Stonefly

Even with those bouts of frustration, Stonefly is a thoroughly unique game that has novel gameplay ideas and a wonderful story. Dancing around the world while piloting your mech, trying to find emotional catharsis for your heroine while also beating up some bugs so you can get more resources to upgrade your current ride is a heck of a gameplay loop. It’s well worth experiencing if you want a chill adventure.

The missing element – one of the biggest challenges in game design – is a satisfying game feel. There's not enough feedback from using the gust ability; mechs never feel like they're delivering a strong blow. Combat in Stonefly essentially feels like blowing through a straw to try to move a pebble – it's tiresome, ineffective and tedious. [Issue #55 – October 2021, p. 20]

Ultimately, Stonefly ends up being a mixed bag. On one hand, exploring the forest by piloting tiny mechs is a wonderful idea, but the repetitious nature of resource gathering is compounded by the clunky combat, and I’d imagine that most players will be driven away before the experience is over.

With its charming, restful universe, its polished soundtrack and its original approach to mechas who can achieve feats in combat, Stonefly is a fun game, but more calibrated for short sessions than for long-term immersion.

It’s to Flight School Studio’s credit that, though the clashes at the game’s core left me underwhelmed, the whole thing didn’t feel hollowed-out. This is down to Annika, who sits at its heart and drives it on.

In the end, Stonefly shouldn't be taken for anything else than a pleasant yet ambitionless game. Its major flaws revolve around its gameplay, quite frustrating sometimes, but the overall game setting reveals to be picturesque and unique, not to mention the soothing soundtrack. Ideal for small game sessions.