Flat Heroes
- May 11, 2017
- FlatHeroes
Mixing the shapely looks of Thomas Was Alone with the speed of 10 Second Run Returns and the brutal difficulty of Super Meat Boy, Flat Heroes fits the Nintendo Switch like a glove. If you’re playing solo you’ve got a solid (and lengthy) Campaign as well as bot support for its mini-games, but it’s the electric excitement of the game's local multiplayer mode where Flat Heroes right-angled, platforming madness makes the biggest impact. Don’t be a square - get this in your digital collection right now.
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreFlat Heroes is a challenging, minimalist platformer game. Players control geometric characters and navigate through various obstacles and enemies in fast-paced levels. Cooperative gameplay with up to 4 players is available, as well as a competitive versus mode for up to 8 players. Survival mode adds an extra layer of difficulty for experienced players.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Flat Heroes is an excellent local co-op game that is fun and engaging for players of all skill levels.
- The game features tight controls, a variety of challenging levels, and a minimalist design that enhances the gameplay experience.
- It offers a rewarding experience with its unique mechanics and exciting boss battles, making it a great choice for parties and casual gaming sessions.
- The final boss is frustratingly difficult and poorly designed, leading to a negative experience for many players.
- The controls can be awkward, especially for keyboard users, which detracts from the precision platforming experience.
- Some levels have steep difficulty spikes and lack clear tutorials, making it challenging for players to understand mechanics and progress.
- gameplay24 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its fun and challenging mechanics, especially when played with friends, featuring well-designed levels and polished controls. However, players express frustration with the final boss's mechanics, which require abrupt changes in control layout and lack adequate preparation, leading to a steep learning curve and inconsistent experiences. While the game offers innovative challenges and a variety of gameplay modes, some users feel that the lack of tutorials and clarity on mechanics detracts from the overall experience.
“The interface and mechanics are highly polished and the price is amazing for the hours of entertainment it provides.”
“A great arcade game with polished mechanics and a lot of challenging levels.”
“Amazing gameplay, super tight controls, innovative challenges and super sleek visuals.”
“Here, not only do these annoying deaths happen often, but they combine with both the input latency and dodgy parry tracking to result in very common deaths from mechanics you intended to parry or dodge.”
“The game is terrible, there is no tutorial, you can't figure out the mechanics, some levels are almost impossible and inconsistent, I don't even think the developer playtested it!”
“The most egregious offense is that the final boss demands you completely change your control layout to make room for a new mechanic - unless you happened to be using the 'right' one all along.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are consistently praised for their simplicity and style, featuring clean vector designs and a visually appealing aesthetic. Reviewers highlight the combination of slick visuals and satisfying sound design, contributing to an overall engaging experience. While the visuals are well-received, some players note that the controls may not cater effectively to all demographics, particularly keyboard users.
“Superb visuals.”
“Catchy music, slick UI, and visuals.”
“Very simple game with cute graphics.”
“Catchy music, slick UI and visuals.”
“A stylish geometric platformer with clean vector graphics and a tactile feel.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for being catchy and well-composed, enhancing the overall experience without becoming annoying. While some players note that it can become repetitive, the option to mute it allows for a customizable listening experience. Overall, the soundtrack complements the game's visuals and design effectively.
“The visuals are simple and look great, and the music is really catchy and doesn't get annoying.”
“The soundtrack is really good.”
“Catchy music, slick UI and visuals.”
“The music can get a bit repetitive, but you can always mute it and play your own.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players report spending extensive hours grinding through the campaign, particularly enjoying the experience with friends via Steam Remote Play Together. However, some find certain aspects, like tedious memorization exercises, frustrating as they often lead to repeated failures.
“Caught myself grinding the campaign for 3 hours straight, especially with Steam Remote Play Together.”
“The worst are tedious memorization exercises, where you're inevitably killed by the next bit the first time you encounter it.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its frenetic pace, reminiscent of titles like Stick Fight, where chaotic action leads to laughter and keeps players engaged without long waits.
“The frenetic pace reminds me of games like Stick Fight, where everyone falls around laughing and no one is left waiting long before the action starts again.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find that the game's mechanics, such as the rotation of the square and its interaction with the environment, create a challenging emotional experience that heightens tension and frustration during gameplay.
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability as it does not significantly alter the core experience, leading to potential issues in maintaining player interest over multiple playthroughs.
“Doesn't really change the experience of the game itself, which brings problems for replay value.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play it again.”
“The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying feel redundant.”
Critic Reviews
Flat Heroes Review
Mixing the shapely looks of Thomas Was Alone with the speed of 10 Second Run Returns and the brutal difficulty of Super Meat Boy, Flat Heroes fits the Nintendo Switch like a glove. If you’re playing solo you’ve got a solid (and lengthy) Campaign as well as bot support for its mini-games, but it’s the electric excitement of the game's local multiplayer mode where Flat Heroes right-angled, platforming madness makes the biggest impact. Don’t be a square - get this in your digital collection right now.
80%Flat Heroes (Switch) Review
Earth’s mightiest Flat Heroes.
90%Flat Heroes Review
Aside from a couple of relatively small issues, this is both one of the finest independent games of 2018, and one of the most unique puzzle/action/platforming titles of the year. A visceral experience, which relies almost purely on the satisfaction of clearing a tough challenge, Flat Heroes provides ample opportunities for players to test their mettle against a continually escalating series of challenges. Whether breaking through thanks to careful dissection of the puzzle, pure technical skill, or even just a bit of luck, each new stage presents a new opportunity to earn what should be a very satisfying victory.
80%
