Swat It Away | Flyhunter Origins Review

The surge of indie developers has seen a revival of genres from gaming past. Games like side scrollers have found a new audience, and it seems like what once was a sea of shooters of the first and third person variety has now become a much more diverse ecosystem. With this never ending surge of games, we’re given titles that just aren’t up to par, and unfortunately, Flyhunter Origins is a great disappointment.

If I was basing this review strictly on humor and cute characters, I’d give this game a great score. Cutscenes are nicely animated, and the humorous writing left me chuckling at its innocent humor. The characters involved, specifically Zak, bring lots of charm and make you want to love them.

Unfortunately, charming characters and writing can’t save a Flyhunter Origins from being a mediocre side scroller. Your main objective is to try and hunt down bugs that Zak accidentally let loose from his ship while hovering over a planet. You’ll spend a couple missions defeating lower level bugs with your swatter and eventually your zapper, and finish off the string of levels with a boss fight against the main bugs you’re chasing.

Flyhunter features some of the most awkward feeling controls I’ve ever experienced in a side scroller. Your characters seem to stick to the ground like it’s flypaper, and everything feels way too heavy. This problem is made worse from the game’s environments which can be hard to land on when jumping. For instance, I’d try to jump on a leaf, and I would think I’m safe landing on the edge, but I’d fall off from where I expected to be safe.

Environments are designed decently well, but the obnoxious camera makes navigating environments infuriating. What should be an obvious obstacle is now hard to see because the camera can get confused when following you, especially when you’re jumping around avoiding groups of enemies. I’ve had several occasions where I jump expecting the camera to follow me, only to have it lag behind me too late as I’ve fallen to my death.

Each level features collectible eggs which can be used to upgrade your two weapons. Interestingly, you can upgrade your weapons incredibly fast, as the cost is low and finding the eggs will be incredibly simple even for the most novice completionist.

What saving graces Flyhunter Origins has are overshadowed by the glaring issues stemming from its gameplay. While not a terrible side scroller by any means, it can’t stack up at all to more prominent games in the same genre. If you’re looking to play an old school side scroller, it may be better to dust off your old consoles that pick up your Vita.

This review is based on a review copy of the PlayStation Vita game Flyhunter Origins by Steel Wool Games.