Flick Shot Rogues Review: Ready, Aim, Flick | The Gamerheads Podcast

Platform reviewed: PC (Steam)

Price: $14.99

When I was a kid, there was a toy called Spinjas, tiny metal characters that you placed into a launcher and released into a small wrestling ring. To launch a Spinja, I’d place the toy into the shaft, twist it, hold the device over the arena, and press a button to send it spinning. Each set came with two Spinjas so you could battle a friend. I loved this toy, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Beyblades continue that same kind of fun today.

When I first saw Flick Shot Rogues, I was instantly intrigued. A roguelike that takes a similar approach to Spinjas? Yes please. While the game is a novel concept, it is also one of the most difficult roguelikes I’ve played. It can be a lot of fun, but progression feels slow, and battles often feel insurmountable.

Much like Spinjas or Beyblades, gameplay takes place in an enclosed area filled with enemies.

The premise is pretty simple. I play a group of pirates making their way through a cursed island. I start with two different characters: a swashbuckler who uses a cutlass and a klabautermann who swings their axe at surrounding enemies. I can switch between either character at any time, allowing me to strategize how I want to approach each encounter.

Much like Spinjas or Beyblades, gameplay takes place in an enclosed area filled with enemies. Beyond the base attacks of my heroes, there are secondary abilities. These include things like fire damage, placing sticky bombs on enemies, or dealing additional damage by collecting fireflies. I can swap out these abilities at the beginning of a new run. Additional skills and characters are unlocked as I progress through the game.

The game does a really good job showing where damage will occur. The problem is trying to get out of the way, especially when I feel trapped by a swarm of enemies.

Launching my characters is done through a catapult mechanic. I can rotate the catapult to point in the direction I want to shoot my character. Pulling back on the catapult will fling my hero farther, which usually means I’ll do more damage as well.

There is also a path mechanic that shows me where my character will travel when fired and where they will land. I can see the paths of enemy attacks too. Some enemies rush directly into me, while others fire projectiles that cause area damage, or in some cases, deal damage to anything caught in the missile’s path. The game does a really good job showing where damage will occur. The problem is trying to get out of the way, especially when I feel trapped by a swarm of enemies. The arena gets crowded very quickly.

All the enemies are based on different animals. There are crabs, monkeys, and lizards, just to name a few. One of the aspects I really love about Flick Shot Rogues is the art. Each character looks hand-drawn and has a fun, cartoon feel. When enemies attack, their animations change, which adds to the overall flair of the game.

Both the mini-boss battles and boss battles are extremely difficult. These bosses have a lot of health, which causes the fights to last longer. That said, I do like the variety on display. Some bosses hide inside a shell, and I cannot deal damage until they come out of the shell. Another boss fills the arena with laser firing cannons that deal heavy damage, making it a real challenge to defeat them before the field of play becomes completely covered.

I would have liked to see a stronger progression system where each run feels more meaningful, rather than just earning points to unlock additional secondary abilities.

Like many roguelikes, I select the path I want to follow on the map. The map offers a variety of locations, such as campsites that allow me to heal and level up my characters by spending experience points collected during a run. I can also buy trinkets that provide different boosts to my abilities, like adding extra damage to sticky bombs. There are anvils as well, which I can choose to visit in order to level up my attacks.

The challenge is that progression does not carry over after a run. That is something I expect from roguelikes, but progression in Flick Shot Rogues feels very slow. While I can unlock new characters and abilities, my characters’ base attacks remain the same every run. The only way to improve them is by leveling up at a campsite. After dying, I start over at the very beginning of the game. Again, this is expected of the genre, but I would have liked to see a stronger progression system where each run feels more meaningful, rather than just earning points to unlock additional secondary abilities.

Another aspect of the game is that both of my characters share health. If my swashbuckler takes damage, the other character with me takes that damage as well. This also applies to shields. I wish each character had their own health and shield, as that might allow me to squeak out a victory even if one of my characters went down.

Final Grade: B

Even with how difficult Flick Shot Rogues is, I had a really fun time with the game. After each run, I wanted to jump right back into the foray, hoping that the next attempt would be more fruitful or that I’d learn something from my previous run. The playing field can become crowded very quickly, which adds to the challenge, and the boss battles are pretty brutal. That said, pulling off a win feels great.

I just wish the progression system was a bit more meaningful and rewarding. If you are looking for a challenging roguelike that does something different from the Hades formula, this one is worth checking out.

Review code provided by Future Friends Games via Press Engine.