FLINT

TheAwakening
Aug 13
4 min read

Overview

Flint is a top-down action adventure with puzzles and difficult combat sequences. It is an indie souls-like created by one person under the Godot engine.

We play as the Stone Born, a fresh hero who, after awakening from stone, escapes the underground and resurfaces through a devastated Earth, now populated with mechanical warriors and other dangerous foes. With its retro graphics and unique soundtrack, this might be one of the hundreds of hidden gems with a flexible difficulty in its own gameplay and a good story.

Story

War, war never changes. Over and over the human beings have fought against each other countless times, for reasons everyone will always fight for. One person has risen above everyone else and effectively ended human conflict, known as The Last War. Creating an army of robotic super-enhanced warriors, humankind was eradicated. A long time passed; the Earth we know has changed forever. Eventually, a hero was chosen to defeat the new overlord, but he has succumbed to defeat and is now imprisoned.

This time, we are chosen as the Stone Born, a human awakening from stone deep within the underground, to do what a hero must do. We are not alone in this adventure, as soon you will find out. With the proper guidance and courage, it is time to fulfill the prophecy and finish the job where others have failed.

Gameplay

Before starting the game, we can customize our character and select an appropriate difficulty. Once we have control after the cutscenes, a tutorial will guide us through the first level. We can mine resources with a mining pickaxe, though any weapon will do against certain resources. Up to three weapons/items can be equipped in our quick slots.

Combat is fairly straightforward but also a bit difficult, depending on the difficulty you pick when starting (This review was written playing the game on Stone-Born difficulty). We get acquainted with most of the mobs in the game, which pack several different attacks. Our abilities include dashing and guarding; both cannot be used at the same time, as they consume our stamina. Guarding any attack at the last second will stun the enemy and refund our stamina to be used again. Certain enemies can be special; they can fire a projectile to our current position, charge, curse us, or make their allies invincible. Don’t forget you can lock the camera on an enemy.

All enemies drop viscera when defeated, and special foes or bosses drop actual equipment we can gear up with. Inside chests we may find equipment or consumables. Resources that can be gathered can also be used for healing, but for better efficiency we can make potions out of them. As we progress there will be plenty of other resources such as enhanced iron and the like; there is no limit in our inventory, so be sure to grab everything.

The dungeons of the game are filled with traps and locked doors, so exploration is a must. We do have a map, which already reveals the level and gives us a better awareness, but it does not tell us where to go. I felt the levels here are a bit linear in this regard, with some optional locations with bonus items that happen to be in the way of a key object inside a chest. But the exploration is always rewarding, and in this game everything you pick will have its use, even if it comes later.

The real challenge relies on boss fights. The very first boss that we encounter later is no cakewalk. If playing on a higher difficulty, you will realize you cannot take a hit at all. Bosses may have basic attacks or powerful area-of-effect abilities, turning the game into a bit of a bullet hell. We cannot dodge or parry forever, and if we miss, we have no way of avoiding the next blow, which will hurt us plenty. We can chug a potion during the fight, but our movement speed is slower when doing so. So be cautious, don’t rush the fight (as the boss likes to block after multiple hits in a row), and be prepared against anything. As an additional note, the game likes to save every time shortly after a combat is completed to avoid retrying a fight if the outcome was bad.

Once you reach the settlement in the game, there will be a lot of humans and robots who will help you, offering services like crafting gear, alchemy, etc. The iconic campfire sitting in the middle will act as a fast travel to return to other places if we stumble on a campfire outside a dungeon. It is useful to ask around as a refresher on what you have to do, but sometimes folks may have something else to say, reacting to recent events. They can also tell you stories about the outcome of the war and the like.

Audio & Graphics

This game should run smoothly on any device thanks to its retro graphics. The interface includes a minimap, our equipment wheel, armor, and health and stamina bars; at no moment have I felt it was intrusive, and it shows everything I needed. When we parry or our foe blocks, the visual aid helps a lot. The music felt unique, but expect a vocal track on the first real boss fight, which kept my reflexes in check.