Flynn: Son of Crimson [Nintendo Switch] | REVIEW

I don’t know how Flynn: Son of Crimson slipped under my radarwhen it initially released back in September, but I only had to take one look at some screenshots to know it’d be my kind of rodeo. A 2D platforming-adventure that was inspired by some of the greats of the 16-bit era? Yeah, you can count me in. I’m happy to report that I had a really good time playing through the game too, even IF it didn’t necessarily offer too many original ideas throughout its adventure.

Check out a gallery of screenshots down below:

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Flynn: Son of Crimson tells the story of the titular protagonist Flynn, who seemed to be having an ordinary day when going for a walk for his wolf-pet Dex (who is also the powerful guardian of his home island). However, a troubled feeling soon leads him to the Crimson Shrine, where a thieving girl is trying to steal its powers. After slicing Flynn down, the shrine grants its powers to Flynn instead and he manages to fend her off – not before she steals Dex’s powers for herself though, leaving him in a weakened state. It’s up to Flynn to find a way to get Dex’s powers back and prevent the mysterious girl from using the power to cause harm.

What follows is a grand adventure across the land that also sees the introduction of a deadly threat known as The Scourge, which threatens to wipe everything out and set a vicious evil free… so yeah, there are some high stakes. The tale gets fleshed out with plenty of little details too, with NPCs to meet across the world that with give snippets of lore, whether it’s about the history of the world or Flynn’s mission. It’s a nice touch that made me feel a bit more invested in the journey.

“There’s a story-driven reason to re-visit levels, with the dangerous Scourge plaguing previously visited areas – it’s up to Flynn to cleanse them.”

At its core, Flynn: Son of Crimson is a 2D platforming-adventure, with players heading across a myriad of levels packed with platforming challenges, light puzzling, and plenty of enemies to beat up. They’re all solid in design with plenty of variety found across the biomes you visit, whilst some additional level exits and collectibles ensure there’s plenty for the player to discover.

The platforming is a lot of fun, with a real sense of precision required to get through the many challenges in your path. Sometimes it’s a case of needing to time your jumps right, sometimes you’ve got to be as quick as possible, whilst other times you might need a pixel-perfect landing – either way, there’s something satisfying about traversing through each level and overcoming the obstacles in your path. It helps that Flynn feels so good to control though, with his quick jumping and momentum-boosting dodge-rolls making it easy to get around. There were a few sections of the game that were a little annoying (such as waiting for rocks to appear in a waterfall), but they’re few and far between.

The multiple routes of levels give an incentive to go back and explore when you’ve unlocked certain abilities, whilst hidden keys can open up previously locked doorways. However, there’s also a story-driven reason to re-visit levels, with the dangerous Scourge plaguing previously visited areas – it’s up to Flynn to cleanse them. These instances offer a new and challenging take on the level so they never feel repetitive, whilst there’s also a greater sense of danger given the fact that Flynn is actively pursued by the Scourge. It’s a cool idea that ensured backtracking never felt repetitive.

“I was a big fan of the combat, with a surprising amount of depth found across the different enemy types that demanded some quick-thinking and strategy.”

Of course, there’s also a big emphasis on combat, with Flynn: Son of Crimson offering more than just enemies you’ve got to hit once or jump on the head of. Each enemy you encounter will often have multiple attacks to be wary of, whilst the health bars above their head show that they’ll require multiple hits to defeat. They’re also capable of interrupting Flynn’s attacks, meaning you’ve got to use defensive manoeuvres if you want to survive. Luckily, Flynn has a dodge-roll that makes it easy to quickly leap out of the way of incoming attacks, whilst enemies also orchestrate their actions to give the player the opportunity to react. Enemies all have a stagger meter that’ll fill up with each attack you land, making it possible to daze them momentarily and leave them vulnerable to an onslaught of hurt.

I was a big fan of the combat, with a surprising amount of depth found across the different enemy types that demanded some quick-thinking and strategy. Whilst enemies are easy enough to take down on their own, a group of them can prove really challenging to beat and will see players leaping all over the place and trying to land attacks wherever they can. There are also objects in the environment that can be used to hurt enemies too, whether that’s by hitting a rock at them from a distance or sending an exploding barrel their way. Got to love exploding barrels in video games, right?

“Whilst I’ll admit that it doesn’t really re-invent the wheel as far as 2D platform-adventures are concerned and there wasn’t anything that I hadn’t seen before, it still brought enough variety with its level design, combat, and set pieces to ensure that the fun never stopped when playing.”

Flynn is well-equipped for combat too, with new weapons and attacks earned as you progress through the game that make him a pretty formidable force. He also has a ranged attack which can be imbued with different elements, which aren’t only used to hurt enemies from afar but are also tied into some of the game’s puzzles. Of course, it’s most effective in combat and allows for plenty of experimentation when it comes to learning more efficent (and sometimes fun) ways to keep enemies at bay. It’s neat and adds a satisfying sense of progress to the game where you’ll feel like you’re getting stronger as the adventure goes on.

One of my favourite things about Flynn: Son of Crimson came with the variety it offers. Whilst I’ll admit that it doesn’t really re-invent the wheel as far as 2D platform-adventures are concerned and there wasn’t anything that I hadn’t seen before, it still brought enough variety with its level design, combat, and set pieces to ensure that the fun never stopped when playing. There’s plenty of depth in the upgrade system where you can spend in-game currency to earn new skills and buffs, the boss battles are fun encounters that’ll REALLY challenge your combat skills, whilst there are even times when you’ll be able to ride upon the back of Dex… come on, who doesn’t want to ride upon the back of a wolf?

“I was a big fan of the pixel art shown off across the vibrant world, whilst there was something really charming and creative about the character designs too.”

I can’t end this review without giving a shout out to Flynn: Son of Crimson’s presentation, which was top notch throughout. I was a big fan of the pixel art shown off across the vibrant world, whilst there was something really charming and creative about the character designs too. And the soundtrack? It’s incredibly catchy and fit the tone of the game PERFECTLY. It’s just a really lovely looking and sounding game throughout.

Developer: Studio Thunderhorse
Publisher: Humble Games
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Website: https://thunderhorse.co/