Outrun The Sun In Flip's Escape
Flip’s Escape ($0.99) by Shaun Inman is the follow-up to last year's The Last Rocket. If you haven't played the previous title before, I recommend you grab it while it's on sale at $0.99.
In The Last Rocket, we had to help our friend, Flip, collect memory gears for the Autonomous Mechanical Intelligence (AMI). Of course, we had to get them all before the ship Flip is in gets consumed by a collapsed star. And now, in Flip’s Escape, you will have to guide Flip through space in order to escape the stellar shockwave from the end of the last game.
While the first game was a platformer puzzle game, Flip's Escape is a vertical endless runner with some controls that will take some getting used to. Rather than just going in a straight line, Flip will be going in a zig zag fashion across the screen. You can tap on the screen to toggle Flip's brake mechanism to slow down, but be wary of that shockwave behind you.
Along your journey, there will be asteroids that you will have to avoid, though there are stars orbiting them that you will want to collect. You’ll have to time your use of the brakes carefully in order to avoid the asteroids but collect the stars.
So what exactly are the stars for? Once you collect five stars, your star meter is filled and you will fly at warp speed. Additionally, if you have stars in your meter and accidentally hit an asteroid, your meter will be reset, so be careful.
As you play, you will earn gems, which can be used in the shop to get various power-ups in the form of upgrades and friends. You can even grab a new design for Flip’s hull.
Game Center is integrated for leaderboards and achievements. The graphics are done in 8-bit fashion and really add to the charm of the game. Inman doesn’t skimp out on the chiptunes either, which are made possible by Matt Grimm. The replay value is high in this simple yet addictive game.
I was a fan of The Last Rocket, so I was pleased to hear about Flip’s Escape. The game is very straightforward, though it took me a few minutes to get used to the controls. It’s incredibly challenging compared to other endless runners, but that’s not a bad thing — I appreciate the difficulty level. The graphics and music are also excellent, and really hit home for someone that grew up with the retro classics.
This is definitely a game that you shouldn't miss. Get Flip's Escape in the App Store now.
