It’s been just over five years since Adobe decided to stop supporting Flash, but its impact and legacy won’t soon be forgotten. Being the backbone to most browser-based games of the 2000s and 2010s, it holds a special place in the hearts and minds of those who grew up with sites like Nitrome, Newgrounds and Miniclip.
When initially the support ceased, I, like many others, was worried that we may never see the classics ever again. Thankfully, this fear was quickly settled as there are a variety of ways to still experience original Flash games. While some were converted to HTML5 and are still playable on games sites, those that weren’t are still accessible via the ever-brilliant Flashpoint Archive, which collects over 200,000 games and animations.
While Flashpoint is definitely the best way to access the games in their original state, some developers have gone back and updated their beloved titles for a modern Steam release. Whether to enjoy the new improvements or to simply thank the dev for all the enjoyment way-back-when, here are five remastered Flash classics to consider buying.
Papa’s Pizzeria Deluxe
Developed by Flipline Studios
Original release: 2007, Remaster: 2024
If you didn’t play Papa’s Pizzeria back in the 2010s, there’s a good chance you’ve played one of its many, many different iterations instead. Before it spawned more than fifteen variations, such as Pancakeria, Donuteria, or Hot Doggeria (all stupidly great names), Pizzeria was a spin-off of the platforming game, Papa Louie.
Departing from its 2D sidescrolling roots, the game centres around making the perfect pizza, as quickly as possible to gain the highest customer satisfaction, in a never-ending but increasingly varied gameplay loop. Similar to the remaster Papa’s Freezeria Deluxe, which was released the year before, this remaster adds new customers and ingredients, as well as daily specials, a food-truck mode and most importantly to collectors like myself, a generous topping of achievements.
Submachine: Legacy
Developed by Mateusz Skutnik
Original release: 2005, Remaster: 2023
The definitive point-and-click series, Submachine, was unparalleled in its atmospheric presentation. The eerie music, beautifully hand-drawn environments, and understated world-building techniques left such a lasting impression that when Submachine: Legacy was announced, I was the most excited that I’d felt about a remaster in a long time.
Combining all ten of Mateusz Skutnik’s original Submachine games as well as their spinoffs, this collected edition features tweaked visuals, achievements, and most impressively, an overarching puzzle that connects all games, now labelled as chapters. It’s as visually stunning as it was when it came out and is the prime example of what Flash games can achieve with ambitious vision.
The Henry Stickmin Collection
Developed by Puffballsunited (Marcus Bromander)
Original release: 2008, Remaster: 2020
Prior to the release of the little-known social-deduction game Among Us, Innersloth’s co-founder, Marcus Bromander, created the Newgrounds series Henry Stickmin. Released between 2008 and 2015, the games were heist-like missions that were controlled by selecting one of many methods for each step in the plan, in what was essentially a choose-your-own-adventure animated short.
In 2017, Bromander announced a final game, Completing The Mission, would be available as part of The Henry Stickmin Collection, which would additionally remaster the other five entries to the series. Releasing in 2020, the collection gave the games a newfound audience after the unprecedented success of Among Us, as well as being featured in many Let’s Play YouTube videos.
Fancy Pants Adventure: Classic
Developed by Borne Games
Original release: 2006, Remaster: 2024 (Early Access)
Most of the characters that come to mind when Flash games are discussed are those that originally debuted on Newgrounds. Edmund McMillen’s Meat Boy and Isaac, The Behemoth’s Castle Crashers and Alien Hominid characters, and of course, Brad Borne’s stylish stick figure, Fancy Pants Man.
Fancy Pants Adventure: Classic is an early access title with the aim of updating the original Flash series over time. New features include widescreen support, increased framerate and a number of quality-of-life changes. As of now, it contains the reworked first two games, and while the third is being worked on, you can still access it in its original, unoptimised, 30fps form. It’s a pleasure to see the already sleek movements of this platformer look even better in 60 frames.
Twin Shot: Deluxe
Developed by Nitrome Limited
Original release: 2009, Remaster: TBA
To me, Nitrome was the face of browser games in my early years as a gamer. I don’t think they get nearly as much credit as they deserve, with the only mention I hear these days being the occasional reference to Skywire. Their run of consistently phenomenal Flash games was second to none, and though their games were available on sites like Miniclip, their own website was a vast library that proved just how many bangers they had developed.
In December of last year, Nitrome Classics were announced, which are upcoming remasters of classic Nitrome titles. The first to release is Twin Shot: Deluxe. Jumping from 20 to 60FPS, a complete graphical overhaul in 16:9 aspect ratio, as well as promising over two hundred new levels, are all things you’d want to see in a rereleased Flash title. I’m just waiting for a proper release date, along with the other two announced Nitrome Classics, Silly Sausage and the aforementioned Skywire series. I will always take an opportunity to support the Nitrome team, and I’ll never be able to thank them enough for the unlimited joy that they’ve given me, and I’m sure many others.
