Game Reviews

FlipShip

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iOS
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FlipShip
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iOS
| FlipShip

Old skool shooters feel right at home on the iPad, namely because its fast processor and crisp display can ably handle the chaos.

The frenetically paced FlipShip has more in common with the new skool action game Tilt To Live HD than, say, 1942, but it does retain that retro flavour.

Press your luck

FlipShip draws on classic colour-matching shooters in which the goal is to shoot down ships of the corresponding hue and avoid the differently coloured invincible ones. Luckily, you can change the colour of your craft at any time: hence, the game's title.

Things get interesting with the bank system. The longer you stay as one colour, the more points you get for destroying enemies. The twist is that your points stay in limbo until you change colour.

Die before you change colour and, well, you don't get any points. We expect lots of shmup fans will be throwing their iPads down in frustration after losing literally hundreds of thousands of points in a single run.

Tilt, shoot, repeat

Like the aforementioned Tilt To Live HD, there are a handful of floating power-ups available in FlipShip. The lightning destroys surrounding ships, while the jets turn your ship into a battering ram. You also have a choice of three ships, essentially differentiated by speed.

I found that the game became slightly monotonous even after test driving all the options, though FlipShip still has more bite - and thoughtful gameplay - than the average mobile shooter. Twitch fans should definitely give it a look.

FlipShip

FlipShip isn't the most original shooter, but genre fans will enjoy the ride
Score
Damon Brown
Damon Brown
Damon Brown has been speaking the mobile game gospel since 2003 for Playboy, New York Post, and many other outlets. Damon writes books when he isn't busy gaming or Twittering. His most popular book is Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture.