Platforms PC, XBO
Developer The Molasses Flood
Publisher The Molasses Flood
Release Date February 24, 2016

I don’t even like survival games all that much. I tend to find that when a game insists that I play in constant service to ever-depleting bars dictating my hunger or thirst, all it’s actually doing is putting obstacles in the way of my having any fun. So the fact that I loved The Flame in the Flood as much as I do is as big a surprise to me as it is to you.

At first glance The Flame in the Flood sounds like your typical survival game. You play as Scout and must embark on a perilous journey, scrounging for all-too-rare supplies in a post-apocalyptic world, ensuring that she doesn’t starve, dehydrate or succumb to death by such things as hypothermia, infection or being mauled to death by a bear.

The twist is the journey. The Flame in the Flood gives you a singular purpose and makes it suicidal to really stay in one place for very long. Making your way down river towards the vague promise of potential safety, you’ll hop between randomly generated landmarks to scavenge for vital supplies.

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The Flame in the Flood takes the template of an overcrowded genre and applies its own twists to the formula, creating a rich, rewarding game in the process. It’s a difficult game, but one that I couldn’t stop restarting time and time again – each time I succumbed to a deadly infection, every time a wolf ripped my character limb from limb, and even that one time I crashed my raft into a church because I shouldn’t be allowed to drive anything.

What cements The Flame in the Flood as one of the best games of 2016 is its presentation. The soundtrack by Chuck Ragan ranks as some of the best music in a video game all year. It combines with the art style and minimalist, player-driven narrative to make The Flame in the Flood positively ooze with atmosphere, creating a world that is easy to get lost (and die) in.

Check out Gary’s review of The Flame in the Flood here (Words About Games were provided the game for review purposes)

The List So Far:

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14) The Flame in the Flood
15) Forza Horizon 3
16) The Banner Saga 2
17) Planet Coaster
18) Gears of War 4
19) Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
20) Batman: The Telltale Series