Flora & Fang (SWITCH) | Paranormal Pest Control!!!

Flynn's Arcade brings to us doting fans another pixel perfect arcade platformer meant to test the skills of the most diehard retro gamer. As cute as the packaged deal might seem this garden defense adventure titled, Flora & Fang Guardians of the Vampire Garden, is an experience that pays homage to retro classics while offering a combined take on influenced mechanics with a challenging nature. Games like Bubble Bobble, and Q-Bert are among the retro releases that come together to make this Frankensteinian horror of the horticulture kind such an undertaking. 

Through couch co-op or singleplayer gameplay options you take on the role of either Flora or Fang as you try to maintain your Father's garden. These vampire children, each armed with bug sprayers, must defend the pumpkin patches from the overwhelming insect threat. This is a stage and sub-stage ordeal complete with power-ups, and B-O-N-U-S spelling balloons that will take you to a bonus stage modeled after one of several different retro classics as you try to collect coins, and bank score in a kitty form. 

As either Flora or Fang you can use the bug spray to encapsulate descending insects that aim to steal away your father's pumpkins. You can also use said spray to stun enemies, and take advantage of passing power-up/coin carrying spirits that happen by every once in a while. Along with this mainstay mechanic you can pick up, move, and drop the pumpkins to keep them out of reach of the insects. That, and lay traps to preemptively plan your defense as the approaching swarm grows more intent and aggressive on their mission.

While you deal death via pesticides you will also need to avoid contact with the insectoid pests as you only have 3 hearts worth of health that each deplete with one hit. Positioning your upward only facing bug sprayer is key to both protecting the crops, and dealing with the enemy pests. 

Each stage is thematically different, and is divided up into several static sub-stages that each have a different platform layout. As you kill the insects they'll drop coins that can be collected, and will add to your total highscore with a value reflective of their kind. There are several different types of insects to deal with, and not all can be killed. Figuring out which ones to avoid, and which ones to spray is part of the gameplay experience. 

Should you die anytime during your playthrough you can opt to retry as many times as you wish with carried over score intact. The game does not penalize you too much for failure, but the challenge is still very much there. To progress and make a perfect "S" rank each sub-stage you must survive with all pumpkins and hearts remaining while having dealt with all the insects, and having collected all the coins. It is a trying task, but rewarding for those who aim to make it high on the leaderboards, and there is a leaderboard included.

The Presentation ...

Everything from the voiced poem at the start to the darkly colorful display, Flora & Fang comes together as a nod to a bygone era of classic arcade style gaming. It is truly an arcade platformer, and one that incorporates various other real arcade games in the form of bonus stages. The music is very fitting for the Halloween theme as well, and has a bit of childish charm about it. It's a game that caters both to the younger and older audiences regarding it's art style, and pixel presentation.

The Verdict ...

Need I say it? This game is what we've come to expect from Flynn's Arcade. Flora & Fang is a premium quality retro inspired indie that takes all of what was good in the classics, mashes it up, and produces something standout that is the resulting child borne of those parent titles. It is pixel perfection with a Halloween theme this time around, and both the characters and mechanics meld perfectly together. If you fancy something lighthearted that has a bit of that Halloween spirit then be sure to add this one to your library on July 10th! It's perfect for those highscore hounds, and those looking to show off their arcade gaming prowess!