Flame in the Flood Review

The market for survival rogue-like games is large. There are so many, and Erik with The Gamers Lounge had a chance to play Flame in the Flood for PS4. It’s hard to describe this fun and light hearted game as a stereotypical survival game but with everything, it does fits into the genre.

The game started out as a Kickstarter and was billed as a rogue-lite river journey. Flame on the Flood was developed by a team made up of people who had worked on Bioshock, Halo, Rock Band, and a few other games. The amount of publish and design experience shows in the final product. Gamers play as a female protagonist known as Scout who is accompanied by a canine companion known as Aesop. Players start at a camp and must raft down a treacherous river full of all sorts of hazards while stopping at a variety of points to gather supplies, craft items, and survive.

The game reminds me of Don't Starve, minus the monsters that want to eat me at night. Players will have to remember that not only do they have to manage Scout’s food intake and thirst levels, fatigue and warmth also play a big part. I found out quickly that having a campfire and carrying the ingredients to make one is a needed asset. Players can cook, sleep, craft, and use the fire to ward off animals.

As players progress down the river, they will get mini tasks from mail boxes; once these are completed, they are rewarded. Stops on the river include docks for repairing and upgrading the raft, churches to sleep in, camp sites and wilderness, bait and tackle stores, and several other places. Most of these will have some supplies, shelter, and possibly wolves, boars, and snakes. Scout can run from danger, but if you have crafted a spear trap or a bow and arrow, then by all means engage. The animals can do a fair amount of damage and have lingering effects. This includes cuts, broken, bones, and being poisoned. Some of these will heal on their own, others must be treated ASAP.

I enjoyed collecting items and crafting food and new gear. I always made sure I had some water and some food in case the next campsite was full of animals. Death is permanent and most of the time I died from poison because I didn't treat it fast enough, or starvation due to lack of food, due to poor planning. The best advice I can give new players is upgrade your storage space in your backpack and raft as soon as possible and manage what resources you have.

There is a checkpoint system that will let gamers continue where they left off, but like any survival game, everything is randomly generated every time gamers start the game. The art style of the game reminded me of something with cell shading, like an adventure game from a generation or two ago. The controls are easy to pick up on. I wish there was a little more control while river rafting. This music fit the game perfectly and once I played for a few hours and I couldn’t put it down. This may become the game I play when I don't want something complicated and have 20-30 minutes to play.

Game was provided by the publisher for review. Gamers can purchase this on PSN./XBL and Steam for $20. The fantastic soundtrack featuring Chuck Ragan is $9 on Amazon.

Final score 4.25/5