Flinthook

Last updated

Flinthook
Flinthook logo transparent large.png
Developer(s) Tribute Games
Publisher(s) Tribute Games [lower-alpha 1]
Designer(s)
  • Dominique Ferland
  • Marion Esquian
Programmer(s)
  • Andrew G. Crowell
  • Michael Larouche
  • Jean‑François Major
  • François Masse
Artist(s) Stéphane Boutin
Johan Vinet
Writer(s) Yannick Belzil
Composer(s) Patrice Bourgeault
Platform(s)
Release
  • PlayStation 4
  • April 14, 2017
  • Linux, macOS, Windows, Xbox One
  • April 18, 2017
  • Nintendo Switch
    March 9, 2018
Genre(s) Platform, roguelike
Mode(s) Single-player

Flinthook is platform game roguelike by Tribute Games in which the player's character uses a grappling hook to traverse procedurally generated spaceships for treasure. The developers were inspired by "rogue-lites" including Spelunky and Rogue Legacy . They said that the grappling hook game mechanic was their hardest design challenge. The game was released in April 2017 for Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, followed by a release for Nintendo Switch in March 2018. [1] Early previews of Flinthook noted the accessibility and tightness of the controls. Digital Trends and Kotaku listed the game among the best in show at the June 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo.

Contents

Gameplay

Flinthook screenshot - Pax worm.png
Video and screenshot of gameplay

Flinthook is a roguelike platform game [2] in which the player controls a masked space pirate who explores procedurally generated ships for treasure [3] with a grappling chain hook. Captain Flinthook, the player-character, also has a plasma gun and the ability to slow time. The hook is used on environmental elements as well as enemies. For example, some enemies are invulnerable until the player removes their armor via the hook. [2] The player uses the left analog stick to both control the player and aim the hook. The hook is activated via the controller's trigger, and face buttons make the character jump, shoot, throw bombs and interact with nearby objects. [2] The game's level design and room contents are randomly generated, such that a room might look familiar but contain different enemies. The player unlocks different bounties to hunt down, and must start a chapter over from the beginning upon their character's death. [2] The game is depicted in pixel art. [4]

Development

Tribute Games is an indie development studio based in Montreal that previously worked on Mercenary Kings . [2] In November 2015, the game's designer, Dominique Ferland, polled his contacts on Twitter about their interest in "Spiderman with a gun" as a game concept. Tribute Games co-founder Jean-François Major said that perfecting the feel of the grappling hook was the team's hardest challenge. [2] The game was inspired by other "rogue-lite" games, such as Spelunky and Rogue Legacy , though the team did not design their game to be exceptionally difficult for all players. [2] Less than a month after the release of Ninja Senki DX, [4] Tribute announced Flinthook in March 2016 with a mosaic teaser on Twitch. The game's procedural generation was working in the office Windows version of the game at the time of announcement, though their demo used a predetermined level. [2] Limited Run Games released a physical edition of the game for PlayStation 4 on April 14, 2017, with a production run of 4,500 copies. [5] A digital version published by Tribute Games released for Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 18, 2017. [6] A digital version for Nintendo Switch was released on March 9, 2018. [7]

Reception

Digital Trends listed the game among the best in show at the June 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo and added that though many major games were adding grappling hook features, Flinthook was the only one to support a whole game based on the concept. The website praised the game's "imaginative artwork and refined, fun gameplay". [3] Nick Robinson ( Polygon ) wrote that the game's controls were "enormously intuitive", easily accessible, and comfortable. [2]

The game received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [8] Rock, Paper, Shotgun included it among the year's best action games. [14]

Notes

  1. ↑ Physical version for PlayStation 4 distributed by Limited Run Games.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roguelike</span> Subgenre of role-playing video games

Roguelike is a style of role-playing game traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player character. Most roguelikes are based on a high fantasy narrative, reflecting their influence from tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.

