Physics-based games of skill and patience can make for both great and frustrating times, but the introduction of video games has allowed creators to bend and tweak the rules of physics to their will. If you want something to run on walls, you can. If you want to give a character the ability to jump and then jump again in mid-air, you can. If you want to take pinball to the next level, physics be damned, you can.
Enter Flipnic, a pinball game that appears to be described as a game that isn't about pinball at all. How does that work?
Fun Times
The game begins with a pixel art monkey going fishing. I thought it was an elaborately long developer logo or something, but no. Apparently, before the game even begins, this monkey will decide your fate. If he grants you good luck, you'll be fine. I guess. If he thinks your day is going to suck, well, it might be time to restart your console and see what the monkey can catch next time.
At least, that's how I read how this monkey works. I've not actually tested it. At the time, I had no idea what this was all about. I was waiting for Flipnic to load.
An intro video takes us through some of the spectacular sights the game has to offer, and while you can see the elements of a pinball game, Flipnic is something different. At one point, your ball is shooting alien spaceships. Not quite sure how that works, but I'm intrigued.
Later levels are locked in the Original game mode, but some are previewable for a quick play, which is an excellent way to see what you're missing out on when you inevitably fail to make any progress. Time to head into the easy Biology A level and see what on Earth is going on.
Frustrations
Stop and look at a PlayStation 2 controller for a moment. If you were designing a pinball game, where would you put the flipper buttons? The shoulder buttons would be a good shout, right?
Well, that's not where Flipnic puts them. The shoulder buttons bash the table - not that there's a table to bash, but I'll get to that in a minute - and tilting it too much will end your run. Not that mine even started...
No, the controls you want, left and right flipper/paddle/bumper things are mapped to the Left directional button and the Circle button. I'm sure there was a reason for doing so, but I'm yet to work it out. Still, I've managed to find the right buttons and can crack on.
Further Fun Times
Flipnic is pinball without the restraints of a real-world pinball table. If a level wants to have you travel down a river, bumping into alligators, it will. If it wants you to shoot balls up a waterfall to win something in the style of a slot machine, it does. Your ball can even jump to collect coins. I don't know what they do, and it took me an awfully long time to work out that it was even possible.
Long story short, save for making sure balls don't go down holes, I've no idea what's going on. One minute I'm at a waterfall, the next I've triggered multi-ball somewhere else entirely.
Then, obviously, aliens arrived. I had to hit a tree or something to keep them away, maybe? At one point I had to hit a blue spaceship before time ran out. Do I have to aim my pinball and jump it into a moving target? I've only just got the brainpower to hit the flippers in time, let alone aim a pinball.
After a couple more attempts, I saw some more of the stage but ultimately seemed to get nowhere. I don't know how what I need to do to complete a level, and there are only so many times you can see an alien steal your ball before you put the controller down and move onto something else.
Final Word
Just what the heck is Flipnic? Is it just a game to be experienced or the ultimate form of pinball that challenges you to master it? Is it a game for pinball fans, or is it just trying to be different?
It stands out, sure, and I was more into it than I have been with some recent titles, but it's not exactly the easiest thing to comprehend if you're going in blind. If it's not going to tell me the controls through the menu options, and it's not going to tell me what I need to do to beat a level, is it worth struggling through and finding out as I go?
I suppose I could play some of the later levels' previews to see what else I could be getting up to. I could also see if that monkey has any significance at all. It is, at the end of the day, a game of pinball, should I find myself wanting to play some pinball, but there have to be better pinball games than this.
Or are there? There are more accurate games of pinball, closer to their real-world inspiration. Are those games better or worse than Flipnic?
Believe it or not, we've got more pinball games on the 1001 list to find out. These video games are getting out of hand, you know. There's something for everyone. There's too much for everyone. How do you keep up anymore?
If you come across Flipnic, give it a go. I don't expect it to thoroughly entertain you, but you've got to admit you've not seen a game quite like it, and that's part of the reason lists like this exist.
Grab your balls and go explore.
Fun Facts
Flipnic doesn't have a Wikipedia entry at the time of writing. If you care enough about it, you can educate the masses on this oddity.
Flipnic, developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., first released in 2003.
Version played: PlayStation 2, 2004, via emulation.