Flash Games were all the rage in the late 2000s and early 2010s because they were free and they don't require a fast internet connection. It also allowed game developers and programmers to showcase their talents on the various flash gaming sites available on the web, such as Armor Games, Newgrounds, and Y8 Games.
However, with the advent and popularization of HTML 5 due to it being a better coding language, flash games eventually became defunct. Some flash game developers went with the more mainstream route, improving their flash games into something better and publishing them on online game platforms like Steam.
Con Artist Games' The Last Stand series is among those who made the jump, with the original trilogy becoming available on Steam. Another flash game developer, Innersloth, also made one of its games available on Steam, improving it in the process.
One of those games is The Henry Stickmin Collection.
The Henry Stickmin Collection History, Gameplay
The Henry Stickmin Collection is a choose-your-own-adventure game created by PuffballsUnited and published by Innersloth. As the name suggests, it comprises six episodes that players can play however they wish, though playing them in chronological order is the recommended way to have them.
A comparison of the same scene from the original flash game (top) and from the Collection (bottom).
The first to fifth episodes are an improved version of their flash game equivalents, with most, if not all, of the original voice lines being left intact. As such, only most of the animation and backgrounds were upgraded, showing how much PuffballsUnited improved since the first Henry Stickmin flash game.
A few of the original ones remain in the game, though they are not as jarring as many would think.
Animation aside, the game has players follow the titular character, Henry Stickmin's many exploits from his humble beginnings as a kleptomaniac that can't help himself, to either a crime family boss, military operative, or even a world-class thief.
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There isn't much gameplay apart from choosing one of the many options Henry can do. Some of these are realistic, while some are downright outlandish and bordering on silliness, a recurring theme in the six episodes.
*menacing aura intensifies*
Many of the game's choices are pop culture references, particularly from anime and video games. If you are well-versed in either or both, then you'll particularly enjoy playing through the game.
Additionally, the episodes in the collection are one of the few games that encourage players to choose as many wrong options as possible, as their results are so hilarious they are worth picking over the correct one.
Whether you choose to let the timer run out or pick from one of the three choices, you're in for a barrel of laughs.
There are also quick-time events wherein players are required to choose an option within a short amount of time or do something when the game tells them to do so.
Although the first episode has a definite ending, the second to sixth depends on the player's choices.
Bios and Achievements
Getting bios from this many characters is difficult, but replaying this part of the game is worth the effort. Hold up. Is that the Mario brothers?!
Aside from choosing the right and wrong option, players are also encouraged to collect every character bio and achievement the game has to offer. Bios are collected by right-clicking on a character's face (since that's the only part of the body you can click consistently. They are all stick figures, after all).
If a new bio is acquired, a blue "New Bio" sign will appear. Otherwise, a "Bio Owned" sign will show up instead.
Owned bios can be viewed in the bios book, which can be found in the game's main menu or on an ending screen.
Achievements can be acquired by reaching a specific ending, getting all the bad endings, and doing something specific.
Soundtrack
The game's soundtrack consists of clips rather than full-on tracks, as they play only for a short while on each episode's prologue, specific options, and epilogue.
Despite this, the soundtrack is superb in setting episodes up or providing a satisfactory closing note on one. All of these soundtracks can be listened to individually through the links in the game or by looking for them in Newgrounds.
Verdict
The Henry Stickmin Collection is a bona fide blast from the past that can still provide a lot of hilarity and laughs even when its flash game roots are no longer playable conventionally.
Thanks to the many references and hilarious bad endings, bio hunting, and achievements, you won't be getting tired of the game's repetitiveness anytime soon. You can even skip ahead to specific scenes through the map.
I'm giving this game an 8/10 for its simplistic take on a choose-your-own-adventure game and its hilarity.
If you're looking for a consistent source of laughs, this is the game you're looking for.
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