Stick figures shouldn't be this iconic. Honestly, if you told someone in 2008 that a flash game about a guy breaking out of a bank would eventually lead to a massive, multi-path epic with voice acting and high-budget animation, they’d probably laugh at you. But here we are. Henry Stickmin Completing the Mission isn't just a game; it’s basically the "Avengers: Endgame" of the indie flash world. It brought together a decade of memes, failures, and ridiculous choices into one final package that somehow managed to satisfy everyone.
It's weird.
Most games try to punish you for failing. Henry Stickmin rewards it. In fact, if you aren't actively trying to find every single "Fail" screen, you're basically playing the game wrong. This final entry in the Henry Stickmin Collection, developed by PuffballsUnited (Marcus Bromander) and published by InnerSloth, takes everything that worked in Breaking the Bank or Stealing the Diamond and turns the dial up to eleven. It’s massive. It’s chaotic. It’s genuinely funny in a way that most "humorous" games fail to be because it understands the timing of a well-placed reference.
The Chaos of Branching Paths
The most ambitious thing about Henry Stickmin Completing the Mission is the way it handles its starting point. It doesn't just give you one intro. It asks you how you finished the previous games. Because Infiltrating the Airship and Fleeing the Complex had multiple endings, this game uses those as building blocks. You pick one ending from the Airship and one from the Complex, and the game combines them to create your starting scenario.
There are 15 different combinations. That’s a lot of work for a developer.
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Depending on your choices, Henry might be a high-ranking government agent, a member of the notorious Toppat Clan, or a lone wolf just trying to get some gold. This creates a narrative web that feels personal. You aren't just playing "the game"; you're playing your version of Henry's story. If you teamed up with Ellie in the last game, she’s here. If you left her behind... well, let's just say she remembers that. The "Ghost Inmate" path vs. the "Convict Allies" path leads to wildly different tones, ranging from high-stakes heist drama to a revenge story that feels surprisingly heavy for a game about stick people.
Why We Love to Fail
Let's talk about the fails. Usually, seeing a "Game Over" screen is frustrating. In Henry Stickmin Completing the Mission, it's the highlight. The developers knew this. They packed the game with 164 unique fails. Some are just Henry being incompetent, like trying to use a teleporter that inevitably fuses him with a wall. Others are elaborate parodies of other games or movies.
One minute you're seeing a reference to Metal Gear Solid, and the next you're watching a pixel-perfect recreation of a Dragon Ball Z move that goes horribly wrong. It’s this density of content that makes the game feel alive. You aren't just clicking buttons; you're exploring a museum of internet culture.
Breaking Down the Toppat Civil War
One of the standout routes is the Toppat Civil War. It’s a perfect example of how the game handles consequences. If you chose the "Government Employee" and "International Rescue" combination, the stakes feel grounded. But if you lean into the chaos of the Toppat Clan—a group of hat-obsessed criminals living on a giant orbital station—things get weird fast.
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The Toppat Clan itself is a stroke of genius. It’s a faction where everyone is defined by their headwear. You have Right Hand Man, who is basically a cyborg killing machine, and Reginald Copperbottom, the leader who is constantly stressed out by Henry’s antics. The dynamic between these characters provides a backbone for the story that keeps it from being just a series of random jokes. There is a legitimate plot happening here, even if it’s one where a man might try to solve a problem by throwing a Poké Ball.
The Charles Calvin Factor
We can't talk about Henry Stickmin Completing the Mission without mentioning Charles Calvin. He’s the pilot. He has "the greatest plan." If you know, you know.
Charles represents the heart of the series. He’s the bumbling, overly enthusiastic helicopter pilot who is always ready to help Henry, usually by crashing into something. In the "Valiant Hero" ending—which is arguably the most famous part of the entire game—the tone shifts from comedy to genuine emotion. It’s a bold move for a game that spends 99% of its time making fart jokes and poking fun at Sonic the Hedgehog. But it works. It works because the game has spent hours making you care about these characters through their shared failures.
Technical Feats and Visual Evolution
If you look at the original Breaking the Bank from 2008 and compare it to Henry Stickmin Completing the Mission, the jump in quality is staggering. PuffballsUnited didn't just stay in his lane; he improved his craft. The animation in the final game is fluid. The backgrounds are detailed. The voice acting, mostly done by Bromander himself, is incredibly expressive given the minimalist character designs.
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The game also runs on a custom engine within the Henry Stickmin Collection. Since Flash was dying (and eventually did die), InnerSloth had to rebuild the entire series from the ground up to ensure it would be playable on modern systems. This wasn't just a port; it was a preservation project. They kept the soul of the original web games but added the polish expected of a modern Steam release.
Misconceptions About the "Correct" Ending
A lot of people ask what the "canon" ending is. The truth is, there isn't one. The game is designed to be a multiverse. Every ending is canon. Every fail happened in some timeline. This is actually a plot point in the game’s lore, hinted at through various Easter eggs and the presence of the Multiverse Balance Span.
People think they need to find a specific path to "beat" the game. You don't. You beat the game when you've seen everything. The 100% completion achievement is the real final boss. It requires patience and a willingness to click on things that look like a bad idea.
Actionable Insights for Players
If you're diving into the game for the first time, or returning to find those last few secrets, keep these things in mind:
- Don't skip the bios. Every character in the game, even the ones who appear for two seconds in the background, has a name and a bit of lore. You collect these by clicking on characters during the action sequences. It’s a massive world-building tool that most people ignore.
- The "Map" is your best friend. The game features a robust map system that shows you exactly which branches you haven't explored yet. If you're stuck, look for the greyed-out lines.
- Listen for the music. The soundtrack by Peter "Bignic" Garner is top-tier. Each route has its own musical identity. The "Betrayed" path feels much different than the "Special BROvert Ops" path, largely thanks to the audio cues.
- Click everything. Some of the best jokes are hidden in the background. A poster on a wall or a weird item on a desk often leads to a hidden achievement or a unique interaction.
Henry Stickmin Completing the Mission is a rare beast. It’s a game that grew up with its audience. It transitioned from a bored teenager's hobby to a polished, professional product without losing the chaotic energy that made it popular on Newgrounds in the first place. It’s a reminder that good writing and creative gameplay will always trump high-fidelity graphics.
To truly experience everything, start by aiming for the "Triple Threat" ending—it’s widely considered the most satisfying conclusion to the trio of Henry, Ellie, and Charles. Once that’s done, go back and intentionally fail every single choice in the "Toppat King" route to see the sheer variety of ways the developers imagined Henry's demise. Collecting all 164 fails isn't just a chore; it's the only way to see the full scope of the game's humor and the effort put into this send-off. After finishing all routes, check the "Plushies" and "Recordings" in the main menu to find the hidden 'Multiverse Balance' ending, which provides the ultimate closure for the series.