Penny is a wicked woman, just trying to make ends meet around Halloween, but things are not going her way. Dressing up as a demon to scare old people becomes her undoing even though it is part of the job. Her boss finds her antics to not be as amusing as she does, and she is fired. The old people just simply can’t take the frights that Penny wishes to dole out. Penny heads out for a date with her boyfriend and after avoiding a car crash soon meets her demise falling through a rotting mausoleum to her death.
Waking up, this girl has no idea she’s died and is shocked to see a strange world before her. She meets ghosts but still has no idea until she comes face to face with Death who thinks she’s his temp of all things. Thrust into this new job with no training she isn’t going to succeed. Luckily, a ghost offers her assistance, telling her she can use her scythe to teleport, and that she needs to collect souls. This ghost soon tells Penny she needs assistance and that Penny is the only one who can help her.
Penny is tasked with sending ghosts to heaven by completing their final desires. There are a multitude of ghosts to help who all have different wishes, and some of them are just downright weird. There is one ghost who requires his boat to be painted and then lets Penny use it in her quest. It behooves the player to meet all of these characters and to try and complete as many tasks as possible to move forward in the story. There might be plenty of good ghosts but beware it is evil out there, and these ghosts do not play around.
While Penny is exploring the otherside as the game calls it she must also make use of the living. The player will spend the souls they have collected to break into the bodies of the living. The living are almost worst than the dead, and it is often a little disturbing to take them over. These people all are rather demented and have different actions they can do. There is one man who will use his tongue to lick anything and another who will poke anything. Using these actions is important as it is how Penny affects the world around her. Changing the world of the living will also change the world of the dead. These worlds are intertwined and it is fun to see the worlds affect each other. Sometimes how they affect each other is small but the player never knows what will happen next.
It is also important to note that Penny can talk to the living through telepathy. Sometimes these weirdos speak inanely, and the player cannot glean anything from them. Other times they may talk back or say something that can lead the player in the right direction. There are many characters that can’t handle it like an insane Ice cream fan or a pooping seagull. It is always a good thing to read everyone’s mind as the player could always miss out on something interesting.
Penny has acquired quite the magical item, and using it does take a little practice. Her scythe allows her to quickly teleport if Penny throws the scythe to a location. The scythe can’t be thrown terribly far but it can be thrown above her and that is sometimes the only time get to higher platforms. The platforming in this game is actually quite basic but it still a fun addition to the game itself.
There are also challenges for the player to undertake that the player finds through the world. Some are given by ghosts but others are often hidden. It’s good to find every person on the map too because the player can teleport to their locations and that will help in completing all of the objectives. If the player finishes the section they can always choose the chapter in the main menu and complete it at a later time. Some of these challenges require characters to interact with each other and might take a little thought but there is often humor to be found in these interactions.
Flipping Death is a game that has its own art style that is different than many games. I think of Invader Zim a lot as I played this game and that is a good thing in my book. The characters all look like they aren’t all there, and it’s interesting seeing every new character that pops up. The world itself looks great and is filled with interesting things. The game has some cool effects like how the cars move down the roads. The backgrounds are also full of life and the player can see the other side through the background noting where they are. This game is clearly a game that these artists put their heart into and it shows.
There is also pretty decent voice acting that adds to the world. It is always something I thrill about when playing games. The music is also quite good and adds a jazzy element to the game. It’s nice to listen to and isn’t overpowering but sounds fantastic. I had a nice time playing this game because all of the elements came together in the right way and that is a beautiful thing.
Flipping Death is a solid game that is worth picking up. Penny is an interesting character and it is cool seeing such an interesting reaper. The characters are all rather unique and the world is filled with different things to see and do. The player never knows what is going to happen next and so every moment of the game is fresh in its own way. Will Penny save the underworld as the reaper, she will need the player’s help.
Disclaimer: A review code was provided