Very often, in recent years, feelings towards gaming are changing, and above all what the public wants, or thinks they want, from a video game changes. Of course I do not want to generalize, gamers are not an indistinct mass and everyone has their own tastes, but it was strange, in the period in which we looked to the next-genhear and read speeches from gamers who for the first time were interested in brute power and hardware performancewithout perhaps having a completely clear idea of what we were talking about.
I repeat, I do not want to generalize, but I have more and more often the impression that to determine the success or the interest in a specific title is the graphics, theaesthetic aspect of productionsometimes forgetting the gameplay and how much an experience, pad in hand, can be fun or not. Flat Kingdom Paper’s Cut Edition fits perfectly with this discourse, a title I knew practically nothing about, but which was able to have fun and entertain me until I did something I hadn’t done for a long time: complete a game in one go.
The experience with the game was so great light and fun that I did not feel boredom or tiredness at all during my run; I’m obviously not talking about a perfect video game or the best title I’ve ever played, but rather one unpretentious little adventure who, without taking himself too seriously, manages to conquer the player before he even realizes it, returning to a videogame past made up of few funds and good ideas well exploited, but let’s explore the title in more detail!
Once upon a time…
The narrative premises of Flat Kingdom Paper’s Cut Edition they are very simple, but they work well and go perfectly with the light and easy-going style of the game. There plot of the title takes on fairytale implications from the very first bars: the kingdom in which the game events take place bases its balance on six gems endowed with magical and mysterious powers, everything will be fine as long as these powerful objects remain in their place, after all who would have an interest in stealing them?
An evil sorcerer of course! The plot doesn’t take too long to tell characters and backgroundwhich will still be clarified and deepened as we progress with the adventure, and instantly throws us into the shoes of Flatthe hero protagonist, summoned by the king not only to recover the stolen gem and guard the others, but also to save the princess, who, as in any classic fairy tale, has been kidnapped!
What I really liked about the title is the gimmick used to make the player feel a palpable sense of catastrophe and that reminded me a lot of the excellent Paper Mario: The Origami King. Exactly like in the last “paper” adventure of the icon of the great N, a kingdom in two dimensions is shaken by a three-dimensional threat. In Flat Kingdom Paper’s Cut Edition exactly the same thing will happen, and indeed we will see the world itself change as we get closer to the main threats, and the elements of the game world in three dimensions will constantly give a breath of fresh air to the gameplay.
A game world, which among other things is really well built, although the settings (inspired largely by natural elements, whose power is contained in the gems) focus on structures already seen in several similar productions such as caves, islands, underwater environments And volcanoesare always pleasant to look at and characterized by a few elements which, however, manage to effectively outline all the levels of which the game is composed.
Rock, paper, scissors? No! Square, Triangle, Circle!
Even as regards his gameplay, Flat Kingdom Paper’s Cut Edition follows the philosophy in which a simple but interesting choice pays off. Basically we are faced with a classic platform in two dimensions with side view, however, what makes the game unique is an elementary combat system that reproduces the classic Chinese morra.
Our Flat will in fact be able to instantly switch between three different shapes, each with its own characteristics. The forms in question follow the now historical ones PlayStation pad symbols (although the title is available literally for all platforms of the current and past generation) and they are: Circlethe basic shape with which we will start and which will allow us to make a double jump, Squarea shape that slows Flat’s movements, but allows him to press certain specific platforms and break elements of the scenario, Trianglea shape that doubles the speed of Flat and allows it to take very fast shots.
What makes the game varied and fun lies in the skill of the development team in proposing always new combinations among the various forms, in addition to the fact that, once you have learned the functioning and the basic characteristics of each form, they will be added new skills that will allow the level design to evolve in an ever new way.
Finally, the system of forms is also functional toelimination of enemies that will populate the maps and, as anticipated, is based on the Chinese morra in which every enemy has one specific shape and Square beats Triangle, Triangle beats Circle, and Circle beats Square. Simple, intuitive and fun, but not without difficulties! Some boss fights will require one decent mental speed by the player who will have to visualize the form of the incoming threat in time and respond in time with the correct form that can beat the first.
Technical sector, simple and pleasant!
As already mentioned several times, Flat Kingdom Paper’s Cut Edition makes simplicity its trump card, and demonstrates this desire also from a technical point of view. As for the graphicsthe game is all about one cartoon style essential and colorful in which two-dimensional elements alternate effectively with three-dimensional inserts, all contextualized to the events of the plot.
Also with regard to the soundtrack, the title defends itself really well. Let me be clear, nothing striking, indeed, the proposed sounds are linear, without particular flashes, and with a very classic look for this type of productions. Yet, contextualizing everything in such a light and light-hearted style, the various tracks are pleasant, never repetitive and indeed appropriate to the mood of the various levels.
Definitely, Flat Kingdom Paper’s Cut Edition it’s a very enjoyable game, not a masterpiece of course, but it doesn’t even pretend to be. A title that leads back to a videogame past carefree in which to master were modest productions from a technical point of view, but with gameplay ideas simple and brilliant that managed to entertain the player for a few hours; a game that, among other things, can also be easily played with the little ones by selecting the lowest difficulty, which allows for a more relaxed, but no less fun experience.