Fly'n
Review
Given the Greenlight
by William Thompson
reviewed on PC
Given the Greenlight
It can be hard for new developers to market their games, so when Steam Greenlight came along, there would have been no doubt that a few developers would have jumped for joy. Ankama is one such developer, and their little game was selected amongst others to be a fully-fledged released on Steam. Fly'n is a puzzle platformer with a whole heap of charm.
The story is set on the world of Helycia. The somewhat cute looking, but decidedly evil, Dyer has decided to rob all of the World-Trees’ sap by burying them beneath rubbish. Of course, the World-Trees create Buds, small creatures reproduced from their roots. This is where you come in, controlling the four wisp-like creatures known as Buds, each with their own unique abilities. You start with the Blue Bud and then graduate to the other Buds in turn. Their aim is to rid their worlds of the evil Dyer and his industrial rubbish machines.
Setting a platform
The platforming sequences are superbly created with each of the playable characters having two basic modes – a daytime mode and a dream-like night mode. Each of these two modes must be utilised in order to complete the levels, as certain sections can only be completed by one or the other. Along the way, seeds are collected as well as special blue orbs. These blue orbs can be used for certain special functions throughout the levels.
The blue orbs are often brought into play when it comes to the puzzle section of the game. Most of the puzzles are quite straightforward, requiring the gamer to simply activate the Buds special skill at the appropriate time. Others require objects such as boxes to be moved around to specific destinations so that they activate levers or enable a pathway to be opened. The blue orbs help to activate some of these puzzle objects.
At the end of each colour zone, a boss battle ensues, whereby the special talent of the zone Bud is required to gain access to the internal working of Dyer’s rubbish machine. Once inside, a whole new series of puzzles need to be solved to disable the machine.
Single player co-op
After completing the blue zone, you are then transported to the green zone whereby you are introduced to the Green Bud. But many of the puzzles in the green zone require you to use the Green and Blue Buds in tandem (although one at a time). This certainly adds to the puzzle element of the game, as the first sections for each character are basically instructional platform levels, teaching you how to use each of the colourful characters abilities.
8.5
fun score
Pros
Wonderful visuals and music suit the game perfectly. Puzzles are not mind-numbingly difficult
Cons
Controls can be a little fiddly a times
