Nothing is more therapeutic and satisfying than being virtually productive. Cleaning, organising, decorating or even just picking up trash can scratch that itch, and you will find all of that in House Flipper 2!
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Gameplay
The premise hasn’t changed. In House Flipper 2 you’ll spend your time cleaning, renovating, selling and buying. But there’s plenty of new features that make it a worthy sequel.
The campaign sees you welcomed back to Pinnacove, a fictional American seaside town. After a phone call from an old friend, you’re ready to take on your first job. Completing this small job starts a domino effect and you’ll soon be on your way to learning different techniques, acquiring new tools and paving your way to success.
Pinnacove’s map has three regions, the Pinnacove Suburbs, which is your starting point, the Crayfish Coast and Coralroot Forest. My personal favourite is the Crayfish Coast. The beach shacks are smaller and I can create cosy, coastal spaces that remind me of the holidays I would take to the coast as a child.
Missions arrive via email and will vary from cleaning a trashed house, freshening up a new space with new décor, or renovating a new room for someone looking for an upgrade.
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Once starting a mission, you will receive some notes from the character who set the task about what they are after. They may want you to sell half of their belongings, clean up certain rooms, or completely change up the aesthetic of their home.
After earning some cash doing odd jobs, you can then focus on your own homes. Buy a lot, fix it up, sell it for a profit, repeat!
Starting your first flip can be both exciting and overwhelming. I found the best strategy was to remove everything so I had a blank canvas. Plus, it’s so satisfying to do a complete gut and deep clean.
There are differences between flipping houses for general sale and flipping houses for an interested buyer. An interested buyer usually has a particular taste and it can be easy to run with your ideas. Everything you need to know about the buyer’s needs can be found in Quests including furniture, paints, flooring and style.
Those new to House Flipper may want to practice or play with tools. Customising your own house allows you to run wild and create looks you may use in future flips.
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The story doesn’t have too much depth, it’s simply there to set you up and guide you through house flipping; once you finish the first mission you are free to continue as you like.
However if you do find yourself stuck, there is a guidebook placed in every mission called ‘Bessie the Beaver’.
Navigating a home’s needs is done through the radial tool menu, which features every tool for the job. Each tool has its own mechanic and animation, so when scrubbing away at marks you bet it is satisfying to watch that grime disappear!
My only gripe is the electrical/wiring tool. It was overly complex and confusing to connect lights switches. Developers Frozen District certainly took a more realistic approach by adding this tool.
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After using certain tools for a period of time you’re able to upgrade them. Most perks are similar to the first game, where you can upgrade them to allow more coverage and increase speed. Upgrading tools is essential, especially when tasked with larger jobs and bigger houses the perks can go a long way.
Spot the difference
If you are familiar with House Flipper then you’re probably wondering how different it is to House Flipper 2.
Most notably, the game has been given a visual facelift. There is more depth to homes, they’re vibrant and there’s a big increase in detail. Tool animations have also received a nice upgrade as well.
That said, the game still feels fresh; it’s far from a copy-and-paste of the original.
House Flipper 2 has introduced a Sandbox Mode which gives the player endless possibilities and design options when creating.
There’s also the addition of unpacking belongings for new residents and IKEA-styled mini games.
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More items!
The game features a variety of new items to purchase. New appliances, decorations like board games, the latest technology, posters and more are at your fingertips.
The item shop also has a wide variety of building materials like paints, flooring and wallpapers.
Items in the store are categorised and branded, now making it so much easier to search for a particular item or type.
House Flipper 2 also features a furniture assembly mini-game!
In this flat pack sequence you’ll need to unpack boxes, find the correct parts and use various tools (screwdriver, hammer, etc) to put it together. It stands alone as its own mini-game, skill testing the player’s reactions and speed. For example, when using the hammer you need to make sure the hammer hits correctly within the circle.
Each assembly will have some bonus challenges, like finishing the assembly successfully within a minute. This all goes to your final score. And once it’s all completed you will receive a nice little discount for that item in the store.
I thoroughly enjoyed the original House Flipper and I can positively say the same for its sequel House Flipper 2.
I can easily zone out for hours with this game and it’s a great way to unwind.
Hot tip: Put on your favourite playlist and get flipping, it is the best of fun!
Quest Daily scores House Flipper 2:
8/10
Quest Daily was supplied with a copy of the game by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
