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Pardon the dust! This page includes some jargon that hasn't been added to the site's glossary yet. I'll be around to fix this later, but sorry for the inconvenience in the meantime. |
Review: FLYN
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:To pause the game while youre playing through a level, press ESC. Otherwise, your progress is saved automatically when you clear or exit a level. Time needed per session:This is one game where it pays to take things slow, so plan on playing for at least fifteen to twenty minutes at a time.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians The main antagonist is little more than a bully who makes life difficult for everyone else. However, he has his reasons for lashing out at everyone, and eventually comes around. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/flyn_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/flyn_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/flyn_2.jpg)
Game Overview
FLYN is a puzzle platformer that revolves around various World Trees trying to deal with the antics of a bully named Dryer. When he first arrived, he dropped a bunch of searing hot metal garbage on the peaceful inhabitants of the first World Tree and soon he began to steal their glowing balls of energy for his own purposes. The World Tree responded by creating a bud, a small cute insect creature, to fix what Dryer has done and drive him away.
Unfortunately, this only leads Dryer to more World Trees. They produce buds of their own, and the process repeats until he is finally defeated by their combined efforts.
The puzzle element of the game comes with how you control the various buds. Each bud has a unique ability that reflects some aspect of the World Tree that created them. These abilities allow you to move around in different ways, or in the case of the blue bud, produce a magical song that can control the balls of energy Dryer has been stealing. Additionally, each bud can move between two versions of their world. Walls and floors may be different in the alternate world, allowing you access to new places. Just be sure to avoid the garbage -- thatll hurt your poor buds, sending them back to a nearby checkpoint.
Ill admit, the main thing that attracted me to this title was the crisp and colorful graphics it features. Normally, this isnt the best way to find a good game, but it worked out in the end! Id suggest giving this game a try, though be warned: its a lot harder than it looks!
Unfortunately, this only leads Dryer to more World Trees. They produce buds of their own, and the process repeats until he is finally defeated by their combined efforts.
The puzzle element of the game comes with how you control the various buds. Each bud has a unique ability that reflects some aspect of the World Tree that created them. These abilities allow you to move around in different ways, or in the case of the blue bud, produce a magical song that can control the balls of energy Dryer has been stealing. Additionally, each bud can move between two versions of their world. Walls and floors may be different in the alternate world, allowing you access to new places. Just be sure to avoid the garbage -- thatll hurt your poor buds, sending them back to a nearby checkpoint.
Ill admit, the main thing that attracted me to this title was the crisp and colorful graphics it features. Normally, this isnt the best way to find a good game, but it worked out in the end! Id suggest giving this game a try, though be warned: its a lot harder than it looks!
Points of Interest
Clean, lively visuals
Everything is so clear and fluid! The environment is filled with flowing plants, roasting metal and other eye candy. Even the side characters are fully animated and blend in with the natural fauna. While graphics alone dont make a game enjoyable, they certainly play a huge role in bringing this game to life!
Steam community features
There are plenty of achievements to earn over the course of this game. Most of them are just rewards for clearing specific levels, but there are several oddball achievements, such as the achievement for spending a certain amount of time singing. For those that collect them, theres also a set of Steam trading cards that you can collect.
Collecting Helys gives you the ability to unlock artwork
Helys are those balls of blue energy I mentioned earlier. Youll need to collect them to progress through the levels, but every level has a few extra Helys for you to find and take to the exit. Once you collect enough of them, you can use them to buy access to various artwork galleries. These galleries contain even better artwork than the game itself, making for some nice desktop wallpaper.
Bonus levels
Every so often, youll encounter a level where Dryer is harassing someone and stealing their Helys. If you manage to beat the level without dying, youll collect the Helys and gain access to a special bonus level for an extra challenge. These bonus levels are often harder than normal (a terrifying concept) and clearing them usually earns you an achievement.
Controls can be hard to use sometimes
While the controls are fairly easy enough to understand, they arent always so easy to actually use. This is particularly evident when you try to have Lyft (the green bud) release itself from a wall and jump at the same time. Youll need to use this trick in a lot of places, so it gets noticeable rather quick.
A difficult game
Many of the puzzles are easy enough to figure out, but they are often hard to maneuver around. Even when youre being extremely careful, its very easy to touch debris and die. Fortunately, its forgiving enough that none of these deaths feel cheap or unfair.
Also very forgiving
Checkpoints are everywhere, and considering how often youll end up dying, this is very much a good thing. Theres also an amusing antifrustration feature: if you die enough times in a level, the game will apologize for being so hard and ask if you want to just move on.
Concerns and Issues
Dryer is a bully, but also pretty broken
Dryers insulting treatment of just about everyone in this game makes it very obvious that hes not a nice person. He spends most of the game dumping garbage on peoples homes, stealing innocent peoples Helys, and even laughing at his victims, firmly cementing himself as a great big bully. But, at the end of the game you and the heroes will discover whats been motivating Dryers actions, and in a nearly heartbreaking scene, everyone decides to forgive, forget, and start over as friends.
The cast whimpers when they get hurt
Youre going to die a lot in this game, typically by getting burned by hot garbage or by touching lava that is racing up from down below. This causes the various buds to actually whimper briefly before they respawn at the checkpoint, making it very clear that they are getting hurt.