The Flame in the Flood doesn’t pull any punches, at least not early on. Literally within a few seconds after starting a new game or an ‘endless mode,’ you’re plunged into the darkness and in control of a young girl who has a faithful, scrappy little dog. The name of the game is survival against all odds. It’s a dystopian future of sorts in a very broad sense, but specifically the game looks at a backwoods survival campaign from the eyes of said girl as she gathers materials, makes camp, finds places to sleep, crafts goods, fends off hungry wolves and boars, and all matter of other basic needs. The game drops you right into this challenge and gives you little to go on, but much to do.
I’ll admit, and maybe this is because I have played few to no rogue-lite or survival games, but this type of ‘dive right into it’ design was quite jarring. Although, perhaps the idea was that if you had to suddenly figure out how to survive for real, it would be as jarring and difficult, so from that angle I can appreciate what The Molasses Flood did here. Regardless, expect to die a lot, at least until you get the gameplay figured out, which more specifically includes managing your health, temperature, thirst, hunger, and fatigue. You’ll do this by gathering up all sorts of goods from the land from plants to abandoned objects and using them in various ways. Deciding how to use your resources in the short and long term are core design elements and, it’s not just about doing what’s best for you and your dog, you also have a raft to tend to. The raft is vital and, while not a character in itself, must be tended to and upgraded. The raft comes into play early and often as its how you travel between separate bodies of land, each of which has their own unique items and challenges and so forth, although at least the ones I have gotten to so far look and feel pretty similar. There are ten of these areas to discover, but getting to them is challenging in its own right because the flood waters are fierce and controlling and getting your raft from dock-to-dock is rife with danger.
Speaking of which, there’s no shortage of dangerous elements in The Flame in the Flood to keep you on your toes and, if you’re like me, wishing save points were much more common. For as far as I have gotten into the game, I have found it very difficult to become invested in the characters and the story. I think at a very high level view, the premise is pretty cool, but having gotten thrown so quickly into the mix and struggling as much as I have, without any core reason to become invested has left the experience feeling largely soulless for me so far. That’s not to say this will not change at some point, but I’m quickly approaching the point of having to double my efforts to find out if there is reason enough to keep playing on the other side of my present struggles, or bailing on the game altogether. I feel that if a more traditional approach were taken, one that at least gave me a good foundation of why I should become invested in the story and its key characters, I would be enjoying it more rather than finding it so convenient to just quit and move onto any number of other things once the going gets tough (which is early and often).
So while I feel like The Flame in the Flood really misses the boat on that key design concept, there’s still a lot to like here if you can stomach the lack of investment and harsh challenge. The survival mechanics are deep and broad and offer lots of variety and interesting decisions. The pacing of the game is quick and promotes a constant ‘think on your feet’ approach so you’re not likely to ever really feel safe, or that you’ve ‘turned the corner,’ good emotions for a rogue-lite survival to generate in its players. You certainly do feel some sense of triumph, even if short-lived, when you manage to live another few days (time moves rather quickly, perhaps a bit too fast). Meanwhile, I enjoy the presentation, from the well-drawn and animated graphics to the somber yet not overly ambient music.
Like any other game, but I think even to a more potent degree here, how much you enjoy and get out of The Flame in the Flood is going to vary from person to person. For me, to really invest in a game that’s this challenging and demanding, I really have to have strong reasons to do so. I didn’t feel those forces with The Flame in the Flood so my long term interest in the game is fizzling out, despite being able to recognize and appreciate its strong points. For others though, I could see how this could be exactly the rogue-lite survival adventure they’re looking for. Best option? Same as always: try it out for yourself.
