Stonefly Reviews
Stonefly is a beautiful work of art waiting to be explored!
A wonderful coming of age adventure wrapped up in a gameplay loop that never asks much but delivers a gorgeous world to explore. Stonefly isn't going to save the world but it might make your insides a wee bit warmer.
Even with those bouts of frustration, Stonefly is a thoroughly unique game that has novel gameplay ideas and a wonderful story. Dancing around the world while piloting your mech, trying to find emotional catharsis for your heroine while also beating up some bugs so you can get more resources to upgrade your current ride is a heck of a gameplay loop. It's well worth experiencing if you want a chill adventure.
Out of all the indies I've played recently, Stonefly stands out as one of the most unique and immersive; I highly recommend playing it.
Stonefly is a game with big insects and a bigger heart. Despite some clunky aspects in its combat and some repetitive sections, the game's visual style, relaxing exploration, and rewarding customization system make it a game worth crawling around in.
Stonefly is a strong indie featuring tiny humans in tiny mechs vying with the bugs of the forest canopy for resources. Its tale is enough to drive you through a 10-hour campaign with little embellishment, and its mech-customisation and mineral-gathering systems are satisfying, intuitive, and purposeful. Pacifist bug combat is fast and frenetic, but also plagued with fiddly controls and a few too many abilities to be comfortable.
Flight School Studio's Stonefly is a lovely game that features a creative story, a gorgeous art style, and gameplay that is more relaxing than it is intense and frustrating. The only knock is some finicky controls, but that isn't an obstacle that is going to get in the way of your enjoyment of the game.
Stonefly presents an intriguing mix of gameplay elements - but it turns out to not always be harmonic. A focus on the strongest parts of the game would have made it even better better.
Review in German | Read full review
All in all, Stonefly is a fun experience that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys action-adventure games. I would not, however, recommend it to people who just want to fly around a peaceful environment. While you can spend a lot of time gliding from tree to tree and mushroom to mushroom, there’s always a risk of tripping an encounter that will force you to battle bugs in surprisingly intense combat, and even the exploration sequences can be stressful if you can’t figure out how to advance.
Piloting insect mechs in a beautifully tiny world is a breeze, but heavy resource grinding stops this adventure taking full flight.
It is a little rough in places and there's room for improvement, but I'll gladly play something that's as weird and creative as this over another generic triple-A open-world game. If the idea of a mech game crossed with Fern Gully sounds like a good time to you, then I'd say Stonefly is definitely worth a try.
Over its roughly eight hour play time, Stonefly brings up a bunch of conflicting feelings. Its combat mechanics and gameplay loop can be frustrating and unengaging at times, but its story, art direction, and music create a lush and wholly unique world that's hard to walk away from. Stonefly may not be for everybody, but it is definitely worth checking out for players who enjoy the grind or just want to experience a heart-warming and visually engaging story.
Flight School Studios delivers an enjoyable experience with Stonefly. While the concept of King of the Hill combat is unique it's hard to feel it could have taken it a bit further. Exploration and upgrading your rig is an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
[Despite the repetition & lack of level variety], I’d still recommend Stonefly if you’re looking for a fun and “chillaxing” game; it’s beautiful to look at and listen to, and it’s fun to play a nimble and agile flight-capable mecha that isn’t from an anime for once.
Stonefly provides an intriguing premise that lends itself to strange and fantastical gameplay. With an emphasis on aerial piloting, the combat and exploration give ample control while not feeling too fast for the laid-back spirit. While it can be confusing to shuffle through the various materials, power-up formulas can be brute-forced when necessary. Stonefly smartly lets the player control its tempo without lingering for too long, which appeals to all kinds of gamers.
Overall, Stonefly is an interesting experiment for Flight School Studio. There are some moments to genuinely love in its presentation and action. Unfortunately, the plot pacing and inconsistent combat can create some real frustration. It doesn’t seem sequels are Flight School’s style, but I definitely look forward to the ways they take the lessons from Stonefly and apply it to their next project, whatever it may be.
Over my time playing games on the Switch I’ve become a sort of connoisseur of weird games, enjoying the unexpected journeys they tend to take you on...
It is not enough to have ideas, you have to feed them, and make them grow. Stonefly exhibits this statement, because despite the fact that it is a highly original proposal and that it boasts a unique, differential and particular visual style, many of its mechanics have many flaws from a practical point of view. Certain edges that hinder our movements and that for more inri can slow them down, are some of its pending issues, especially if we want to survive in this insectoid world full of dangers. Now, if you like works that present different original and aesthetic ideas, it can be a good offer.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Stonefly is bristling with creative ideas, but doesn't quite manage to deliver them properly. The world is beautiful, but its design damages gameplay, combat is unique but make it very difficult to manage the amount of enemies required at once, and traversal is interesting but manages to feel unreliable due to its mechanical design. It's a game of missed opportunities, but there's still a number of reasons why you should experience this uniquely designed action RPG.
It’s to Flight School Studio’s credit that, though the clashes at the game’s core left me underwhelmed, the whole thing didn’t feel hollowed-out. This is down to Annika, who sits at its heart and drives it on.