Have you held a job before? Was it stressful, tiring, and not what you expected? Those types of jobs really work you to the bone . . . No matter how tough it was, I’ll bet it didn’t involve corpses, enchanted bones, ghostly spirits, and being Death himself. In Flipping Death, players see just how much work goes into dealing with life – and what comes after.

Developer: Zoink Games

Publisher: Zoink Games

7 Hours Played // Review Copy Provided // $19.99

A Fateful Encounter

Meet Penny Doewood, a spirited young woman with a dark sense of humor and a general fondness for the occult. Besides being slightly edgy, she’s your average young adult. She holds a job, maintains a relationship with her boyfriend Elliot, and is always looking to keep life interesting. One fateful day, she accidentally takes it a little too far.

After being fired from her position at a mortuary for dressing up like the grim reaper and making morbid comments, things take a turn. Unfortunately for our protagonist, that turn is straight into a tree. While driving with her boyfriend, Penny swerves to miss a mysterious thing crossing the road. She and Elliot are okay – just slightly inconvenienced from a lack of transportation.

Penny and Elliot decide to go on by foot and try to enjoy the long walk ahead of them. As fate would have it, they stumble upon an old mausoleum. Being the romantic that she is, Penny decides it would be the perfect spot for some PDA. Waiting for her kiss, it is a matter of seconds before the musty old floor gives way and Penny falls to her untimely death. Is this the end?

A New Lease on Life

To answer the previous question: no. In fact, death is just the beginning. In Flipping Death, your adventure truly begins when you are mistaken for an intern. Your boss? Death himself. You are given the outfit, scythe and all, and are expected to fill in for the foreseeable future. Your newfound career turns into an adventure that you’ll be dying to continue! Will you be able to help your customers, while also solving the mystery of two star-crossed lovers? I suppose death doesn’t have a job description.

Flipping Death is a puzzle platformer with some unique characteristics. This game contains a pleasing art style and some interesting control options. The voice acting is also spot on. The game is story-driven and showcases a cast of zany, lively, and neurotic characters. Without further ado, let’s discuss!

Take Control

To start off the discussion, first, you need to know about the unique elements of this game. Flipping Death gives you the power to possess. You are able to take possession of a human from the living world at the small cost of these little soul-like creatures you can collect throughout the level.

The soul creatures you find come in three different types. Most common are the smallest of the three; you will see these flying around in groups. These groups regenerate and provide an endless supply, as long as you can catch them. They are fast and will really help you become accustomed to the controls of the game, as you need good reflexes to capture them. The other two types are not as common, and typically require some sort of feat or timed puzzle to be completed in order to retrieve them.

Once enough soul creatures are captured, you can use them to possess the various humans you come across. Generally, the humans you possess using the first type are not the “key” people that will allow you to advance in the level. They either play a smaller role in your progress or are simply there for some comic relief. You will use the two rarer types of soul creatures to possess the key figures and progress to the next chapter.

A Comedic Journey

With the mention of comedy, might I say this game is hilarious? From the narrator’s commentary to general interactions, I laughed and smiled throughout my entire playthrough. Sarcasm, unexpected wit, and paranoia make for some great times. Also, if you’re a fan of good and bad puns alike, this game will satisfy! Arguably some of the most entertaining dialogue was during the optional, “private” inner monologues of the characters.

Every character reacts differently to your presence in their mind. You will find the majority of humans think you are part of their mind. However, there are some surprises: some embrace the thought of becoming crazy. Others won’t, and that’s okay. Their rationale as to why they are not crazy is equally enjoyable. The great writing and voice acting of the game truly complement the pop-up storybook art style in an amazing way.

Flipping Your Brain

I’m not sure how to categorize Flipping Death‘s art style. The game is predominantly a 2D side-scroller that uses paper-like character models: think HD Paper Mario graphics set on layered 2.5- or 3D backgrounds. It is aesthetically pleasing and gives off a grand storybook feel. The living world is bright, spirited, and animated. The afterlife is dark, cool, and eerie. You spend an equal amount of time in both and there is a great balance between the two.

In each side of life, you will interact with a lot of characters. Flipping Death is broken down into chapters, and each chapter reuses the same characters, but with different control options and occasionally different time periods. The experience you have with each character will vary from chapter to chapter and being able to bend them to your will is extremely enjoyable. Exploring the level with each of them makes for some humorous occurrences.

Physics – Not an Exact Science

Not only are the reactions and commentary funny, but the movement animations are as well. Flipping Death utilizes many physics-based controls and ragdoll motions. I spent more time than I care to admit just walking around and interacting with all of the items in the environment. Characters can and do also react to the actions of another, making the aforementioned wandering all the more enjoyable.

One thing I would also like to mention about this game is that it is linear. Specifically, some tasks must be done in a certain order to progress. This is all well and fine, but tasks can be very cryptic and seemingly random at times. Luckily, the game offers a “hints” menu to give you tips on what to do next.

Those tips come in the form of a single image. These images are ordered relative to how they should be completed. I found myself using the hint system more and more as I advanced further into the game. I really appreciate the details like this which make games more enjoyable.

The Technicalities

On the topic of details, let’s point out a couple of the technical aspects. Firstly, the game runs almost flawlessly. Other than minor animation glitches due to the ridiculous ragdoll physics, it was great. I had one instance of the game crashing, but it did not affect progress at all as the game saves automatically (another great thing). Everything in this game is user-friendly, including the user interface (UI).

The UI of the game is crisp and intuitive. I never had any issues navigating any menus or selecting any options throughout the entire game. There is a “teleport” menu and function in-game that allows you to quickly traverse the level. The smoothness of that, along with it being an option at all, made the game so much better to play. You travel back and forth many times, and this option makes it a more enjoyable experience.

The End?

Overall, Flipping Death made an impression on me. It was an enjoyable experience with a good story, a moral message, and skilled writing. The art style was beautiful and fitting. Each character was unique and hilarious. This game was crafted with impressive detail and it shows. Despite minor loading times between chapters, this game was highly engaging and very fun. I recommend you give this one a try!

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