First Impressions: Flat Kingdom

At PAX East this year, I had the pleasant opportunity to speak with a couple of indie game developers and publishers. One such company was Games Starter, based out in Latin America. There, one of their members talked about three distinct games that they had on display. Flat Kingdom was one that caught my eye instantly based on the art style alone. Developed by Fat Panda studios, Flat Kingdom is a puzzle platformer where you travel across several sections of the main world in attempts to stop the masked thief and rescue the princess. The main hero, Flat, has the ability to change shapes at will and can combine the shapes for devastating moves. Described as "Metroid-Vania" you go through each level using this shape shifting ability to solve puzzles and defeat enemies.

Flat can change between a square, triangle and circle with the latter shape being his default. Each shape has differences from one another. Circle allows you to double jump and move freely through water, square makes you heavy and able to push objects, whereas triangle gives you speed and agility. Combining these shapes through button presses allows you to utilize different moves. For example, running as triangle then changing into a square hurls you through the air. This is perfect for bashing through objects.

The art style is beyond gorgeous and has that 2.5D look with everything made out of paper. Combine that with music composed by Manami Matsumae (he did the original Mega Man!), and it just fits with every level that I've played so far. While I haven't beaten the game yet, I'm enjoying it immensely and encourage you guys to try it out if you're a fan of platformers. There's collectible items to expand on the lore, key items you can give to civilians in previous levels. I should mention that combat is done in a rock-paper-scissors format in that every enemy is given a represented shape. Each shape has its strengths and weaknesses as well.

Flat Kingdom is an enjoyable game and I can't wait to explore more of the worlds and levels it has to offer. The game was recently released on Steam last month. It was recommended that playing it with a controller makes it easier so I'm using that configuration mainly along with the Easy difficulty. DON'T JUDGE ME! I'll be sure to review it when I complete it for you guys!

What each Shape looks like for Flat

The scenery is beautiful to look at.

You can purchase Flat Kingdom on Steam for $7.99. I also have a link to the game's website so you can learn more about it in case I missed anything in this little preview post. I highly recommend it with what I've played so far!

http://flatkingdom.com/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/405970/