Review Flinthook | Tribute games invades our consoles with Flinthook, an action platformer starring a space pirate hunting for treasure and bounties while using an assortment of rule breaking gadgets. So, anchors aweigh and set sail to explore the treacherous space waters of Flinthook.

 THE GOOD

• Addicting gameplay. Flinthook is quite hard, but once you start to get the movement with the grappling hook down it almost becomes an art form where you can go through levels as if playing your own version of the floor is lava.
• Easy to jump into the game, but really hard to master, Flinthook is both suited for the occasional short play sessions as well as the longer runs.
• Procedurally rendered ships to raid, making every play through and even every ship you board slightly differently. In most cases this works quite well and improves replay value.
• Despite the gameplay staying more or less the same, the high difficulty level in finding and beating the game bosses, coupled with slowly getting access to more perks while your player skills improve as well, makes for a game that could keep you engaged for quite some time.
• The perks you can collect and equip add a nice bit of customization to your gameplay. Want more health or shoot further? There are perks for that. Want your belt to slow down time a bit longer? You can do that too and those are just a couple of examples.
• The soundtrack is very upbeat and fits the on screen action and visual style nicely.

 MIXED FEELINGS

• While the visuals offer a nice retro look with a consistent theme, there is precious little variety, while the actual layout is different every time, the levels all have the same look to them.
• I like challenging games, but achievement wise I prefer things to be reasonably attainable. Flinthook does not appear to be one of these games. Getting the 1000 gamerscore looks to take a lot of dedication.

 THE BAD

• Flinthook is very difficult, which is fine, but some levels and fights end up being a bit too unfair. When you’re low on health and you take damage and die as soon as you enter the next room, it’s not a great experience. Of course, with the ships and raid modifiers being random, you won’t be forced to face that same situation twice in a row.
• The daily and weekly challenges are poorly done. They offer little reward and while you can compare yourself to friends, the game does not show your position on the global leader board unless you end up in the top 7.
• Sometimes you need to launch your hook at enemies to burst their shield bubble, however, in levels that contain a lot of point you can latch on to, your grapple will attach to those instead of the enemy you actually aimed at all too frequently. This usually results in you being pulled into the shielded enemy and taking damage, resulting is quite some frustration.

Score: 84% | Flinthook may not be the best looking game around, but it sure is one of the most addicting ones when it comes down to action platformers. If you can get past the initial hurdle of learning to use your hook and other gadgets quickly and effectively, Flinthook can keep you “hooked” for many hours.