Developer: Steel Wool Games
Publisher: Ripstone
Platforms: PC, Android, iOS, PS Vita
Tested on: PC (Steam)
Flyhunter Origins – Review
Flyhunter Origins is originally an iOS and Android mobile game developed by Steel Wool Games, a studio comprised of Pixar veterans. Not only has the game been ported to PC, it is also available on PlayStation Vita systems. Flyhunter Origins has a story-driven side-scrolling gameplay that is often mixed with chase levels. This proves to be an excellent mash-up of gameplay types. This in combination with cutscenes that could come from a Pixar animation movie, the game feels more like a short version of Jak & Daxter or Ratchet & Clank.
Story
The storyline of Flyhunter Origins is a short, straight to-the-point and hilarious story. While the storyline is short, it continues to keep a good quality and a perfect balance of being funny while also pulling the player in, especially for a game that is a mobile port. Without further ado, let’s just dig into the epic storyline of Flyhunter Origins.
Zak is a Zursk, one of three alien races, who also happens to be a clumsy janitor working on board of a Flyhunter spaceship. These heroic flyhunters are deep in cyro sleep when Zak does his cleaning rounds near the cargo bay. Everyone knows that janitors do some wickedly weird things while cleaning, like dancing around or in Zak’s case, showing off his clumsy fighting skills. Accidently, the cargo of important insects along with the crew of heroic flyhunters get jettisoned into space. With the help of Guze Delnor, the intergalactic guide to flyhunting, Zak needs to find and recover the lost cargo before The Investors find out that their collection of bugs has gone missing.
Graphics
Flyhunter Origins is a 2.5D side-scrolling adventure game and the graphics simply scream animated movies. Not only does the gameplay scream animation, the often hilarious cutscenes do so as well. In fact, the sarcastic humor will remind many players of Jak & Daxter as well as other platforming games.
The menu interface is in theme with the concept of the game but it is also one of the features that will make the player known of the game originally being a mobile game. The user interface while playing will add some to that feeling but it remains to be clean and won’t disturb you during your gameplays.
Sound
The immediate sound you’ll be met with is the intergalactic soundtrack in the menu itself which is quite catchy but luckily it is not on a loop during your gameplays. The ambiance sound is catchy in a way but anyone will be glad that the enemies have their own specific sound design as it does get quite dull after a while.
Gameplay
I mentioned earlier that Flyhunter Origins is a mobile game that has been ported to the PC but unlike many other games in the same genre, Flyhunter Origins does not feel like a true mobile game. You can notice it from the short action-packed levels and the menu interface itself but it is not annoying in anyway. The game supports a controller and it does so quite flawlessly, I wouldn’t even want to play it with a keyboard but this is the player’s choice.
As the game is a side-scrolling platformer, most of the levels are just that: linear levels with a few hidden and hard to reach areas. However, every few levels, when you are about to catch one of the missing flies, you will play a different type of level. These levels are not the traditional side-scrolling levels that you are used to. Instead, these are the typical chase levels that you often find in Mario Kart games as well as other racing games. Both types of gameplays make a perfect combination and deliver a more interactive and enjoyable game.
Throughout the levels there are several checkpoints available in the form of a clone-o-matic. This is a great feature to have in case something goes horribly wrong with the many enemies you will face. The variation of enemies are different kinds of insects that you will find on Earth such as spiders, frogs, carnivorous plants and even robots. You’ll have a flyswatter to face the hungry insects and a zapper-gun that’s mostly useful on the robots. Every level is swamped with white bug eggs, which acts as a currency in the game and with which you can upgrade your weaponry. You can also find some suits hidden in the levels but these are just cosmetic upgrades.
As for the learning curve of the game, it is straight forward and quite easy to master. It does help somewhat that Guze explains the majority of it but it doesn’t changes the casualness of the game. The levels do increase in difficulty and might require some replays but not in a frustrating way.
Conclusion
Flyhunter Origins is a game you want to finish, not only due to its story-driven gameplay but also because you want to help the poor janitor. The game is not violent, except for squashing some bugs, thus it is excellent to keep young children busy for quite a while. However, gamers with a deep rooted love for animated movies can enjoy the graphical features of the game as well due to the casual, laid-back but action packed gameplay.
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