Pinball games have a reputation for being an old-school relic, but World Flipper brings this arcade mainstay into the mobile world with welcoming modern twists! Cygames puts a unique spin on the traditional combat formula with this game’s unorthodox controls, combining key upgrade systems of RPGs with the skill-based gameplay of pinball machines into a beautifully pixelated mobile title that elevates a part of gaming history into the contemporary age.
▍Test Your Pinball Skills in Instant Real-Time Combat
Players may not be able to shake their device to attack specific spots, but World Flipper recaptures the core atmosphere that comes with avoiding pitfalls and hazards while shooting for a high score.
Combat in World Flipper is a real-time balancing act where the characters act as a pinball, and the player controls their trajectory by timing the flippers to propel them towards enemies. Landing hits on foes builds the Fever gauge, which provides a massive boost to inflicted damage when completely filled! Limited sources of healing and a constant barrage of attacks will challenge the player’s ability to adapt on the fly, and playing it too safe isn’t an option with a time limit in each quest.
Each character has a unique skill that can be manually activated in battle after landing enough attacks, which can buff or heal allies, or even unleash a large-scale attack that can inflict massive damage on any enemies in its path.
Powerful enemies have specific locations, called Soft Spots, that are periodically exposed during combat when the enemy is charging up a strong attack; it’s a frantic race to hit all of the enemy’s Soft Spots before the party takes severe damage. Successfully attacking all Soft Spots will put the enemy into Break status, which is a prime opportunity to deplete its health without worry!
It’s easy to think that a constant attack strategy is the way to go, but the combat of World Flipper has a bit more depth than at first glance. Characters will tke reduced damage when moving at high speed; a useful tool when there’s no way to avoid enemy attacks. On the other hand, Power Flips allow the player to unleash a stronger attack so long as the player maintains their combo between regular flips. The kid gloves come off quickly outside of the story, and bosses can become a head-to-head struggle even when adequately prepared.
▍A Lighthearted, Typical World-Trotting Adventure
The main plot of World Flipper puts players as the hero Light, a powerful warrior who battled the Lord of Darkness to stop him from destroying his hometown. Failing to defeat the Lord of Darkness allowed the villain to strip Light of his strength, leaving him as a tiny, helpless animal. Before all hope is lost, Light is sent away, meeting the amnesiac Alk and Stella by chance. With no other reasonable choice but to follow the pair, Light must rely on this enigmatic duo to return home, and gather the strength to stop the Lord of Darkness before he destroys all of existence.
The story is a classic reminder of the typical JRPG, but World Flipper’s signature crisp pixel art and clean anime portraits vividly set each world and its inhabitants apart. Locales like an arid desert, endless seas, and even a futuristic city await the player on their journey!
No JRPG is complete without allies, and World Flipper has no shortage of characters who assist Alk and his group in their travels. They’ll fight with your team in some battles, and some characters may even join the team once enough progress has been made in the story. Each playable member has their own story to share, revealing their first meeting, or even their journey after meeting the world-trotting trio.
This pinball-esque mobile title brings a special charm that endears players to its cast and setting. Being restricted to the 2D plane is no issue for World Flipper, as pixel sprites are smoothly animated and emotive despite their simplistic appearance.
▍A Myriad of Bosses To Challenge
For a game that features cross-world adventures, World Flipper has no shortage of bosses against the player to test their skillset. Defeating these formidable foes rewards powerful weapons, and even characters that can’t be obtained from the gacha.
Each boss has gimmicks to look out for, and unprepared players may struggle to defeat them. Luckily, players are able to request backup, or even join up to two other players to secure an advantage in numbers! The option to fight bosses solo exists for players looking to challenge themselves or want to play alone; thankfully, most rewards can be obtained in either mode, and there isn’t any significant difference in drops between multiplayer and solo play.
▍Plenty of Ways to Accelerate Player Progression
Players familiar with Cygames titles can expect to grind for materials, and World Flipper brings various methods that allow players to strengthen their characters. Maxing out a character will take time, but players can shorten the grind by doubling their rewards from Kaleidoscope and Boss Fights three times per day! The former type of quest is especially important for newcomers, as the EXP & Mana section can significantly boost character levels and are simple to complete.
Each character has a Mana Board, where players can consume Mana and elemental materials to grant that character stat bonuses, level up existing Abilities, and even learn new ones! By reaching a certain level and activating every node on a character’s Mana Board, the player will be rewarded with extra stats for that character and unlock a second Mana Board to complete!
Obtaining duplicates when rolling on banners can be an unwelcome experience to any gacha player, but World Flipper uses copies to increase the level cap of characters up to five times. Raising a character’s level limit also increases their stats, encouraging players to raise a character’s level cap as soon as they can. Furthermore, while limited, special items can also be used in place of duplicates, circumventing the luck of the draw!
However, keep in mind that while auto-mode may clear story fights and easy bosses without a problem, intermediate to end-game-level foes outside of the story will demolish teams without a significant stat advantage! Playing manually also makes it easier to land a high score and secure extra Beads.
▍World Flipper Gives You the Right Amount of Thrills
World Flipper remains a stand-out mobile title, revitalizing pinball as a blend of retro and modern-era gaming. Though the game does show its age and is entering into a slow update period, this JRPG is accessible to almost any kind of player and offers a wide range of challenges to take on. Curious gamers should definitely try out World Flipper, as its iconic gameplay is hard to replicate!
