The Henry Stickmin Collection

Over the course of 12 years, many have grown to know and love the Henry Stickmin adventure games. Originally released in 2008 as a flash game on the site Newgrounds.com, Henry Stickmin is a hilarious point-and-click, choose-your-own-adventure style game that features fantastic writing, and many references to popular video game culture. The first release, Breaking the Bank, would be followed by 4 more entries between 2010 and 2015. In August of 2020, developer PuffballsUnited released the Henry Stickmin Collection, which combines the previous five entries of the anthology in a new, remastered form, along with a climactic sixth episode. Here are some of the features of the Henry Stickmin Collection.

A Complete Visual Overhaul

Video games have come a long way since 2008, so in order to appeal to a contemporary audience, The Henry Stickmin Collection features completely new graphics and animations, built from the ground up for this release. The difference is staggering when you look at the original game side by side with this new version.

Perhaps the most notable difference in this case would be the upgraded aspect ratio of 16:9, suitable for the modern widescreen TVs and monitors we use today, vs the 4:3 aspect ratio of the original. The new artwork is bright and colorful, and is greatly complemented by the much smoother animation created by a more seasoned developer (PuffballsUnited was only 17 when he made the first episode!).

Modernizing a Classic

Like the visuals, the gameplay itself has been greatly improved in every episode when compared to their original releases. Each episode will now benefit from quality of life additions from later episodes that were not originally present in the first few. Features like the Map, which functions as a fast travel that will allow you to go to previously visited locations and retry options made at those locations, and the Quick Time Event timers from later episodes which give players a visual representation of how much time they have to complete a QTE. These features provide players old and new with a modern experience of an internet classic, and make it a must play for gamers of all ages.

A Proper Ending

With The Henry Stickmin Collection, you get the previously released five episodes in their complete form, remastered and revamped for a new generation of fans, along with a massive sixth episode that brings the whole series to a momentous conclusion.

The sixth episode is called Completing the Mission, and according to the developer, it is three times the size of the previous episodes in terms of the breadth of content. It also features a number of different endings based on decisions you have made across all of the episodes.

Pros

• Remastered graphics and new animations are fantastic
• Classic point-and-click gameplay

Cons

• Some video game references can be cringey

Prepare for a crazy choose-your-path odyssey with The Henry Stickmin Collection! This collection contains all six games in this internet classic, leading players on a hilarious adventure of life, death, and jokes. Playing as Henry Stickmin, you'll go on a series of incredibly wild quests, where your choices determine your success and the outcome of the story. The games have been completely updated with new graphics and sound, reviving this cult classic browser franchise into one awesome package!

Main Game Features

• Includes five remastered games and one brand new adventure
• Overhauled graphics and sound
• Unlockable achievements
• Over 400 character bios

Story

In all six of the included games, players control Henry Stickmin, a quiet and simple protagonist who often finds his way into trouble. In the prologue game, called Breaking the Bank, Henry tries to rob a bank in a desert, but finds more trouble than he expected. After his attempted bank robbery, Henry must break out of jail in the next game, Breaking the Prison, which sees him escaping a maximum security penitentiary. Once free of his confinement, Henry returns to life of a thief in Stealing the Diamond, where he and his friends plan another theft of a priceless gem from a museum.

Henry's journey spirals further out of control in the last three games, Infiltrating the Airship, Fleeing the Complex, and Completing the Mission. The final game is entirely new to The Henry Stickmin Collection and wraps up some subplots before concluding the series in full. Overall, Henry Stickmin's story is one that is exceptionally wild and full of surprises. As the player, you determine Henry's morality through your choices, crafting him into your perfect anti-hero. These choices matter, as well, since the games feature tons of endings to find, all depending on which paths you take.

Gameplay

The Henry Stickmin Collection is very similar to games like Life is Strange or Telltale's The Walking Dead, but with a much sillier and comedic touch. Much like the classic arcade game Dragon's Lair, The Henry Stickmin Collection presents you with an animated story, where you get to make choices for Henry along the way. At each step in Henry's misadventures, you'll have to choose dialogue responses, solutions to puzzles, and make the right choice during battles. If you choose the wrong option, Henry will completely fail, resulting in a unique cutscene. Sometimes there are multiple correct choices, which lead to branching paths in the story.

While you ultimately want to succeed and beat each story, failing is a big part of the enjoyment in The Henry Stickmin Collection. Each of the failure animations are amusing and well-made, so making mistakes is often just as rewarding as winning. Don't worry if you mess up, as there are no penalties for failing or choosing the wrong option. In fact, the game actively tracks your failures, turning it into a fun statistic to keep an eye on. In addition to updated visuals and remastered audio, The Henry Stickmin Collection also features over 400 new character bios to unlock. Reading these bios adds even more context to the story and is a great addition overall.

Conclusion

The Henry Stickmin Collection is a perfect representation of the age of snarky browser games, where misbehavior and attitude were combined with enjoyable gameplay ideas. With six full games to enjoy and tons of endings to uncover, this collection is one of the most replayable packages of its kind, offering lots of replayability.

Pros

• Updated graphics and audio sound good
• So many games to choose from
• New character bios are a nice touch
• Unique animations make it fun to fail

Cons

• Rugged cartoon style might not be for everyone
• Needs more action sequences
• Some endings are disappointing