Platform(s): PC (version reviewed)
Genre: 2D Action, Pixel Art, Retro Throwback, 90s Anime

Gaming in the Clinton Years -the 90s- was bountiful, especially if you’re a fan of anime and OVAs. From your Visions of Escaflowne to El Hazard (both seasons and the TV show), the trope of isekai way before the term was coined made its way into video games of the NES, Sega Megadrive, and Super Nintendo with abundance and various levels of quality. So why not bring back that feeling and type of enjoyment but for a modern audience?

That’s what developer Inti Creates (of Gal Gun & Azure Gunvolt fame) is re-enacting with its short-but-sweet ode to the 90s: Divine Dynamo Flamefrit. And for its low pricetag of US$6.99/RM12+, it sure as heck deserves to be more than just an April-themed punchline.

Flame On!

Divine Dynamo Flamefrit is about a boy named Yuto who gets summoned as a Dynamo Knight to save the fantasy world of Hologard. He has to go find his other three Dynamo Knight allies who happen to be high school pals he knows while fighting bad guys with his magic sword and Dynamo Knight spirit pal Flamefrit. The latter part is sorted out by turning Flamefrit into a big pilot-able mecha and defeat big giant foes in first-person mecha combat glory ala the Ganbare Goemon/Mystical Ninja games.

For the less-than-two-hours of gaming you’ll be doing, you control Yuto who has a 3-hit sword attack, a charged flame elemental sword attack, and a dodge with cooldown. Later on, you get the ability to summon your other Dynamo Knight pals for mana bar-spending moves like a giant tornado, a straight shield charge, and water blobs that cool lava down. You’ll be using these moves to solve certain combat situations and “puzzles”, like baiting a flame-powered spinning mini-robot to your puddle of water shards since they’re unfazed by your sword attacks, or clearing out ice floors with your flame sword so you don’t slip and slide accidentally into enemies and game-ending spikes.

No, these environmental puzzles aren’t as elaborate as the 2D Zeldas this game is clearly inspired from, but it isn’t meant to be lengthy. For the runtime you’re given, there’s ample action in the three different worlds you’re in, with one of them combining the most common level themes in 2D gaming: fire and ice levels. Each stage is punctuated with the aforementioned first-person mecha fights, ranging from predictable to pretty tough. Overall, the 2D topdown stages offer a decent challenge while the first-person fights help break up the monotony of the basic level design and split pathways dished out.

The plot itself is part tribute, part parody. You’ll definitely encounter familiar tropes in the “student in fantasy world reuniting with his pals using special powers they’re given” storyline, but there are some notable twists, especially the ones surrounding the game’s main antagonist Gram. And without spoiling much, the climax comes with the funniest “Game Over” screen I’ve seen in a while since Banjo-Kazooie. At the very least, Inti Creates packed in a lot of 90s anime love and charisma in Divine Dynamo Flamefrit’s runtime. Heck, even the stage breaks have the “we’ll be right back” style title cards popping up to remind you what genre & style they’re paying tribute to.

Burning Heart

Divine Dynamo Flamefrit is a former April’s Fool Joke-turned-full-fledged 2-hour-or-so action game that doesn’t wear out its welcome. It hits all the action notes with its 2D top-down Zelda combat and traversing, features some fun boss fights, and comes with a hilarious game over screen if you flub up the final showdown. It’s an afternoon playthrough, for sure, but that’s the developer’s intent with this clear tribute to 90s anime and OVAs with clear-cut plotlines and isekai tropes before the term was even made.

Final Score: 80/100

Divine Dynamo Flamefrit will be out for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles on 21st November.