<i>Spelunky</i> 2008 video game

Spelunky is a 2008 source-available 2D platform game created by independent developer Derek Yu and released as freeware for Microsoft Windows. It was remade for the Xbox 360 in 2012, with ports of the new version following for various platforms, including back to Microsoft Windows. The player controls a spelunker who explores a series of caves while collecting treasure, saving damsels, fighting enemies, and dodging traps. The caves are procedurally generated, making each run-through of the game unique.

<i>The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth</i> 2014 indie video game

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a roguelike indie game designed by Edmund McMillen and developed and published by Nicalis. Rebirth was released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in November 2014, for Xbox One, New Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in July 2015, for iOS in January 2017 and for Nintendo Switch in March 2017. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions were released in November 2021.

Galak-Z: The Dimensional is a shooter video game developed and published by 17-Bit. It was released in August 2015 for the PlayStation 4 and October 2015 for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux. A Nintendo Switch port, subtitled Deluxe Edition, was released in March 2019 by Golem Entertainment. It was announced during Sony's pre-E3 2013 press conference in June 2013. 17-Bit CEO Jake Kazdal describes it as "modern Halo and Far Cry 3 combat in a 2-dimensional shell." Reflecting its inspiration in part by Japanese anime, the game is also known officially by the Japanese title of Uchuu Senshi Galak-Z.

<i>Rogue Legacy</i> 2013 video game

Rogue Legacy is a 2013 platform game with roguelike elements developed and published by Cellar Door Games. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. A sequel, Rogue Legacy 2, was released on April 28, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.

<i>Crypt of the NecroDancer</i> 2015 video game

Crypt of the NecroDancer is a roguelike rhythm game by Brace Yourself Games. The game takes fundamental elements of a roguelike dungeon exploration game and adds a beat-matching rhythm game set to an original soundtrack written by Danny Baranowsky. The player's actions are most effective when moving the character set to the beat of the current song and are impaired when they miss a beat, so it is necessary to learn the rhythmic patterns that the various creatures follow. The mixed-genre game includes the ability to import custom music, and the option to use a dance pad instead of traditional controllers or the keyboard. The game was released for Linux, OS X, and Windows in April 2015, being co-published by Klei Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4 and Vita in February 2016, for the Xbox One in February 2017, and for Nintendo Switch in February 2018. Crypt of the NecroDancer Pocket Edition, developed for iOS, was released in June 2016.

Enter the Gungeon is a 2016 bullet hell roguelike game developed by Dodge Roll and published by Devolver Digital. Set in the firearms-themed Gungeon, gameplay follows several player characters called Gungeoneers as they traverse procedurally generated rooms to find a gun that can "kill the past". The Gungeoneers fight against bullet-shaped enemies, which are fought using both conventional and exotic weapons. Enter the Gungeon features a permadeath system, causing the Gungeoneers to lose all obtained items and start again from the first level upon death. Between playthroughs, players can travel to an area called the Breach, where they can converse with non-player characters and unlock new items randomly encountered while playing.

Gonner is a roguelike video game developed by Art in Heart and published by Raw Fury. It was released on October 12, 2016 for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux. A Nintendo Switch version of the game was scheduled for release on June 8, 2017, but was delayed to June 29, 2017. The game has been described as a "shooter" version of Spelunky.

<i>City of Brass</i> (video game) 2018 video game

City of Brass is a single-player first-person dungeon crawl video game, set in a procedurally generated, Arabian Nights-themed city of interconnecting corridors, courtyards and rooms. Players assume the role of a thief, fighting to reach a treasure hidden in the heart of a mythical city filled with traps and enemies. It was developed by Australian independent video game studio Uppercut Games and was announced on 6 July 2017 as being in development for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The Windows version was released on Steam via its Early Access program on 18 September 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BlitWorks</span> Spanish video game company

BlitWorks is a Spanish video game developer based in Barcelona, Spain. Founded in 2012, the company is best known for porting several games such as Fez, Sonic CD, Jet Set Radio, Super Meat Boy, Bastion, Spelunky and Don't Starve to a wide range of platforms such as PlayStation 5, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Steam, Stadia, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, iOS and Android.

