The Flame in the Flood Reviews

The Flame in the Flood is ranked in the 63rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Leif Johnson
Top Critic
7.3 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2016

The Flame in the Flood is a beautiful procedurally generated survival sim that gains a welcome sense of momentum from the need to stay on the move. Its unwieldy menus and tendency to crash ruins some of the fun, unfortunately, but not enough to diminish the strength of the hopeful, riverbound journey at its core.

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Mar 2, 2016

While there are some technical difficulties that need to be worked out, The Flame in the Flood is still moderately enjoyable.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 4, 2016

The Flame in the Flood is a challenging game, but the kind that will likely have you trying again, rather than throwing things across the room.

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9 / 10
Mar 5, 2016

The Flame in the Flood has learned a lot from the survival games that came before it, but The Molasses Flood have added a unique charm that you won't find anywhere else. The character and environment design is superbly animated, and I can't stress enough how fantastic the soundtrack is. The entire experience had a wonderful Roald Dahl/Aesop's Fables feel to it, which created one of the most unique atmospheres I've seen in a survival game. If dark and depressing survival games have left you out in the rain, you'll find shelter and warmth here.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 9, 2016

The Flame in the Flood delivers a brilliant twist on the survival genre. The inability to linger in one place makes the game feel like a proper adventure with some additional survival trappings. The randomization gives it a roguelike feel, and the streamlining of elements makes it feel fair even when almost everything is working against you. Coupled with a beautiful presentation throughout, it's both a high-water mark in the genre and a title that's worth trying out. Unless you absolutely hate the survival game genre, be sure to check out The Flame in the Flood.

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70 / 100
Mar 9, 2016

Quote not yet available

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Mar 14, 2016

The Flame in the Flood is a challenging and rewarding survival game. It urges you to think and make use of your supplies in a smart manner. Fans of the survival genre will find a satisfying experience with this unique indie release. The flame symbolizes your will and desire to stay alive, but the struggle – symbolized by the flood, is doing everything it can to make you quit. Will you keep your flame burning? Or will the flood put you out?

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8 / 10.0
Mar 15, 2016

The Flame in the Flood gives us familiar territory. The world has gone back. There's jangly southern-style music with heartfelt vocals. There's crafting. But there's real wonder in those moments when you're just trying to get another mile down the river so that you can live a few more days. There's something special about staying afloat in all of that ruin. The Flame in the Flood is a beacon, something golden, in a worn-down world.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 16, 2016

If you are new to this sort of thing, it's a good introduction but be prepared for a tough experience.

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7.5 / 10.0
Apr 4, 2016

As I rafted lazily down the river, passing churches and camp grounds, I found a moment or two to reflect on my time with The Flame in the Flood. I wonder "How much time have I spent with in-game menus?," "I wonder how far I can make it before my resources run dry?," and "How in the world can anyone kill a bear?" The game had lost its challenge an hour or so ago, but I remembered my first 10 or so hours fondly as constantly challenging and enjoyably tense. And while I don't see myself playing the game for too much longer, the The Flame in the Flood is a solid recommendation for anyone looking to diversify their catalog with a short, challenging, and artistically crafted indie title.

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games(TM)
games™ Team
Top Critic
7 / 10
Apr 10, 2016

Big on heart, but light on mechanics

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6 / 10.0
Apr 18, 2016

The Flame in the Flood squanders a novel idea and fantastic aesthetic with mind-numbing repetition and a broken sense of progression.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jan 17, 2017

Great art, a brilliant soundtrack and a challenging, rewarding survival experience awaits those who have the patience.

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8 / 10
Jan 17, 2017

The Flame In The Flood is a remarkably well crafted entry in the survival genre that sets itself apart with compelling gameplay, an intriguing setting, and a stellar soundtrack. Having released on computer and Xbox One last year, its arrival on PlayStation 4 with the Complete Edition will hopefully see it find a new audience to entice on a beautiful, and bleak, journey down the river.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 17, 2017

The Flame in the Flood is a quiet apocalypse in which it's Mother Nature you have to fight, not aliens or zombies. The goal is to drift down a river in a flooded world to reach salvation at the end. Surviving is no walk in the park, but with Chuck Ragan's brilliant soundtrack to soothe you, it's sure worth a try.

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8 / 10
Jan 17, 2017

The Flame in the Flood is a superb rogue-like survival game with a deep crafting system, charmingly beautiful presentation, and challenging gameplay that entices you back time and time again to try and best your previous run. If you're a survival fan and you're in a dry spot for games at the moment, we suggest you jump right into this one. Well, assuming that you can swim of course.

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9 / 10
Jan 18, 2017

This being the complete edition means that on top of the main game, you'll also be able to access a brand new Director's Commentary that will allow you to learn more about the game's design and development. You'll also get a lovely dynamic theme, two avatars and lots of gameplay improvements that rebalance the game.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jan 18, 2017

The Flame in the Flood is an incredibly charming survival game. Even those that don't tend to love the harsh genre will enjoy the visual flair and fantastic soundtrack on offer. There's also several different options to make the game more difficult or easier (checkpoints can be added) depending on how much of a challenge you want. Whether players actually complete their trip will come down to their determination, but they'll have a good time, even if the rafting session ends a bit early due to a wolf attack.

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9 / 10.0
Jan 18, 2017

The Flame in the Flood is a fantastic survival game with an equally fantastic score and art style that will challenge your decision making and patience to within an inch of its life - in a good way. There is plenty of replay value to be had as you won't find everything there is to uncover in the first few playthroughs.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jan 18, 2017

The Flame in the Flood delivers exceptionally inventive gameplay with original graphics and sadly, some serious bugs. Without them, we could have one of the best games in genre.

Review in Polish | Read full review