Flink

 Video game consoles, like any product, fail for a number of reasons.

Remember, things weren't always like they are now, where it's all but guaranteed you are going to get a new PlayStation, XBox or whatever random name Nintendo decides on every 8 to ten years. Gaming history has seen a lot of different players attempt to enter the console market, some successfully and others not so much. This wasn't just a long time ago either, I would say this kind of continued up until the 7th generation (and it still does occasionally happen even today). It was probably most prevalent in the really early days, there are tons and tons of pong consoles out there from manufacturers you would never imagine making video games. It was definitely still true in the 90's when a lot of players were still looking for a piece of the gaming pie. Nintendo and Sega were in the middle of a full-on console war, but they weren't alone.

NEC and Hudson were still plugging away with the Turbografx, Atari was trying to maintain relevance with the Jaguar and Lynx and a million different manufacturers were trying to make the 3DO platform a thing. And that's to say nothing of how different gaming markets were across the globe. Nintendo won the aforementioned console war in Japan and North America, decisively in the former and barely in the latter. But that wasn't the case in South America, especially Brazil where Sega's 3rd gen Master System was (and in many ways still is) king. The Genesis, or I guess Mega Drive, also outsold Nintendo in Europe as well, though in those markets both manufacturers success paled in comparison to that of gaming computers like the ZX Spectrum. Simply put, success in the console market wasn't a given, even for the big guys. As they continued to battle each other throughout the bit wars, the plumber and the hedgehog were always trying to innovate when it came to consoles. As their 4th gen offerings were so successful, this usually in the form of some sort of add-on.

This had, to be kind, mixed results for both companies. It typically ended in unmitigated disaster for Nintendo, I don't think I need to go into the story of how the PlayStation became a thing for the millionth time. Sega...didn't really fare all that much better. We will look at the 32X at some point, a top loading Genesis add on that was largely considered a failure. But before we go any further, I want to talk about the primary reasons video game systems fail, at least what I think are the primary reasons:

1) It was too expensive at launch (looking at you Neo Geo)

2) It was difficult to develop for (as I've heard the Sega Saturn was)

3) It doesn't have a large enough library, or has a poor bad to good game ratio (The Virtual Boy or pretty much any handheld that's ever failed)

4) It features a technology that isn't ready or isn't wanted in the first place (not that it was a failure, but the whole 'watches you when you sleep' thing with the Xbox One)

Looking at these factors, it's a lot easier to see why Sega's other add on, the Sega CD, was initially considered a failure. At the same time, it also makes it easier to understand why it's garnered something of a cult following in recent years. It was definitely too expensive, it retailed for $299 in 1991 and wasn't even a standalone console, though I'm not sure how difficult it was to develop for. It was a little sluggish, but it really wasn't that much worse on load times than the PlayStation or Saturn. The real "technology we didn't want" came in the form of full motion video titles, almost all of which were awful. The console kind of became known for these things, which definitely hurt more than helped. However, the console also had it's share of great games. I'm not talking about really good games, I mean classics like the Lunar series, Sonic CD and Snatcher. Can you think of any titles from any of the other failed 90's consoles that reach those levels, because I really can't. When a console has such a discrepencey between great and horrible games, the middle ground of it's library often becomes lost to time. So this week, I want to dig into a title from said middle ground.

Which brings us to Flink, or the Misadventures of Flink if you are going by the title screen, a 2D platformer released in 1994. Developed by Psygnosis and published in the U.S. by Vic Toaki, the game doesn't sound like something that would need to be on a cutting-edge new CD sort-of console. It's a game where you move left to right jumping on or throwing stuff at enemies. It kind of plays like The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse for the SNES and honestly, it kind of looks like it too. It has the same cartoonish fantasy style with a very similar atmosphere. If you told me this was just the non-licensed version of that game, I would have probably believed you. In many ways, it looks like and sounds like Flink could very easily have just been on the SNES or Genesis. In theory, that's true. But take one look at it in action and any experienced gamer will see there was absolutely no way this game could have been on the 4th gen consoles without serious concessions (apparently it did come to the Mega Drive in Europe, but that version was never released stateside).

