by Today, Flash dies. Or possibly the 21st. Or possibly not for a year or two as business applications will have procrastinated on moving to new technologies. But still – today will be the official death date, even if there are some throes for the next while.
Flash games were incredibly popular during what I would consider the adolescence of the internet. Newgrounds, Miniclip, and Kongregate were hubs of entertainment for bored children looking for free games. These days, the equivalents would be mobile games and indie Steam games – but where mobile games try to sap your time and money, flash games were just experiments by aspiring game developers or bored teenagers. Where indie Steam games are usually awful, flash games were, too. But at least they were free. And every once in a while you’d run across a gem. That’s hard to argue with.
Fun story: flash games were the first things I hoarded – er, “curated” – back when modems meant waiting multiple minutes for anything that dared to include audio at bitrates not meant for HitClips. Today, BlueMaxima’s Flashpoint has captured a staggering number of these games (close to 80,000) and preserved them (though my collection still includes a few that I need to curate into Flashpoint – though one of them I just can’t get to work, sadly). I figure this is a good time to remember a few of the good ones.
Amorphous+
You’re a dude. You have a big sword. You kill slimes. It’s as simple as that, and a bunch of fun as well, though it can be time-consuming.
Arcane Online
Hey, did you know Warner Bros. made a flash game? Yep! It’s actually pretty good – kinda has a Broken Sword feel to it. It’s a Lovecraftian mystery game, and I do love my existential horror. But, sadly, it’s also unfinished and ended on a cliffhanger. Still, the first two seasons are in Flashpoint and ready to be played.
Areas
There are some games that have detailed tutorials. Then some just get you to learn the mechanics as part of the game. Areas is one of the latter, and it’s a bunch of fun. It has you re-learning the mechanics every level, and there’s always something interesting that’s gotten mixed up.
Breaking the Bank
A series (Henry Stickmin) in the same vein as Dragon’s Lair, but less reliant on quick-time events – which is a plus in my book – and with multiple paths to victory (in the sequels).
Boxhead
Sean Cooper is pretty good at making flash games, mostly of the action variety. Flash isn’t the greatest platform for action and many games suffer from poor framerate or performance because of it. Boxhead, however, distills the zombie craze into pure, boxy goodness.
I’d give an honorable mention to Endless Zombie Rampage, which has an almost equal place in my head for mindless zombie action.
Coma
Amusingly enough, I played a demo of the “remake” of this game not too long ago on Steam without realizing it. About five minutes in, I was thinking how similar it was to Coma while at the same time being so much worse. Perhaps due to the limited resources and technical limitations of flash, though, Coma is a nice little experience you can play for free. It’s not complicated, but the music and scenery is quite nice.
There’s also the Colour my… series, which has the same “introspective walking simulator” feel to it and I definitely want to list it as an honorable mention.
Crush the Castle
If you were ever in doubt that mobile games just steal flash game ideas, look no further than Crush the Castle. Playing this may feel strikingly similar to a certain game concerning enraged fowl, but this was the original version (which, admittedly, was also basically a clone of Castle Clout with better controls, graphics, and gameplay).
Dibbles
I suppose as long as we are on the subject of game clones, I should bring up Dibbles. There’s not much more to say other than it being a clone of Lemmings with better graphics. I’d give it a “watching small creatures suffer horrible death to preserve their king” out of 10.
Dungeon Robber
This game is based on 1e D&D rules, and the entire thing is available as an actual poster. You roll dice to create random dungeons and play through them. It’s a fascinating little roguelite.
Factory Balls
I almost didn’t include this entry, but then I realized I had gotten to the end of my list without including any Bart Bonte games. He makes a lot of simple and fun games, even if none of them really cross the “classic” line in my head.
Fig.8
This is a bit of weird one. I’m not even sure how to classify this, other than as a jaunt through a depiction of the French countryside on a bicycle. It’s relaxing and frustrating.
Flood Runner
Skip the first one. Endless runners were another common sight on flash game sites, but Flood Runner‘s sequels had a fantastic variety of things to do and achievements to pursue.
For honorable mentions, Canabalt is one of the purest forms of endless runner (and I almost included it instead of Flood Runner) with a fantastic soundtrack.
Focus
Focus is a simple platformer with a simple twist: a short range teleporter. Playing through all the difficulties, though, is a remarkably satisfying (and frustrating) challenge.
