Flat Kingdom is a 2D side-scrolling platformer with a hand-drawn art style. You play as Flat, a 2D prince in a 3D world, tasked with defeating paper villains and solving puzzles to save the kingdom. The game features fast-paced combat and shape-shifting abilities that allow you to transform into different shapes for unique abilities.
The game features charming artwork and a unique papercraft aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.
The rock-paper-scissors mechanic for combat is an interesting concept that adds depth to gameplay, requiring players to think strategically about their shape transformations.
The game offers a variety of bosses and levels, providing a fun challenge that keeps players engaged throughout the experience.
The controls can feel clunky and unresponsive at times, making platforming and combat frustrating, especially with pixel-perfect jumps required in certain areas.
The music is repetitive and lacks variety, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
Some levels have poorly placed checkpoints, leading to unnecessary backtracking and frustration when players die during challenging sections.
gameplay
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
48%
13%
The gameplay in "Flat Kingdom" features an interesting shapeshifting mechanic that allows players to switch between three forms (circle, triangle, square) to solve puzzles and engage in combat, reminiscent of rock-paper-scissors dynamics. However, many players found the execution clunky and the overall challenge lacking, with some mechanics feeling mundane or poorly integrated, detracting from the potential of the game's unique ideas. While the visuals and some boss mechanics received praise, the gameplay experience was often described as frustrating and inconsistent, leading to mixed reviews overall.
“It's a pretty nifty game with good movement and combat mechanics, and it runs at high framerates very smoothly!”
“The gameplay mechanics are really innovative and the music by Manami Matsumae is a good combination.”
“Flat Kingdom is a very fun platformer with some unique gameplay mechanics that set it apart from the pack.”
“When it comes to the rock, paper, scissors mechanic, I found it just didn't make sense sometimes.”
“Most of them feel mundane and with no real challenge, with most of the challenge being annoying attributes and mechanics rather than engaging gameplay and strategies.”
“I really believe this game had a lot of potential but the poor execution of the main mechanics really killed the experience for me.”
graphics
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the charming and unique art style reminiscent of paper craft and titles like Paper Mario. While the visuals are often described as colorful and appealing, some players noted inconsistencies in graphical quality and sharpness, particularly at different resolutions. Overall, the artwork is a highlight for many, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere, despite some criticisms regarding polish and clarity in gameplay elements.
“The art style is absolutely wonderful, and the boss fights are intimidating, clever, and fun and pretty well-designed to boot.”
“I would have to say the graphics are a joy to look at throughout the entire game and are quite charming.”
“The graphical style has the paper-made-world idea set out pretty well and the music fits well with each stage, feeling cheery when traversing the colourful world and dangerous when fighting against bosses.”
“For such a simple game, they could at least make the graphics sharp instead of pixelated.”
“The art style makes it harder to determine some enemies and hazards, and doesn't make the game look good.”
“The audio and visuals also leave a lot to be desired; the music loops after just seconds and the art style looks like it was done by a lot of different artists without any artistic direction behind it.”
story
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
60%
8%
The story in the game is generally perceived as simplistic and somewhat cliché, often revolving around familiar tropes like a kidnapped princess and a quest to restore peace. While some players appreciate the light-hearted and imaginative elements, others find it lacking in depth and originality, suggesting that the narrative could benefit from more complexity and engagement. Overall, the story serves its purpose without overshadowing the gameplay, appealing primarily to younger audiences or those seeking casual entertainment.
“The story is a tale of bravery, loyalty, and deception... surprisingly deep for a platformer, however it all is kept minimal and light.”
“The story is very fun, and it gets more complex the more you play it.”
“It is clear that the story and the world really meant a lot to the developers as they were building their game.”
“Unfortunately, even the story is lacking in depth and fails to bring anything unique to the table, which is a little dull considering the developers, FatPanda, come to us all the way from Mexico, which has such a deep culture with incredible stories to tell.”
“The plot revolves around a princess of a fantasy kingdom being kidnapped and some magic crystals being stolen – which would’ve been standard storyline fare back in the eighties.”
