Flywrench

Flywrench creates complex challenges through simple design structures, absorbing you into to its mesmerising gameplay for hours upon end.

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"Flywrench" is a single-player Science Fiction Action game with compelling gameplay and good visuals. Players must flip their ship's polarity between three colors to get around obstacles, with an epic electronic music soundtrack by Daedelus setting the pace. The game features over 170 levels, a level editor for creating and sharing custom levels, and Time Trial mode for competing with friends and globally over top scores.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 256 reviews

music60 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Flywrench features incredibly tight and responsive controls, making the gameplay feel satisfying and rewarding as players master the mechanics.
The game boasts a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, with many players praising its energetic and engaging music.
The minimalist visual design and unique gameplay mechanics create a distinct and enjoyable atmosphere, making it a memorable experience for fans of challenging platformers.

The game experiences a significant difficulty spike in the later levels, particularly on Mercury, which can lead to frustration and feelings of unfairness for players.
Some levels are criticized for being repetitive or lacking variety, with many feeling like simple color swaps rather than unique challenges.
The camera and controls can feel unresponsive or janky at times, especially during fast-paced sections, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.

music
115 mentions
52 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its energetic and immersive qualities that enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack features a mix of electronic genres, including techno and drum 'n' bass, and is often described as "amazing," "phenomenal," and "killer." Players appreciate how the music complements the game's unique aesthetics and challenging gameplay, making it a standout feature that many consider worth the price of admission alone.
- “The entire story can be beaten within a couple of hours, especially when the game's unique aesthetics and mesmerizing yet energizing music puts you into a 'flow state'.”
- “The soundtrack is a perfect fit, and really brings the whole thing together.”
- “Unique gameplay, interesting level design, and fantastic music and presentation make this game something special.”
- “The music was just as grating and unfitting as I had dreaded, but thankfully I turned it off and enjoyed myself a bit more.”
- “I saw the trailer, but rather than getting my hype going instead I felt as if it was a letdown: the music was different, the aesthetic was completely changed, the awesome feeling was seemingly absent.”
- “My one critique so far is that in my opinion the soundtrack is way better in the early bits than later on.”
gameplay
77 mentions
38 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by simple yet challenging mechanics that require mastery, offering a rewarding experience for players who enjoy precision platforming and trial-and-error gameplay. Each level introduces new mechanics and challenges, maintaining a well-paced learning curve that keeps the experience fresh and engaging. The combination of tight controls, unique mechanics, and an excellent soundtrack enhances the overall enjoyment, making it a standout title for fans of hardcore gaming.
- “Amazing soundtrack, amazing visuals, challenging and unique gameplay.”
- “The mechanics are simple but that does not mean that the game is repetitive; in fact, each planet/chapter presents a new challenge as they milk the mechanics to the max (but in a good way).”
- “The game has a perfectly crafted difficulty curve, introducing you to mechanics and letting you figure out techniques without telling you explicitly, eventually culminating in some pretty hard levels that take a while to get down.”
- “My only critique of the game so far (aside from things I'd rather see in the game that don't affect the gameplay) is how hard mercury is.”
- “I was drawn to this game for two reasons: first I thoroughly enjoyed Nidhogg (developed by the same people), and second I love execution-based gameplay like Dustforce or Trackmania where you replay a level over and over trying to perfect it, but unfortunately Flywrench lands far from the fun experience of hitting the retry button while telling yourself 'I won’t mess up this time!'.”
- “Instead the 'flywrench' you play as is hard to control, the smallest misstep leads to an unrecoverable death, and the levels become ruthlessly unforgiving at the end, but beyond any mechanical fault, the game simply wasn't fun for me in the same way as Dustforce or Trackmania is.”
graphics
29 mentions
48 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique and minimalist aesthetic that combines retro pixel art with glitchy visuals, creating an engaging and immersive experience. While some players appreciate the vibrant colors and abstract designs that enhance the gameplay, others find the constant motion and low frame rate distracting. Overall, the visuals are generally well-received for their artistic appeal and ability to complement the game's challenging mechanics and captivating soundtrack.
- “The aesthetic, music, and brutally punishing, but fun gameplay, come together into one of the best indie packages I've personally played.”
- “The aesthetic of Flywrench is also superb, with a distinctive and appealing art style that still conveys gameplay easily.”