Frog Fractions
I wish I could explain Frog Fractions, but I can’t. Just go play it (and give it a good 20 minutes before you decide to give up).
GemCraft
GemCraft (and its several sequels) are probably the best examples of tower defense. There are many, many tower defense games made in flash. Most are practically carbon copies (since the basic ideas are pretty straightforward), but I think GemCraft is one of the most well put-together.
There are a few that I think deserve an honorable mention here, from Shadez (though it’s more along the lines of Age of War than tower defense) to Vector TD and Desktop Tower Defense.
Hedgehog Launch
jmtb02 is another one of those consistently good developers, so I feel a little bad that my only entry for them is a “launcher” game (though I also considered The Next Floor, Balloon in a Wasteland, Achievement Unlocked, and This Is The Only Level – all of which are worthwhile). I say this because launcher games are seemingly almost as common as tower defense, but were terrible. Hedgehog Launch isn’t so bad, though.
While it’s not an honorable mention, I feel obligated to mention Kitten Cannon! – as I think it was one of the first – and Toss the Turtle and Burrito Bison as a couple of the more popular ones. As for actual honorable mentions, I’d say the Learn to Fly series deserves a spot. All of these are part of the “toss” subgenre of launcher games.
I Have 1 Day
Another point and click adventure game, I Have 1 Day is a short, fun adventure game with the obvious limitation that you only have 24 in-game hours to complete it: meaning you have to manage your time to not fail, which is a nice gimmick.
Infectonator
When you don’t want to be a mastermind to conquer the world, you can just turn them all into zombies instead.
Inquisitive Dave
I’m mostly recommending this for the end-game twist, though the game as a whole is a nice adventure.
Love
This game is for puns about life and love. That is all.
MARDEK
There were seven planned parts to Mardek, as I recall. Sadly, this is yet another series that will never have a proper conclusion. It plays a bit like a Final Fantasy game, and you control Mardek and fight evil. Plenty of humor and a charming cast of characters, alongside a well-developed magic and battle system.
Mastermind: World Conqueror
TheSwain was mostly known for his animations (Time Squad and BlockHead), but he did make a couple flash games: most notably, Mastermind: World Conqueror. It does what is says on the tin – a management game where you try to take over the world.
Monster’s Den: Book of Dread
Sometimes you just want a nice, straightforward dungeon crawl, and this game delivers exactly that. This is one of those games you can pick up any time and play a little bit if you just want to waste some time.
Motherload
The game where digging too deep is the point of the game. I’d actually forgotten this was a Flash game, thinking it was a full-fledged game I had on Steam somewhere. The simple premise is that you’ve been dropped on Mars in your digger, and you’re here to drill out all the valuable material you can.
Neverending Light
It ends on a cliffhanger to which there will never be a resolution, but it’s a fun (if short) horror game.
While not a horror game, Closure is another exploration game that plays with light mechanics that I think deserves a mention.
Nick Toldy and the Legend of Dragon Peninsula
Yet again, we have a point and click adventure game. This one is reminiscent of The Secret of Monkey Island in some ways, and I can definitely recommend it.
Panda’s BIG Adventure
Okay, I might have too many point and click adventures on here. But still, this one is about a time travelling panda, so how could I not include it?
Phage Wars
This one is in a genre I don’t know the term for, but you control a “fleet” of particles which fight to control the board – somewhat like a real-time Risk. In this one, it’s as a virus. You have plenty of upgrade options, though there isn’t much need for “choice” regarding the options, sadly. It’s short but fun (the refrain of many flash games).
Rebuild
I’d call this one an area management sim with a zombie theme (of course). Build your defenses, capture more area, and revive civilization.
The Rise of a Knight
Not the most difficult game, but a quick little hack-n-slash as a knight fighting goblins. A satisfying duology.
Run
Not an endless runner, but can feel like it. The charm here is that you have a variety of environments, levels, and characters with different traits (so you can proceed through the levels differently). Levels are short enough to be beatable and provide quick bursts of entertainment.
Socrates Jones: Pro Philosopher
It’s Phoenix Wright, but with Philosophy. If that sounds interesting, try it. Actually, I’d recommend it even if that doesn’t sound interesting.
Sonny
Oof. Another unfinished series. This time you play as the zombie. This one hurts just as much as Mardek – I was really looking forward to Sonny 3. I’ve been waiting since 2009. One of the best turn based fighting games available on flash, with multiple tech trees and plenty of equipment – not to mention the great characters.
