Review: The Flame In The Flood

Since the first trailer was released and the soothing vocals of Chuck Ragan were coursing through my speakers, my attention to the Flame in the Flood was cemented. I was excited that this new indie studio was creating this game.

The Molasses Flood is a studio of people who previously worked on major franchises like BioShock, Halo and Rock Band. The studio took to Kickstarter to fund their game raising more than double the asking amount of $100,000.

What is The Flame in the Flood? It’s a post-apocalyptic survival video game that has comparisons to Don’t Starve, but it is unlike any other game because it applies fresh ideas and a beautiful setting to propel the formula into new territory, too.

The Flame in the Flood is about a girl named Scout, and her only companion, Aesop the dog. One day, Scout realizes a flood is coming and must make her way down river to survive the impending doom that comes her way.

The world will not go easy on Scout, as she treks down the river there are snakes, wolves, and bears that will be roaming for fresh meat. Scout can be injured here by breaking a bone, poison ivy will leave her itchy. Rain will cause sickness and will last as long as they remain untreated.

As you travel down the randomly generated river, you’ll come across docks that leads to various types of stores and areas that have supplies to collect. The docks could have medicine to help alleviate any ailments you might have or a hardware store that allows to craft new items at a workbench as well as items to craft better gear to keep moving forward. Or you might not find anything you need and you’re stuck with nothing creating issues, there’s people you’ll meet along your journey down river here as well.

The choices you make in this game will either keep you alive or kill you somewhere down the river. Unfortunately, the mechanics sometimes work against you. For example, if you want to craft something, well, you better make sure there’s nothing that can harm you nearby or you’re likely to die.

Crafting is a major part of the game and key to survival. Scout can craft items from five different categories: food, medicine, clothing, traps, and raft. At the beginning of the game, your backpack has storage for 12 items and can expand, if you die, Aesop will recover a portion of your pack to you.

Aesop will alert you to any items worth harvesting, feathers, plants what have you, to loot-able items you find.

The way to create items from these categories is by finding the supplies throughout the world, acquiring corn for food, water to keep hydrated, etc. There is only so much you can gather in each area, making supplies scarce as you make your way down the river.

At the beginning of The Flame in the Flood you’ll be struggling to survive as the game is challenging. Once the

The Flame in the Flood is a game that doesn’t hold your hand as you travel down river, at moment’s notice you’ll be working your way downstream, the next animals will be nipping at your feet looking for their next meal. The environment is out to get you and nothing will prevent the inevitable, but, as you navigate this ravage world down this mysterious river, there is excitement towards the unknown that lies ahead.