- “This adds to the dream-like state that the game conveys through its visuals of clashing colors.”
- “Glitchy, noisy, constant graphical motion.”
- “The rules may run at 60 fps, but your graphics are capped at 10.”
- “You go to different planets, but the truth is that all are aesthetically equal.”
story
15 mentions
20 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally considered minimal and rudimentary, revolving around a simplistic premise of hacking through a security system with a flying bug. While some players appreciate the loose narrative and its surreal elements, many feel it lacks depth and engagement, often deeming it non-essential to the overall experience. The focus appears to be more on gameplay mechanics and aesthetics rather than a compelling storyline.
- “I love the art choices, adore the music, and generally appreciate the loose story surrounding it.”
- “Flywrench's story is quite rudimentary: you are presumably some nondescript hacker infiltrating a security system via a little flying bug that changes colors to pass through gates. It doesn't make a ton of sense, but it's not essential to the game itself and can be freely skipped at your leisure.”
- “Tight controls; sexy art style; intuitive, novel gameplay; bitesized-yet-nefarious level design; infectious soundtrack; surrealist narrative interjections; hours and hours of story and custom level content; that unparalleled feeling when you pass through an insane gate sequence for the first time.”
- “The entire story can be beaten within a couple of hours, especially when the game's unique aesthetics and mesmerizing yet energizing music puts you into a 'flow state'.”
- “Flywrench's story is quite rudimentary: you are presumably some nondescript hacker or something and you are infiltrating a security system via a little flying bug that changes colors to pass through gates... yeah it doesn't make a ton of sense but it's not essential to the game itself anyways and can be freely skipped at your leisure.”
- “The storyline (if you can call it that) has potential, but is not really all that engaging.”
grinding
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the grinding mechanics in the game, particularly those who enjoy hardcore challenges, though some find certain levels excessively tedious and frustrating. Despite occasional setbacks, such as save issues, many still find the overall experience enjoyable, highlighting the balance between challenge and engagement.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game doesn't break that promise by eventually becoming bogged down with long, frustratingly tedious gauntlet levels which have way more obstacles than should be fair, too many chances to screw up, and a habit of wasting your time.”
- “I am playing again and I am still loving every second of it! (minus a few levels that were just really tedious).”
replayability
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, providing players with opportunities for time trials and the use of an in-game level editor, enhancing the experience beyond the initial 3-4 hour completion time. This value is noted regardless of the game's price, making it a worthwhile investment.
- “Tons of replayability for the price, sale or not.”
- “This game will likely take players 3-4 hours to complete, but it offers a degree of replayability for those wanting to do time trials or use the in-game level editor to create their own levels.”
- “This game will likely take players 3-4 hours to complete, but the game offers a degree of replayability for those wanting to do time trials, or for those wanting to use the in-game level editor to make their own levels.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-150 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of Flywrench is characterized as cool and dreamy, blending a sense of urgency with a reserved quality. The music enhances this ambiance, featuring dreamy electric tones interspersed with occasional voice sounds, contributing to a unique and immersive experience.
- “Flywrench is a cool game with a unique concept and captivating atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere in Flywrench felt reserved and dreamy, mixed with a sense of urgency that never felt outright disastrous, especially with the music featuring dreamy electric tones overlayed with occasional voice noises.”
- “This kind of ruined the experience for me, as Flywrench's atmosphere felt more reserved and dreamy with a mix of urgency that never felt outright disastrous (especially the music; dreamy electric tones overlaid with the occasional voice noise).”
- “The atmosphere was lacking depth and failed to immerse me in the game world, making it feel flat and uninviting.”
- “I expected a rich and engaging atmosphere, but instead, it felt empty and uninspired, which detracted from my overall enjoyment.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by frustration and a sense of helplessness due to unresponsive controls, leading to a challenging experience that can evoke strong feelings, including sadness. Players who enjoy platformers that test their limits may find this game particularly resonant, despite its difficulties.
- “If you like platformers that make you want to cry, then this is for you.”
optimization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is lacking, particularly in longer levels, leading to noticeable stuttering and a decline in control consistency compared to the previously smooth experience.
- “The game doesn't seem optimized for these longer levels, as it began to feel really stuttery compared to the flawlessly smooth experience I had gotten used to, and I think it even impacted the consistency of the controls a bit.”