Flame in the Flood Review

Flame in the Flood for Xbox One is a gaming take on 1994 film Wild River only this time you’re not Kevin Bacon but you are Scout and are accompanied everywhere you go by your faithful dog companion Aesop. Ok so it’s nothing like Wild River but there is a river and its the driving force which keeps you moving forward in this roguelike survival game.

As far as roguelike survival games go this is a genre that is getting more and more focus on current gen consoles and Flame in the Flood cleary from developers The Molasses Flood takes some of the key parts from other successful titles released to date and demonstrates its take on how game mechanics can be used to really deliver an immersive and atmospheric gaming world.

If you’re not into rogue like games and titles like Don’t starve and Rogue Legacy don’t float your boat then you may initially look at Flame in the Flood and think about giving it a swerve. However I personally wasn’t fully aware that Flame in the Flood on Xbox One was a rogue like title until setting out on my first few steps with the game. Firstly the title holds your hand a little with a nice little intro section familiarising yourself with the basics. Not many titles would do this and thus Flame in the flood avoids some of those frustrating few hours of gameplay as you figure things out.

“as far as accessibility goes with a rogue like game Flame in the Flood on Xbox One nails it”

Flame in the Flood is a procedurally generated title so no two playthroughs will be the same so there’s every chance on your next go you’ll fair much better. I used my first playthrough as a practice run survived 5 days and then got taken out by a not so friendly boar in the wilderness. My point is that as far as accessibility goes with a rogue like game Flame in the Flood on Xbox One nails it. I never felt intimidated to start again or frustrated to the point I didn’t want to pick up the controller once more.

In order to survive throughout your playthrough you need to keep on top of your 4 key needs hunger, thirst, temperature and sleep. Plus there’s the medical side of needs when things take a turn for the nasty. Running into the not so friendly wildlife rarely sees you leave without a scratch or two. Catering to the other needs also involved the obvious scavenging for food, looting crates and houses. what is different though is that for each need there’s very different mechanics at play and various ways in which to attain and serve that need. Whether it’s hunting or cooking, sleeping in a yellow bus or house there’s always options.

managing these needs are where Flame in the flood really gets your thinking as a player. It’s not about playing it safe and sticking to the river it’s about making choices that at one stage or another are going to directly sacrifice one need over the other. flame in the flood is certainly not afraid of showing you its teeth when you make a decision that lands you in a tricky shot. However unlike many rogue like survival games there is an option to run away from it all. Well thats if that boar hasn’t broken a bone or two.

Progressing through the game’s various areas is done by way of the raft you start of with. The raft can also be upgraded and again adds another layer of depth to the game for you to stay on top of. Upgrading the raft is only available when docked at the docks and enables you with the right material to repair the raft and upgrade it in various ways. Again Flame in the flood brings choice here in a big way and as a player you will need to decide what is worth carrying in your backpack over what’s needed to survive on water. Eventually the raft will allow additional storage however on each of my playthroughs I was never really clear on what allowed this to happen.

Encounters with the wildlife are one thing but another surprise that will await you throughout the game is some NPC interactions which even offer up some dialogue options to choose from. The interactions are pretty rare and limited and don’t offer a huge amount to the game. However its very well executed and would have like to have seen more done here.

“I don’t want to go all kevin Costner and demand water world but I would have liked the developers offer more on raft survival.”

The best experience on this game is by far on foot, the controls feel great albeit that the crafting system could do with a bit more work as I initially found it clunky to use on the Xbox One. Use of D Pad and shoulder buttons were a brain bender to say the least. On foot the game offers up more immersive visuals and the detail under foot and the small touches made by the developers are clear to see. Weather plays a huge role in the game and as wet conditions hamper not only your mood but Scouts temperature getting to shelter from the rain is important. What becomes more important is how you aim to protect yourself from future rainfall. It’s the constant unpredictability and the strive to achieve one thing despite falling short in others that kept me hooked.

Compare the on water experience to on foot and you get a more frustrating experience. navigating the raft at times is cumbersome, directional responses are not very responsive and all too often I found myself smashing into something no matter how hard I was trying to ignore it. You’re always going down river but the frustration of having just repaired your raft to have you immediately hurled into a rock as the game won’t bend its own rules is deeply frustrating. I don’t want to go all kevin Costner and demand water world but I would have liked the developers offer more on raft survival whether it be fishing or salvage in order to enhance the raft on the move rather than being tied down to requiring docks.