Before trying it, we had no idea what we were going to find, but it has ended up becoming one of the platform titles of the year … and probably a new benchmark within its genre. And the best thing is that he does it without the need to imitate anyone, but finds his own style. We tell you about it in our Flat Heroes review.
There are video games designed to put you to the test, so you can see how easy it is to fail and how difficult it is to succeed. Flat Heroes is one of those video games. According to its own leaders, it is inspired by classics such as Super Meat Boy . But not so much because of its difficulty, but because of its incredible ability to ensure that you do not give up . That when you lose your life, you do not have time to even consider leaving it, because before you have thought about it, you are back in action.
That is the key to the work of the Spanish Parallel Circles. They propose a challenge level that triggers within a few minutes of starting your game, but it does so in such a way that you feel like continuing. The game never shows you a game of Game Over, but in milliseconds you are there again, with your square, handling it with micrometric precision. Because that is the second great success of the game: his extraordinary control , with a simply tremendous response.
Thus, with two principles so basic but forceful, Flat Heroes presents us with a campaign of hellish difficulty but tremendously satisfactory. The level design is inventive and has variety. The graphic aspect is minimalist, functional, but extremely effective. Sound reacts to everything that happens on screen in a masterful way. It is the work of three people. It has been developed in three years of continuous trial and error, thanks to its “early access” model. It has hardly any budget, not even for a promotional campaign … and you probably haven’t heard much about it. But it is already here, and it has surprised us. Very much.
A master platformerTo understand Flat Heroes, nothing better than talking about its developers. Roger Valldeperas and Lucas González are programmers, one specialized in gameplay and the other in graphics. This explains the approach followed in development. It’s pure gameplay, no frills. We drive into a square that can jump, stick to walls, give a boost in the air, attack… and little else. The rest is built through closed scenarios, one after another, through 10 worlds, with more than a hundred levels , including final bosses.
The images probably don’t tell you much … but you have to see the game in motion. His visual style is unique, and his fluidity is undeniably good.
But let’s get back to the heart of the matter: programming. The game features different guidelines for each level, and these are designed in such a way that they offer great variety and a progressive challenge curve. At first they will be simple lines that come for us and we have to dodge. Then points that chase us until we explode. Arrows that incessantly follow our trail, dodging the obstacles in their path. The first level of each world is in charge of presenting us with what we are going to find, and from there we combine challenges, curling the loop until we reach the final boss that saves each world.
The developers told us that the design of these bosses was a continuous trial and error, to the point that they discarded some due to their difficulty, or directly changed them world, to make the most fair and satisfactory challenge setting for the user. We have noticed this when we have played, and we can confirm that the challenge setting is working . Although beyond world 8 the effort becomes titanic, it is not impossible to overcome it, and that is the best … You feel like a hero once the feat has been accomplished.
Flat Heroes presents us with a campaign of hellish difficulty but tremendously satisfactoryAnother of the best attributes of Flat Heroes is that it can be played together. Up to four players can team up to beat the campaign . All add, none subtract. This means that you only need to survive for each level to be passed, which makes the title a little more enjoyable. In this regard, mention that Nintendo Switch becomes the ideal platform to play cooperatively, given its nature. The portable mode, as we are, works very well, although we recommend the TV screen, the bigger the better. It is the most enjoyable.
We dare not say how long the campaign lasts. It could be a couple of hours, but it depends on the skill of each player. You could get stuck on one level, repeat another day, still miss it, and once you get through it, get stuck again on another more advanced screen. It all depends. If we talk about the heroic mode , a variant of the main campaign, things are even more complicated, because its challenge is maddening from the first world levels: a challenge for true experts in Flat Heroes.
The variety of proposals is another of the great attributes of Flat Heroes, and also the evolution is in crescendo, with a devilish difficulty.
However, there are more game elements. We have the survival mode , which under different perspectives invites us to resist the longer the better within the same scenario, while the challenges gradually increase. We also have the versus mode , with four variants that are unlocked as we play. We even have the detail that you can fight against AI enemies if we do not have anyone at that time by our side. There is no online beyond the classic bookmarks. Honestly, this is a title that is more enjoyed locally, seeing your friends’ faces and sharing live comments.
But that is above everything we said at the beginning: Flat Heroes is an excellent programming work , both in terms of gameplay and visuals. Do not stay only with the screens that accompany this article. You have to see the video game in motion and appreciate the enormous work behind it. The control is an absolute delight and it is nice how both our square and the rest of the elements are animated, with lots of details, including the vibration of the screen when something hits a wall.
The exquisite use of colors and their combination are combined with a very clean interface that causes us to focus on the most important thing: the gameplay. Once inside the game, it is difficult to get out. Do you want to stay. And that’s what matters. But we also have to talk about things that we have not liked so much. There is some episode of repetition in the phases, and the difficulty is unfair at times, although they are minimal, they prevent us from talking about a completely round game. The music could also have offered a bit more variety, and upon request… the set could have been topped off with some kind of mission or achievement system.
But beyond that, Flat Heroes is the confirmation that the independent scene is still very much alive and current, also in Spain. The three people involved in this launch show that, with few resources, it is possible to create a great video game. All squeezing their respective potentials, what they dominate. It is an ingenious work that, although difficult to sell (as they themselves claim), we assure you that it is well worth it.
“Excellent”
Flat heroes
Probably the best thing about Flat Heroes is that it doesn’t look like anything. Its minimalist scheme, with challenging levels, precise gameplay and tremendous variety, raise a different platform game, with campaign, survival mode and even competitive. Its unquestionable playable and visual charm is combined with the possibility of playing cooperatively with up to four people under a unique dynamic, consisting of everyone adding and no one subtracting. All this, together, results in an authentic platform surprise, one of the best of the year.
- Precise, intuitive and completely satisfying control
- Minimalist but exemplary and varied level design – it’s pure gameplay
- Very high challenge level, especially the final bosses
- A cooperative for up to four people very well resolved
- Good repertoire of modalities: campaign, survival and versus
- The visual section is a delight, with a careful use of colors
- The difficulty is sometimes unbalanced, resulting somewhat frustrating
- A system of achievements, missions or collectibles would have given more life to the titl
