Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

Publisher

Zoink Games

Developer

Zoink Games

Genre

Adventure, Platform, Puzzle

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

2.9 GB

Release Date (NA)

Aug 7, 2018

Purchase From

Amazon

Best Buy

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

Flipping Death is a story-driven game that puts players in a position to problem solve issues by switching between the worlds of the living and the dead. Its particular design and storyline result in a solid title from Thunderful Games (formerly known as Zoink Games).

Right Person for the Job

Meet Penny, a teenage girl who dies too early for her age and is mistaken as a fill-in for Death. Yes, the Grim Reaper himself has been dying for a vacation and appoints Penny as the temp for him while he’s gone. So what does Penny need to do? Help the dead solve their personal issues in order to rest in peace. As Penny aids the dead, she also helps out the living with their problems. Furthermore, progressing through the game will also uncover the secrets of Penny’s own demise.

With this new position, Penny can flip between the living world and the dead one. However, in order to interact with the living world, she’ll need to possess a living being who’s willing to be taken over by Death. Determining that is based on the story’s progress and the not-so-subtle fact that the character glows brightly on the dead side.

However, you can’t just go around possessing anyone that glows. To successfully possess someone, you’ll have to gather enough souls on the dead side and spend them on the character who’s on the living side. Thankfully, you only need to do it once per chapter. Still, be aware that some characters require different types of souls which are tricker to find on the dead side. At times, Penny has to overcome obstacles to catch souls. Penny’s double jump makes doing this quite difficult since it requires precise timing, so expect some frustration.

The Domino Effect

In order to get through a chapter, there are specific steps and actions that need to be taken and not doing so, well, leaves you stuck. Each event you create can initiate a cause and effect. Solving one problem creates an additional one.

For example, in one scenario, you possess a vulture to grab a detached arm from the graveyard and toss it into the nearby clinic. A cutscene occurs where the doctor takes the arm and uses it to fix a patient. The patient leaves and takes on a tennis ball machine that shoots bowling balls. You then have Penny possess the patient-turned-tennis-player. With the new arm, Penny can make the tennis player hit the bowling ball with the racket, making the ball fly into a window in a nearby building. More events occur, and the story continues from there. As silly and weird as these scenarios can be, it’s amusing to see them unfold.

Thankfully, there’s no time limit and no deaths. You are playing an interactive story at your own pace. When you inevitably get stuck, the game will give you a list of hints on what to do, but only as illustrations, not words. You’ll have to decipher what the graphic is showing you and then try to make it happen. Some are straightforward, while others will definitely make you scratch your head. Good luck.

Move Aside, Bub

As you move your character around the world, it often feels as if you are controlling a puppet. Of course, as Death, you are taking over unfamiliar bodies, but a few characters are easier to move than others and can require multiple actions. For instance, being the trumpet player requires you to move the arms up toward his mouth in order to blow into the instrument. To make it more challenging, the angle of the horn needs to be fairly exact in order to activate an event. It certainly takes some getting used to.

Tim Burton’s Pop-Up Book

The art style for Flipping Death is something rare. Its saturated colors evoke that gloomy feel, giving a tip of the hat to Tim Burton’s style. From the vivid environment to the character illustrations, they all blend together seamlessly. Some objects feel a bit too blended in, though, making it hard to know whether they can be interacted with or not.

The game’s 2.5 dimensions make the designs pop out even more, literally. Using a pop-up style to showcase the living and dead worlds works very well. The animation when going between the worlds, in particular, looks like flipping a page in a storybook. The detail in the world itself is impressive, too, from the names on gravestones to the stylized flourishes on the twisted buildings themselves. While the living world has more detail than its darker opposite, it’s not a negative, since you will spend at least 80 percent of the time there.

See You on the Flip Side

Flipping Death’s storytelling is compelling and its delightfully twisted art style makes it stand tall. Regardless of some odd character physics and the head-scratching hints, the game is simply amusing to watch. Who knew being death could be so challenging?

Disclaimer: A digital review copy was provided by Zoink Games (Thunderful Games) for the PlayStation 4.