Briar Flame

There's always a risk of jank when you buy a low budget 2D soulslike, briar flame is no different. The biggest culprit is as usual the controls which feel rather cumbersome most of the time. This isn't helped by the fact that the default controls are very unnatural and there's no way to rebind them. Some other aspects also feel rather clunky like the wall climb and automatic movement when you use attacks. I personally prefer my character to not move on its own simply by attacking but at least there's no contact damage in this one. With it i think i would have probably dropped it right away at the start tbh. This doesn't mean the game is easy though, it's actually brutal as hell from the getgo. Luckily the progression is pretty solid, especially in terms of stat level ups as the game's economy is very well balanced. Enemies drop enough currency to make them worth killing but not enough to make farming a vital strategy. Unfortunately it does that thing soulslikes are known for, corpse running which is brutal in this game because the runbacks themselves are agonizing. Not only do you not have a map, thus relying entirely on memory but you also just have to traverse a lot of space to …

Please please please give us a map. Navigation is very confusing

I have clocked this game more times than I can remember at this point. I beta tested this thing to the point of knowing exactly how to kill each boss. I've played this game for over 100 hours up unto this point, my name is in the credits, I found most of the bugs you don't experience. I've touched just about every surface in this game, so I can say hole "heart"edly (pun intended) I could play this game 100 more the amount of artifacts, weapons and tools and the combinations of such leave an incredible number of possibilities for subsequent playthroughs. Hard to believe HappyDoodz is a one man studio created this fantastic game by himself, cant wait for DLCs and subsequent games to be released.

A thorn apocalypse looms as you, a last Emberhost, fight through simple but fair combat, explore without a map, locate loot, and defeat ambush bosses in a straightforward action-adventure. The story revolves around an ancient evil, a thorny plant worshipped by the masses that is on the verge of covering the entire world in thorns, and the chosen one destined to stop it. You are one of several individuals born with the power to burn the plant, known as Emberhosts. However, you have become one of the last remaining hopes, as the others have failed, been slaughtered, proven too weak to continue, or ended up imprisoned in a dungeon like you. Your escape is straightforward, as it is designed to introduce the mechanics. Surprisingly, you begin with all the skills needed to overcome both traversal challenges and enemies. Aside from jumping, every action consumes stamina. Your basic abilities include a weapon attack that can be chained into combos and a forward dash that allows you to pass through enemies and hazards. There is also a secondary attack tied to additional weapons. You start with a shield bash, which can block incoming damage if you hold the button after executing it, thoug…

played and tested this game before release and spent a few more hours with it after the Steam launch. It’s very enjoyable and I’ve had a great time with it so far. I didn’t mind the lack of a minimap — it actually gave the game an old-school Risk of Rain feel that I really appreciated. I don’t usually play Souls-like games or this genre in general, but this one really clicked with me. The theme is used well, the controls feel solid, and I completed several runs using keyboard and mouse without any issues. Definitely worth a play.

Amazing game, the art style alone is very much worth it. While a little short, Briar Flame provides challenge and exploration. I went here for the playtest, stayed for the fantastic experience. Most bosses aren't too hard, and the difficulty curve is very beginner friendly. If you're looking for a short, but fun and a little challenging game, Briar Flame is here for you