Spewer
A platformer where you “jump” by “spewing.” Yep. It’s still good, though.
For honorable mention (and also by Edmund McMillen) we have Time Fcuk. Honestly, I never liked it as much as the rest of the internet did, but it is still good. Has very Binding of Isaac vibes. Which…oh…is also by Edmund McMillan. I guess that would explain it.
Storm the House
Not a tower defense – more of a “building defense” – but fun nonetheless. It’s got cheats, plenty of modes, and is a good way to mindlessly mow down an army that is taking far too much interest in a pueblo-style house in the middle of a desert.
I’d also recommend Soviet Silo Defense and Bunny Invasion in an honorable mention. Bunny Invasion isn’t as streamlined as Storm the House, but you do get to fight rabbits (in a Postal sorta way – it’s definitely the product of early internet).
Submachine and Covert Front
Mateusz Skutnik is pretty good at making flash games. There are a truly staggering number of point and click adventures using Flash, but these are the best. There are whole conspiracy theory-level attempts to explain all the details of the world built in these games (some of which are found in notes scattered about Future Loop Foundation). The puzzles are all well-made, avoiding the pitfalls of “clicking random things until something happens” that plague so many other similar games. I include Covert Front alongside Submachine, as there are many hints that the two take place in the same universe, and the mechanics are identical. Covert Front provides a much more straightforward story, while Submachine has more abstract (and varied) puzzles.
I’d give an honorable mention to Imagia, Worldgate, and Solitude/Evolution – all of which are sadly unfinished series.
Super Crazy Guitar Maniac Deluxe
SCGMD, as it’s known for short, is a series of games that are keyboard versions of Rock Band. They get progressively better-made, so I’d almost suggest starting with 4, which has boss battles and the best information layout of them all. Playing through the songs is fun – even if you’ve never heard of them. I suppose you could consider this the 2000s-era Newgrounds edition of Rock Band.
Tactical Assassin
Sniper games, particularly stick figure sniper games, were an almost commonplace genre in the days of Newgrounds and Miniclip. Tactical Assassin is probably the most well done example of them, and tends to be the one I think of whenever I go looking for one.
For honorable mentions, I’d recommend Clear Vision as a cruder version and Anaksha: Female Assassin, which is a much grittier version of the same. Perhaps a little too gritty (and too specific with how you kill people at times). There’s also Sift Heads, which at least has quantity going for it.
The Enchanted Cave
Another dungeon delver, though this time you control a single character and make multiple dives into the dungeon in a roguelite fashion. Attacks happen automatically, so you only need to control the magic and item usage.
The Infinite Ocean
Okay, you might have to be weird like me to enjoy this one. It’s a point and click adventure with a heavy emphasis on questioning the self and consciousness, backed by a Russian Kyrie.
The Valley Rule
This is the Metroidvania platformer condensed. Exactly what you want, and leaving you wanting more. If only there could be a sequel or expansion. The craziest part is that it was made in 72 hours for a Ludum Dare.
An honorable mention here would be Endeavor, which is along the same lines – an upgrade-based platformer, even if it doesn’t approach the perfection of The Valley Rule.
Ultimate Assassin
You’re given a map, some guards, and the ability to turn invisible or dash for short periods of time: reach the target and take them out. Has many, many levels across several entries. Quite a bit of fun and exactly how a stealth game should feel.
Warbears
Sort of a single-map puzzle, you control an elite squad: the Warbears. Click around to figure out how to complete your objectives. Things will either go hilariously wrong or you’ll succeed. This is meant to be attempted over and over, so the feeling of “how could you possibly know that was going to happen” is something you’ll need to be okay with. While that would normally be unacceptable for a puzzle game, here it’s the point.
Hapland is a worthy honorable mention, and I almost included it as its own entry. I’d definitely recommend trying it out, though you’ll probably have to look up a walkthrough eventually.
William and Sly
If you’re looking for a relaxing hour or two, I highly recommend William and Sly and its sequel. You play as a fox, the pet/companion of William. A platformer with a calming soundtrack and a good adventure through a forest. Seriously, I’d love to live in this world.
Z-Rox
This is one of those puzzle games that you see and think “why hadn’t anyone done this before?” A simple premise with 100 levels.