Manairons Review: A Flute-Wielding Elf, Napalm, and a Baron Who Needs to Go

Mana!rons? Mana Irons? Oh… Manairons. That first one wasn’t an exclamation mark, but the flute your lil’ elf plays. No, you aren’t imagining things: you do have a little elf; they play a flute called King Canute, and they’re telling you to burn them. Burn them all.

Fortunately for your mental health, the elves in question are actually the heroes of 3Cat and Jandusoft’s new 3D platformer that I had the delight of playing on the Switch.

The premise of Manairons is a nice lil’ fairytale where an ‘orrible Baron is being a dick to the folks of Vilamont, so balance must be restored with napalm. But… as this is a fairytale, the napalm is a lil’ elf/spirity thing that brings harmony with its flute. And napalm.

As Nai, you’re vertically challenged and navigate a series of oversized terrains as if a hybrid of The Borrowers and the Pied Piper, only less sinister. You’ll defeat a boss, make a local happy, then get to listen to some tunes on your bean bag.

A Fairytale with Fire and Flutes

Manairons is a 3D platformer, well, more 2.5D. Without a doubt, the level design is the standout (besides the enchanting worldbuilding!), as you tiptoe across ledges, dodge oil slicks, and climb threads in some lovely settings.

Using 2.5D as our marker, you’ll see Nai move from left to right, with various levels above and below that are typically accessible via climbing threads or floating platforms. There are no real shortcuts.

This, from a platforming perspective, is a little frustrating to begin with, as he moves at a leisurely pace, so when you make a mistake and fall off a ledge for the third time in a row, climbing back to where you were is a chore.

Because you can’t manually control the camera in Manairons, it can be difficult to see where you are, or where you will land. The developers clearly have had that foresight with using transparency behind obstacles, with a visible shadow where Nai will land.

Tiptoeing Through Ledges (and Frustration)

Regrettably, in execution, it’s not so easy, and there were countless times when I would miscalculate a ledge and fall off. Not to my death, but having to repeat the same paths so slowly seemed a fate worse.

While Manairons really is a lovely setting, and Nai seemingly exudes the life of a pacifist, they don’t always rely on their flute for soothing melodies and will beat fellow dinky folk with the end of it.

Attacks are swift enough but very basic. The only variations are charged attacks and dodging at the right time. To be honest, I don’t think it’s a flaw, as primarily the focus is on the platforming (mixed) and puzzles (satisfying).

Puzzles are often switch types where playing the flute will induce telekinesis to drop an otherwise impossible-to-lift object onto a pad that will open a door or create energy to open another.

Beat ‘Em Up and Tune In

The flute can also be used to reach hard-to-obtain locations. Nai will learn a tune that has to be remembered by playing a series of buttons – i.e. B, B, A, right, right, up. That might even be one.

Not having a QTE was quite refreshing and made me pay attention to learning these; otherwise it was a case of going back to the local and asking them, “What was that tune again? Do-do-dee-do-do-do?”

Lovely, but Let Down by the Camera

There are so many aspects about Manairons that reinforce a really lovely vibe, as savepoints have Nai sitting on a bean bag listening to a gramophone to chill (unlockable songs with that, alas, no Cannibal Corpse).

The art style, too, is really great. The characters are great, as are the unique bosses. I wasn’t too sure about the voiceovers, especially the main narrator ‘He-hehing’ a sentence that wasn’t fully recorded, but that’s being picky.

But the bestest bit about Manairons that I loved most was the levels. Yes, the platforming in some areas can border on irritation, but the variations, designs and overall feel it projected had me wanting to rid the town of the Baron, then slump in my bean bag, satisfied, and return to my slumber.