“One lackluster portion of the game is the development of the story.”
music
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
40%
6%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the catchy and cheerful soundtrack composed by Manami Matsumae, while others criticize it for being repetitive and generic. Many players appreciate the music's fit with the game's colorful world and engaging gameplay, but some find it lacks depth and memorability. Overall, the soundtrack is noted as a highlight for many, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere despite some negative feedback on its repetitiveness.
“The graphical style has the paper-made-world idea set out pretty well and the music fits well with each stage, feeling cheery when traversing the colorful world and dangerous when fighting against bosses.”
“The music goes perfectly with this well-crafted world and was actually one of the things I was looking forward to.”
“A very fun game, cute characters, beautiful world, challenging boss battles (especially the Fenrir) and an awesome soundtrack made by Manami Matsumae.”
“Let's begin with the music; it's very repetitive and samey throughout.”
“While I found myself humming along to the music up until the end, you can't deny it doesn't have a lot of depth or variety.”
“By far the worst aspect is the music and sound design, which are repetitive and grating respectively.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
The game offers solid replayability through dynamic enemy layouts and attack patterns that change with difficulty levels, alongside hidden collectibles and achievements. Players can revisit areas with new powers and perks, enhancing exploration and adventure, making it enjoyable despite a relatively short playtime. Overall, the light-hearted platformer encourages backtracking and exploration, contributing to its replay value.
“Adding to the replay value, the game actually changes enemy layouts and attack patterns as you change difficulty levels, although I'm not sure they got playtested as much as they needed.”
“There are hidden sections with coins, scrolls, etc. and plenty of achievements, so the game’s replay value is also pretty good.”
“Even with a short playtime, it has good replay value when you go back to explore certain areas further with new powers and perks, just adding more to the overall adventure.”
“Adding to the replay value, the game actually changes enemy layouts and attack patterns as you change difficulty levels, although I'm not sure they were playtested as much as they needed.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by a tedious and bland experience, with slow controls and frustratingly difficult jumps. Players find the combat and boss battles to be monotonous, often requiring pixel-perfect precision, which can detract from overall enjoyment. While some may tolerate the grind for occasional engagement, many feel it ultimately makes the game less worthwhile.
“Not going to be too critical of the game, as the developers have already fallen off the edge of the world, but it is a very bland, tedious game and really isn't worth your time.”
“The puzzles work, but the combat is rather tedious.”
“The difficulty only becomes even more of an issue with little health pickups and when you’re presented with some tedious boss battles.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is tied to the unique shape-based mechanics, where players experience a sense of vulnerability and triumph as they navigate the challenges of defeating enemies by transforming into the appropriate shapes. This dynamic creates a poignant contrast between the fleeting nature of victory and the constant threat of defeat, evoking feelings of tension and satisfaction.
“To beat them, you have to touch them while in a specific shape form determined by the shape of the enemy.”
“If you are in square form, you are able to defeat triangle monsters by touching them; triangle beats circle, circle beats square.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its level design, which evokes the charm of paper cut-out books, complemented by fantastic artwork that immerses players in a unique and engaging environment.
“The level design is reminiscent of those paper cut-out books and provides a fitting atmosphere.”
“Fantastic artwork and atmosphere.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's stability is mixed, with reports of unclear design and bugs affecting playability, yet it runs well overall and offers enjoyable gameplay, particularly for platforming enthusiasts. Despite its lack of updates or improvements over the years, players still find it fun.
“I still had lots of fun playing it; it runs great, and for platforming fans, it offers a cool mix of semi-unique mechanics!”
“Playability isn't very smooth; the game design is not very clear, and there are some buggy parts. It has not been updated or improved throughout the years.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by short, amusing lines from characters that add a cheerful touch to the experience. The cute and colorful 2D platforming is complemented by a playful tone, although the introduction of 3D elements introduces a contrasting, more serious threat to the whimsical atmosphere.
“The characters you interact with have some really short but funny lines, and they sure cheered me up.”
“Cute, colorful, and funny 2D platformer, except when 3D elements appear and threaten to destroy the world.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate the cute animations and character design, highlighting the diversity among the 51 enemies and bosses, which contributes to a rich character development experience throughout the game.