The general consensus is that the SNES was more colorful and detailed, while the Genesis ran better with more processing power. Well, the SNES would struggle to be as colorful and detailed as this game is, while the Genesis would have trouble keeping up with a title with this level of animation. The sheer amount of details put into the locales and backgrounds are staggering. The regular enemies look pretty standard, but the bosses are absolutely incredible. While I wouldn't call the game fast, we will get to that later, it has an insane amount of animations to the point its problematic. Literally everything you do is pristinely animated, from Flink's walk cycle to the way he moves his head to the way he bends his legs when he jumps. It may seem like a small thing, but there was absolutely no way the 16 bit consoles would have been able to replicate this level of detail. The music and sound are similarly outstanding. Don't get me wrong, there are some all-time great soundtracks on the SNES and those that knew how to work with it could get the Genesis to sound awesome. But there was no way either cartridge based platform was going to be able to replicate CD quality sound. Flink's whimsical soundtrack perfectly fits its family friendly medieval setting and sounds amazing while doing it.

There is a story here, something about an evil wizard taking over and Flink having to stop him, but we aren't really too concerned with that in a 2D platformer from the 90s. The presentation may be next level, but the gameplay is about as standard as it gets. That's not necessarily a bad thing, this was a proven formula even back then. Flink can attack by jumping on enemies, which will stun them. He can then pick these enemies up and throw them, either off screen or at other enemies. You can find items in treasure chests, which can then be picked up and thrown themselves. The enemies are mostly angry viking dudes, but there is some variety here and the bosses were especially cool. The biggest challenge here though is going to be the platforming. Most, if not all of my deaths came from missing jumps, which frequently task you with covering the largest distance possible. The hit detection is weird in that it's fine with enemies, but it isn't as great with the jumping and I felt like you had to be as close to the ledge as possible to even make basic leaps. The biggest gameplay change here is the spellcasting, which requires you to mix items in the correct order to create an effect. I think it's implemented well here, the game gives you just enough hints to put you in the right direction while also forcing you to figure at least some part of it yourself. You only have to figure out the recipe once, after which your newfound spell gets added to a menu and you can simply select it. It's kind of annoying to have to open the menu every time, but that's not a huge issue. 

Unfortunately, Flink's biggest asset is also its biggest liability. All of that hyper detailed animation makes Flink a feast for the eyes. It also kind of makes it a chore to play. Every movement is so long and drawn out that it badly slows the pace of the game in a genre where that isn't really what you want to have happen. Because there are so many frames of animation, it feels like it takes forever to do anything and it makes the controls seem incredibly unresponsive. I guess this debate is still kind of continuing in gaming today, do we want more frames of animation or better performance? But with today's technology, we can kind of have both in most cases. That wasn't the case back then, when 4th generation consoles needed to do everything in their power to just get the game on the cart. Being on a CD made things easier, but the hardware still felt like it wasn't ready for Flink's level of detailed animation to be paired with a true 2D sidescroller. In a lot of ways, Flink kind of feels like one of those rotoscoped puzzle platformers, stuff like Prince of Persia, Flashback or Blackthorne. Those games have tons of animation and what I have always found to be stiff controls. But they are designed around these controls, more focused on stopping to think before taking on an individual challenges. Flink isn't like that, it's more of a traditional platformer. Imagine if Super Mario Bros had the controls from Prince of Persia and that's kind of what we are dealing with here.

Overall, Flink is an okay platforming experience, marred by finnicky and unresponsive-feeling controls. Even though it may not be be the best game, it does a good job of showing of the power of the Sega CD. It almost kind of feels more like a tech demo than it does a game, for better or for worse. It isn't necessarily bad and does offer some solid levels design and a good challenge. It's gameplay may not be anything to write home about, but its presentation is outstanding and its graphics a cut above what most titles of its era could do. Not the greatest gaming experience of all time, but definitely solid. I don't know if I would start here, but it definitely did make me want to check out more Sega CD stuff.

6.5/10