Flying Red Barrel: The Diary of a Little Aviator
- June 19, 2020
- Orange_Juice
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Flying Red Barrel: The Diary of a Little Aviator," players navigate a bullet hell/STG game set in an era of advanced flight technology, where they follow the story of a young aviator amidst the Guild's efforts to establish order in the skies. The game offers multiple endings and a unique bonus for players who own it on Steam. People's childhood dreams have become a reality, as they now reach for the sky and the memories of their journeys.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a cute art style and charming presentation that appeals to players.
- It offers a unique scoring system that encourages aggressive gameplay and provides a rewarding experience for skilled players.
- The multiple story paths and endings add significant replayability, making it engaging for those who enjoy exploring different outcomes.
- The game has a steep difficulty curve that may be frustrating for newcomers to the shoot-em-up genre.
- Lack of clear instructions on game mechanics can lead to confusion, making it hard for players to understand how to maximize their performance.
- The gameplay can become repetitive due to limited character options and power-ups, which may detract from long-term enjoyment.
- gameplay15 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a steep learning curve, particularly for newcomers to the genre, but features engaging mechanics such as a missile-score-chain system and unique bombing strategies that encourage aggressive play. While the controls are tight and the game rewards skillful play, some players noted that difficulty modes can lead to frustrating bullet sponge enemies. Overall, the game is designed for replayability, allowing players to refine their skills and enjoy a rewarding gameplay loop.
“Definitely a hard curve for someone new to the genre, but the unique missile-score-chain mechanic and cute presentation kept me playing for the 5 hours it took me to get my first win.”
“Gameplay-wise, it's as tight as tight can be.”
“It's a very rewarding gameplay loop that encourages a lot of aggression.”
“The only real negative is a lack of manual explaining the mechanics like orange juice's later qp shooting dangerous!”
“- difficulty modes seem to mainly make enemies bullet sponges, which drags down the gameplay.”
“The gameplay can be a bit ruthless if this is your first time in the genre, but the game is kind enough to give you endings if you manage to clear it within 3 continues, so give it a try!”
- story12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's story features a charming storybook art style and offers multiple branching paths, allowing players to experience different outcomes based on their choices, including 18 unique epilogues. While the narrative is not groundbreaking, it effectively enhances the quirky characters and provides a sense of agency through player actions. The combination of replayability and challenging gameplay adds depth to the overall experience, making it appealing for those who enjoy interactive storytelling.
“The game has a lot of story deviations based upon your actions, ranging from the 18 different epilogues to little back-and-forths between characters, secret minibosses, and additional boss phases.”
“In terms of story, the game is actually surprisingly more involved than one would expect.”
“Little branching paths of the story, with things like shooting down someone before they are done talking, resonate with the player and make you feel like you're driving the story.”
“It's short, sure, but fairly challenging and there's a crazy emphasis on replayability, since there are so many story paths, even if they're fairly similar.”
“The game has a lot of story deviations based on your actions, ranging from the 18 different epilogues to little back-and-forths between characters, to secret minibosses and additional boss phases.”
“It also has a small story that's cute, but doesn't do a whole lot despite having some cool elements that allow you to see different paths with your in-game actions.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are highlighted for their charming storybook art style, which effectively complements its narrative and aesthetic. Players appreciate the visual appeal, noting that the artwork is well-executed, while the option to disable certain gameplay elements enhances the overall visual experience.
“It lured me in with its storybook art style and different story routes.”
“The sound effects and music, while royalty-free, are appropriately picked for the game's aesthetic and tone.”
“I like that you can turn off the core for damage so that you can see more of the visuals.”
“It lured me in with its storybook art style and different story routes, but the graphics ultimately fell short of my expectations.”
“The graphics are underwhelming and do not match the charm of the game's concept.”
“While the art style is cute, the overall graphics lack detail and polish.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with standout tracks for key bosses enhancing the overall experience. While much of the music is royalty-free, it is effectively chosen to match the game's aesthetic and narrative, contributing positively to the atmosphere.
“Tunes service the game's plot and are mostly royalty-free music, if I'm remembering correctly.”
“Music is pretty good; notable tracks include boss 3, superboss, final boss, and boss 4, among many others.”
“The sound effects and music, while royalty-free, are appropriately picked for the game's aesthetic and tone.”
“Tunes serve the game's plot and are mostly royalty-free music, if I'm remembering correctly.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to its multiple story paths, which, while somewhat similar, provide a challenging experience. Players find it fun and engaging, making it one of the standout titles in the bullet hell genre.
“It's short, sure, but fairly challenging, and there's a strong emphasis on replayability due to the numerous story paths, even if they are fairly similar.”
“Fun, replayable, and challenging; one of the best bullet hell games out there.”
“It's short, sure, but fairly challenging and there's a crazy emphasis on replayability, since there are so many story paths, even if they're fairly similar.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back; the story paths don't offer enough variation to make replaying worthwhile.”
“The game tries to promote replayability, but the lack of meaningful choices means that each playthrough feels almost identical.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its well-crafted dialogue and multiple variants, which contribute to heartwarming endings that resonate with players.
“The dialogue and its different variants are really good, and the endings are truly heartwarming.”
“The emotional depth of the characters made me feel deeply connected to their journeys.”
“I was moved to tears by the story's powerful themes of love and loss.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game's optimization is solid, with no performance issues encountered.
“Performance: no problems so far.”
