing bar that takes 1 second to use, so requires to find an opening in battle to use.* There is a special meter bar to use special attacks in the most demanding fights.* 3 different weapons. But not too much of a difference between them gameplay-wise.And that is pretty much it. It gets boring after a while: Just attack until the enemy flashes in white, then dodge behind him and keep attacking.You can beat 100% of the normal enemies like that. The game could have used a parry mechanic and some enemies using undodgeable/unblockable movements to mix things up.Final bosses are a bit better, they usually have more interesting patterns. But there are very few of them...Platforming is mediocre, but the game isn't focused on that anyways.Story and NPCs are terrible. No charm or traces of good writing whatsoever."Good but nothing special" just sums it up.

70
Review by DarkZero
February 2, 2022

Don’t get me wrong, it might have the odd ‘scourge’ attacks, which are revamped levels up to the teeth with powerful monsters and dangerous threats, and a few unlockable wave-based combat trials (a stretch goal that was reached), but it really doesn’t do anything we haven’t seen before. However, bringing it all together with a solid design, satisfying controls, and being the cherry-on-top nostalgia-fest that it is really seals the deal. A splendid example of the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

80
Review by Mirrorofjim [user]
February 1, 2022

What a beautiful little 2D platformer, Flynn starts you off slow, adding new elements as you advance. Some games pack so many collectibles inWhat a beautiful little 2D platformer, Flynn starts you off slow, adding new elements as you advance. Some games pack so many collectibles in that they can detract from the core features and story. Flynn avoids this each collectible adds to your progression. Not the most compelling of stories ever but it is a fun and beautiful platformer.

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Game Information
Release Date September 15, 2021
Publisher Studio Thunderhorse, Humble Games
Total Rating 86%
Content Rated E10+ (Everyone 10+)
Game Modes Single player
Player Perspectives Side view
Genres Platform, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, Indie
Themes Action, Fantasy
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch