Flipping is Hard Review

I loved my Nokia 3310, so much. Making my own custom ringtones, swapping out cases whenever I darn well pleased and praising its indestructibility. But, I fear that after playing Flipping is Hard, where you become this retro hall-of-fame tech, I may not love the Nokia 3310 anymore. It turns out traversing an increasingly complicated obstacle course as a brick phone you once loved is a surefire way to tar your lovely memories. 

In fact, I can safely say that developers Elegant Horse Studios weren’t lying one bit when they titled this rage game so candidly. Yes, flipping is hard. Really hard. And good evidence of that is the piles of hair that are now strewn around my desk where I’ve pulled it out in clumps.

You’re not quite a Nokia 3310 in Flipping is Hard though. You’re a Flippia, called Flippy, tasked with flipping your way back to your owner, Jeff, who accidentally dropped you down a storm drain. And while you desperately want to return to little Jeffy, you have to navigate many, many levels of doom before you can snuggle back into his cosy palm.

“No Legs. Just Flips,” the devs say. No arms either. Just rotations upon rotations in this physics-driven title, guided by clever features like activating vibrate mode to get yourself lined up just right or watching retro TV tutorials that’ll demonstrate how to pull off the big time jumps needed to progress. You’d think simple mechanics like this wouldn’t take much to master, but they are absolutely devastating in execution.

Like any good rage game, the tension is slow-building before it’s relentless, lulling you into a false sense of security and a hubristic mood that’ll soon get utterly pummelled. And for the first hour or so of Flipping is Hard, that was me. Smug as you like and surprised at my skillset. 

I was also pleasantly surprised by how much humour they’d managed to inject into a game crafted, I thought, purely to infuriate. Instead, you’re invited to have a little laugh in between the sobs of despair. Sticky notes with nostalgic callbacks to 2007’s Portal, “The cake is a LIE?’ and the disturbing, but incredibly quotable, Shrek metameme, “Flippy is love. Flippy is life.”

Or another sticky note that told me to turn around only to show me a symbol of the circle game (where you make an OK sign with your hand below the waist and if you convince someone to look at it, you get to punch their arm…). Unfortunately, I found these fun moments quickly dried up when I needed them the most, scattered few and far between after the first few levels when the dread truly sunk in.

In terms of being a rage game, Elegant Horse Studios executes with perfection. I only wish the same could be said for my rotating jumps. Teetering on the edges of pencils, sliding across the icy platforms of the fridge, and spinning insanely round neon pipes all had me yelling with misery as I failed time and time again. Followed by the sigh of relief after passing a dreadful sticking point. In fact, I was so angry at points that my Garmin watch noted I was experiencing high levels of stress.

But, as I flipped my way through old crayons and discarded dolls’ house furniture, screaming at almost every turn, I was not alone. Flipping is Hard has a narrator that amuses, encourages, and, at times, belittles when times get tough. With a voice akin to Matt Berry, he told me that Jeffy was waiting for me and that I was doing a really good job. Saying, “You’re fine.” While I yelled back into the abyss, “I’m NOT fine.” As I made my way closer to Jeffy’s little hands though, the storyline got a little more interesting. The complexity of this narrative widens in a surprising way that made me stop and think about what was really going on as smoke fumed out of my ears in frustration.

At random times, you’ll also be invited to tune into voicemails when you pass speakers buzzing with interference (like back in the olden days…). And you’ll find NPCs like Muddy and Sir Duck dotted around, offering you chances to test out your skills for well-earned rewards. Or, you can unlock mini-games on your phone, avoiding copyright with names like Fnake, Flippy Bird and Floppy Road. Though, arguably, these side quests and mini-games are just as infuriating as your journey back to Jeff. While they’re clearly inviting you to distract yourself, they’re by no means a reprieve. Nothing, it seems, in Flipping is Hard is easy.

Fortunately, they have found ways to make this game less demanding by offering two different gameplay modes – Hard or Chill. And this is where I thanked the heavens that I could make it a touch easier. The difference in ‘Chill’ being you get the opportunity to save your progress at checkpoints. And honestly, while I survived the first hour of this game in Hard mode, I couldn’t go on any longer without hurtling towards checkpoints like my life depended on it. I seriously commend anyone that completes this game in Hard mode with all of their sanity left.

While I played Flippy solo, you’ve also got the opportunity to play with friends. And with friends, you gain access to features purely teased in solo mode. It’s almost like I was being punished for not having any friends to play with. The use of beams and being able to use a microwave system to reach a higher point are both on offer for those who have better social skills than I. 

Summoning the Microwaver means any teammates left behind can hitch a free ride to meet you. No Flippy left behind, right? And if you’re wondering why I don’t have anyone to play with, I’ll just say that fellow rage games, BBear Studio’s An Eggstremely Hard Game and Ghost Town Games’ Overcooked, caused quite the divide.

Anyway, aside from a little twinkly music in the title screen trying to trick me into what I knew wasn’t going to be a relaxing game, there is no music throughout Flipping is Hard. And while I’m mad about a lot of things in this game, I’m not mad about this. Instead, you’ve got the environmental sounds of the landscape, creating an unexpected ambience. The metallic twang of neon, the squeaky sofa cushions of the blanket fort, the bounce of the jelly tots, all weirdly peaceful in a game that causes so much stress.

And as you traverse the many wonders and nightmares of Flipping is Hard, you can do so with a bit of a pip in your step (or sticker on your phone case). To liven things up a bit, you have the ability to accessorise, swapping out your casing, adding phone charms, hats, glasses, stickers, or even a little cape. I consider myself absolutely ridiculous for this, but having the opportunity to change out my outfit started to become a superstition that it would somehow be the answer to me completing a part I was stuck on. Did it work? Not really. And neither did shouting PARKOUR.

Amidst the frustrations of a rage game like this, I’m still pleased to say it’s weirdly delightful and that’s down to the terrain that Elegant Horse Studios has lovingly created. With ten different levels to contend with, each biome of Flippy’s travels is unique and diverse. Not only do they contain their own obstacles, fitting in nicely with the theme of the terrain itself, but they’re also stylised to boot.

There’s jumping jelly tots and swinging lollipops, soft colours and neon lights, and pockets of nuance from a gingerbread house party to the glowing stars of a bedroom fort. And while the terrain is frustrating, it can also be surprisingly forgiving like the chocolate lake that didn’t gobble me up, instead giving me the opportunity to save myself.

So, as I lay in the corpses of my broken cases piling up with each failed fall, I asked myself did I have a good time playing Flipping is Hard? Honestly, no. I had a hard time playing it. But that’s the point, right? It did make me rage, it did make me laugh, and it was certainly pleasing to look at. But, if I never see another Flippia phone in my life, I’ll be a happy gal.