Endangered Media: The Best of Adobe Flash

With their charming characters, intuitive gameplay, and addictive time management mechanics, these games became a staple of the Flash gaming world. Let us know if your favorite made the list! If not, feel free to add it in the comments below!

"Dodgeball: The Show"

Based on the 2004 movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, this game leads Average Joes Gym through the Las Vegas International Tournament sequence to win the ADAA championship.



The bracket exists as follows:

Troop 417

Kamikazes

Las Vegas U.

Skillz that Kills

Globo Gym

Eliminate each player on the opposing team to win the match and work your way through the playoff bracket. Despite being almost two decades old, you can still play this game on gameflare.com.

"Taco Fu":

Originally created as a Taco Bell ad and published by KewlBox, Taco Fu takes place in the colorful world of Lucha Libre, where tacos become weapons and culinary skills transform into powerful martial arts moves. Players battle through hunger and hordes of quirky opponents using lightning-fast reflexes and taco-based combat techniques.



Unlock new characters, each with their own unique abilities and attacks as you progress through the game. Master the art of taco slinging, unleash devastating combos, and perform jaw-dropping special moves to defeat your adversaries. With its straightforward play-style and subliminal marketing, Taco Fu caters directly to young children by psychologically triggering fast-food cravings.

While the developer once touted the title's debut statistic of 5 million players in 6 months, this game is no longer accessible and may qualify as lost media.

"Line Rider" (2006):

A sandbox game in its own right, Line Rider paved the way for early DS titles like Scribblenauts to gain traction with young gamers.



Using pencil and eraser tools, Line Rider allowed players to watch the stick figure rider navigate the self-designed course, making it a mesmerizing and rewarding favorite among creative minds.

Different editions of this game are available on iOS and Google Play, and a browser version is accessible on at linerider.com .

"Bloons Tower Defense" series (2007-2017):

The Bloons Tower Defense series was a strategic tower defense game that challenged players to pop waves of colorful balloons using various monkeys with unique abilities. With its addictive gameplay and constant updates, this series offered hours of strategic fun and became a staple in the Flash gaming community.



The inital title was so popular, it inspired 5 sequels and 4 spin-offs.

"Fancy Pants Adventure" series (2006-2012):

Fancy Pants Adventure introduced players to an acrobatic stick figure with spiky hair, known as Fancy Pants Man.



Developed by Brad Borne, this platformer game featured smooth animations, fluid side-scrolling controls (think Sonic), and a charming art style. With its fun level design and quirky humor, it quickly gained a dedicated fan base.

"Alex Trax" (2007):

Alex Trax was a darkly comedic physics-based game that challenged players to navigate hazardous obstacle courses via BMX. The game's gory and over-the-top nature made it a hit among bike lovers or just those with a taste for unconventional humor and challenges.


This BMX title catered to a more niche audience due to its art style and gameplay mechanics.

"Genghis Khan":

Genghis Khan is a tactical strategy game in which you attempt to conquer the entire map, regardless of the terrain. There are 8 Mission modes to choose from depending on your ideal difficulty.



There have been numerous iterations of this Risk-style game through the years, and a semi-playable version of this edition still exists on miniplay.com.

"Papa's Pizzeria" (2007-2014):

The Papa's series of restaurant simulation games allowed players to step into the shoes of a restaurant owner, managing various aspects of the business, from cooking and serving to customization and upgrades.



Many of the games have been ported to iOS, such as the original title as well as Papa's Wingeria. Each edition of the series is available at papaspizzeria.io