There are some publishers which may announce a game you have never heard of, know nothing about, but due to their trustworthy track record, you end up looking forward to it regardless. They rarely deliver a dud, so why would you worry about a new game by them, even if it’s not exactly the kind of title they usually develop? Inti Creates is one of those companies. Not only did they develop entire franchises like Mega Man Zero and Azure Striker Gunvolt, but they are even responsible for the only game featuring Mighty No. 9 to not suck. I tend to trust them, even when they decide to make a top-down, budget Zelda clone like Divine Dynamo Flamefrit.

Well, this is not an unfunny game…

My first reaction upon booting Divine Dynamo Flamefrit up was to figure out if this thing was actually based on an existing manga or anime. It starts off by spitting out quite a bit of exposition, detailing characters, the world they live in, and so on. It’s the classic anime formula of “Japanese high schooler was chosen to become a warrior and has some weird supernatural spirit helping him out”, in this case, a fire spirit. There are other chosen ones like our protagonist, as well as a bunch of villains you need to defeat. It feels like a collection of episodes of the week from a long forgotten anime, to be honest, as each level follows the same pattern, with a specific setup, middle, and conclusion.

The game itself is a deviation from what Inti Creates usually does. It’s not an action platformer with clear Mega Man influences, instead feeling more like a Zelda-inspired adventure game, featuring a top-down perspective, the same kind of screen transitioning, slight emphasis on dungeon exploration, and sword-based combat. Furthermore, you have both a health and magic meter. The differences lie in a few areas, though: the game is not open-ended, instead being linear and level-based, and the scope is vastly reduced. You can beat this game in about two hours, give or take.

Divine Dynamo Flamefrit’s visuals reminded me of games like Alundra.

As a result, this feels like a small palate cleanser with clear nods to Zelda and other hidden gems like Alundra and Terranigma. Explore a dungeon, defeat tons of enemies, solve the very occasional puzzle, and reach the boss. The neat twist is that you don’t fight a boss like you would in a Zelda game. You fight them… piloting a Megazord.

It might be the coolest, but also the worst aspect, at least mechanically-speaking, in this entire game. Boss battles have you control a Megazord in first-person, where you only have access to a shot attack and your sword. It’s a very clunky combat system, as it’s based on reacting to the Mode 7-esque boss approaching you, without you ever properly knowing when it’s really in front of you. Bosses are also very spongy, so these sections take way too long. The first one was a novel, and quite amusing. By the second one, I was already feeling I had seen enough of what that gimmick could offer.

I’m sure these mech sections were supposed to be the game’s main selling point, but I thought they were its weakest link.

Without a doubt, the Zelda-esque sections were the highlight. Dungeons are colorful, the combat is simple but interesting, you do get powerups in between levels, and the characters are funny and well-animated. There aren’t combos or anything of the sort: the closest to a complex move you have access to, besides summons, is a strong attack you can deliver after performing a dodge roll behind an enemy’s back. As for the rest, it’s straightforward hacking and slashing, with the occasional twist. For instance, if you find yourself on top of a patch of leaves, you can perform your flaming spin attack to conjure a wildfire and destroy enemies near you.

To be fair, Megazord fights aside, I think that the only blatant issue with this game is the fact it’s painfully short. Then again, if you are playing this on the Switch, the Steam Deck, or a ROG Ally, that might not exactly be a big problem. It’s just the fact it feels quite weird that Divine Dynamo Flamefrit features voice acting, some cutscenes, and an above average level of polish for something so brief. I left the game wanting a bit more substance from it, even though I did have a pretty fun time playing it.

If you perform a spin attack atop a patch of grass or leaves, you can create a wildfire that will deal massive damage towards enemies.

Divine Dynamo Flamefrit is a very brief experience, but one that’s quite enjoyable while it lasts. Its brevity might actually be its biggest weakness: I legit wanted more from this Zelda-lite adventure, with decent PS1-ish visuals, actually competent voice acting, straightforward controls and surprising sense of humor. I would have been able to live without the unnecessary first-person Megazord boss battles, though. It might not exactly be the best fit for a PC or even console, but it’s a perfect match for the Switch, or even the Steam Deck.

Divine Dynamo Flamefrit is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of Divine Dynamo Flamefrit was provided by the publisher.