<i>Descenders</i> 2019 cycling video game

Descenders is a cycling game developed by RageSquid and published by No More Robots. It was released for Linux, macOS, Windows, and Xbox One on 7 May 2019, for PlayStation 4 on 25 August 2020, for Nintendo Switch on 6 November 2020 and Xbox Series X/S on 8 June 2021. A mobile version for iOS and Android was released on 4 August 2022.

<i>Streets of Rogue</i> 2019 video game

Streets of Rogue is a roguelite video game developed by Matt Dabrowski and published by tinyBuild for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It was initially launched in early access during 2017, and was fully released on July 12, 2019.

A roguelike deck-building game is a hybrid genre of video games that combines the nature of deck-building card games with procedural-generated randomness from roguelike games.

<i>Spelunky 2</i> 2020 video game

Spelunky 2 is a 2020 platform video game developed by Mossmouth and BlitWorks. It is the sequel to Spelunky (2008) and was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows in September 2020, for Nintendo Switch in August 2021, and for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in January 2022. The game received critical acclaim upon release.

<i>HyperParasite</i> 2019 video game

HyperParasite is a roguelike shooter video game developed and published by Troglobytes Games. Early prototypes of the game were distributed through Steam's early access program in 2019. The game was released on 3 April 2020 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which was followed by a physical release for the Switch on 19 February 2021. The game received generally positive reviews, earning praise for its uniqueness and design and criticism for its difficulty.

<i>UnderMine</i> 2019 video game

UnderMine is a roguelike action dungeon crawler video game developed and published by Thorium. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One on August 6, 2020, which followed an early access release one year earlier. Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 versions were released in February and March 2021, respectively.

<i>Rogue Legacy 2</i> 2022 video game

Rogue Legacy 2 is a platform video game developed and published by Cellar Door Games. It is the sequel to 2013's Rogue Legacy, and the game was released for Windows via early access in August 2020. The full version was released in April 2022, for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, followed by a Nintendo Switch port in November. The game was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in June 2023.

<i>Dandy Ace</i> 2021 video game

Dandy Ace is a 2021 roguelike action dungeon crawler video game developed by Mad Mimic and published by Neowiz. It was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS in March 25, 2021. Console ports for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were later released in September 2021, and in November 2021 for the PlayStation 4 version.

<i>The Persistence</i> 2018 video game

The Persistence is a survival horror video game developed and published by Firesprite. Originally released for the virtual reality headset PlayStation VR in July 2018, the game was released for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One in May 2020. An Enhanced version of the game was released for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S in June 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Flinthook for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game Details". Nintendo . March 9, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Robinson, Nick (March 24, 2016). "First gameplay from Flinthook, a grappling hook rogue-lite from Tribute Games". Polygon . Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Digital Trends Top Games of E3 2016". Digital Trends . June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  4. 1 2 LeClair, Kyle (March 9, 2016). "Tribute Games Reveals New Game Flinthook Via Twitch". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Flinthook is zipping onto PS4 in PHYSICAL COPY on APRIL 14th, courtesy of Limited Run Games !". Tribute Games Blog. March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  6. ↑ Petite, Stephen (March 8, 2017). "Highly anticipated indie 'Flinthook' hits PS4, Xbox One, and PC on April 18 k". Digital Trends . Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  7. ↑ Vogel, Mitch (March 2, 2018). "Flinthook Releases on the Switch eShop on 9th March". Nintendo Life . Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Flinthook Critic Reviews for PlayStation 4". Metacritic . Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  9. ↑ Whitaker, Jed (April 18, 2017). "Review: Flinthook". Destructoid . Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  10. ↑ Fulton, Will (August 23, 2019). "'Flinthook' review". Digital Trends . Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  11. ↑ Vazquez, Suriel (April 18, 2017). "Flinthook Review – By Hook As A Crook". Game Informer . Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  12. ↑ Ronaghan, Neal (March 9, 2018). "Flinthook (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  13. ↑ Prescott, Shaun (May 12, 2017). "Flinthook review". PC Gamer .
  14. ↑ Smith, Adam (May 2, 2017). "Wot I Think: Flinthook". Rock Paper Shotgun .

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Flinthook at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.