Everybody has a busy life. Going to work, making money, taking care of yourself and others; it’s all a very demanding way of living. Needless to say, everybody needs a holiday from time to time, without it, we would simply lose our minds. But what if the Grim Reaper wants a holiday? What if he wants to go to the Moon because nobody died there and he needs some rest? Well, it looks like poor Penny has to solve that issue.
Be the Grim Reaper
At the start of our game, we meet Penny during an evening filled with Halloween horrors. Penny is that typical edgy teenager who seems to believe that black is the only color of importance. She’s smart and favors a dark sense of humor, needless to say, you’ll love her from the start. Things don’t go as planned for the poor girl, driving her car eventually led her to fall down in a pit where she broke her back and died. That’s it, the end, game over, there’s no moral to this story… Or is there?
After dying, it seems that Penny came back as a ghost in the afterlife. Curious about her surroundings and new floating body, she went on a little exploration that led her straight to the Grim Reaper. Long story short, the guy is in desperate need of a vacation, sees the perfect intern in Penny and gives her the job she never dreamed of: being the Grim Reaper! Now that Penny is the new Reaper, she has to find out if there’s a way to enter the realm of the living again but while she’s at it, she might as well solve numerous problems the ghosts are struggling with.
Time to flip sides
Who would have guessed that ghosts are still struggling with problems, right? Well, certainly not Penny! Not only is she stuck in this ghost world, now she has to solve all those problems, mostly revolving around the causes of death. The first case is that of Lady Elderdough who can’t find rest because she believes she got killed and the killer is still on the loose. Although this is your first actual case in the game, it really demonstrates the mechanics that are necessary to solve such a ghostly issue.
First things first, Penny has to collect all sorts of flying shiny creatures in the world of the dead, if she collects enough of those, she can control a living being on the other side. That’s right, Penny can flip sides by possessing other humans (or the object they are holding). In the world of the dead, you’ll see shadows of those who are still alive, depending on your problem, you can take over a human to solve a part of the puzzle. During your first mission, you’ll have to paint a boat so you’ll need to think about who will be the best painter in the small town. A small word of advice, nothing is what it seems in this whimsical world and the solution is often extremely out of the box.
Nothing is as it seems
Traveling between the two world is the key mechanic in the game and this is used to solve the puzzles. In the land of the dead, there’s some more platform action to grab those shiny creatures, but the puzzles are what make the game stand out from the rest. Solving these problems isn’t as easy as you might first anticipate. The game comes up with some crazy solutions to problems and it will take a while before you truly understand what the game is asking from you. To make things a little easier, you’re never dropped in a giant environment. Penny can only control small sections at one time so your playground is never too big. To keep a good overview, you’ll also have access to a handy map filled with teleport spots and exclamation marks indicating places of interest.
Still too difficult? Take a look at the hints in the menu! I know, it’s not how ballers should roll, but a hint from time to time can really help you out. The hints show you the character and object you need but also remain mysterious enough so they don’t give the solution right away. It’s good to have this system since I’m sure a lot of gamers will be lost the first couple of minutes in the game. If you want a true challenge, you obviously pretend these hints don’t exist.
Flawless presentation
Although the puzzles are truly fun to play, the real star of Flipping Death is its presentation. The world looks like it’s created from paper and all the characters are extremely whimsical and recognizable. The moment Penny takes over a living soul, she can read his/her mind and answer to those deeper thoughts. Needless to say, these situations often result in strange but funny conversations between people and their ‘secret’ inner voice. Talking about dialogues, the entire game is voice acted, there’s not a line of text that goes unspoken, even during the loading screens, you’ll hear a funny narrator explaining what goes on in the game. It’s a great way to hide the rather long loading times. Flipping Death is certainly worth playing due to this flawless presentation, even if it’s not really your genre of game.
Conclusion:
Flipping Death is one of the best games I’ve played recently. The way Penny has to solve the puzzles is something I haven’t seen before and I adore the game for forcing me to think outside of the box. As if this wasn’t good enough already, the strong presentation lifts the entire game to new heights. If you’re looking for a fun new game to play, this is the one you’re looking for, it’s flippin’ good!
