Loondon is a point-and-click Flash game fairytale. Not a happy elves and kittens kind of fairytale, but a dark, twisty one that could have easily come from the mind of someone like Tim Burton. This tale sends Jonah the Hunch on a quest to find true happiness. The game begins with Jonah leaving his old life at the circus and beginning this tragic journey. Players must send him through the unfamiliar streets of Loondon, solving puzzles, thanklessly helping various villagers, and most importantly, soul-searching.
Foggy Loondon Town.
The artwork is probably the greatest thing about Loondon. It brings to mind the visual style of Where the Wild Things Are (the book that the Spike Jonze film was based off) with its eerie jagged lines and excruciating level of detail. To add to the story-book visuals, the game is narrated in nursery rhyme style poetry. The creepy carnival background music emphasizes the strangeness of the game–the strangeness Jonah must feel in this unfamiliar environment. On top of the extraordinary weirdness of it all, there are clever little details hidden throughout the game that are easily missed the first time through. Look carefully for recurring characters, loads of Biblical symbolism, and signs bearing witty puns. All of these things make this a game to experience multiple times, and even one that could probably stand up to philosophical analysis (if you want to think that deeply, that is.)
Someone's watching.
Like so many of the Flash games these days, Loondon suffers from brevity. There is a video walkthrough on YouTube for the entire game, and it clocks in under nine minutes. But all of the hidden little gems in this puzzler give it some redeeming replay value. If you want to fully appreciate the story, you’ll most likely have to play through it multiple times, each time discovering some new “holy crap, did I just see that?” moments.
An old lady with a knife in her chest--you just KNOW Jonah's getting blamed for this one.
If you just like to blaze through games at breakneck speed, go ahead. But I’ll offer some advice: Loondon is a piece of art. Take your time with it. Immerse yourself in its creepy world. Study every drawing very carefully, looking for little Where’s Waldo-esque hidden gags. And then, of course, repeat. I think you’ll be surprised what you find on your third and fourth times through.
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A flash puzzler that’s bizarre, pretty, and even a little bit thought-provoking. | ||||
Game: Loondon | Developer: Flip-N-Tail