We've already seen a few shoot 'em ups pop up on DSiWare, but for the most part the selection has felt more gimmicky than traditional. Flip the Core continues that tradition with a unique "flip" design that allows you to flip the flat background planes, greatly altering the level with one push of a button. And while this interesting gameplay twist does bring something new to the table, it sometimes holds the overall experience back more than it adds to it.
The basic gameplay revolves around manoeuvring your ship through the horizontal levels laid before you. Defeating enemies is as easy as firing your ship's cannon at them. As you defeat enemies, they'll release orbs that you can collect to add to your energy supply; the more energy you accumulate, the more powerful your cannon fire becomes. Of course merely firing the cannon consumes energy, so if you're looking to really power up, you'd better pick your targets carefully. If you completely fill up your energy, you will then begin to fill up your overcharge meter, used to unleash massively powerful firepower.
As if the enemies weren't enough of a hindrance, you'll also have to deal with the level itself, using the game's unique flip command to flip to a different plane in order to defeat some enemies and navigate around hazardous obstacles. But keep in mind, flipping an object in another plane directly into your ship won't work either and the game will automatically flip back to the previous plane if you attempt to do so.
The play controls are responsive enough to get by, but sometimes there's a certain looseness in the moving of your ship that can feel a tad slippery. The game does have an additional level select mode in addition to the main arcade game, but you'll have to unlock these levels in arcade mode before you can play them at random. It shouldn't be too much of a problem considering the game is fairly short in length.
The music and visuals in Flip the Core are both rather basic but at least the colourful abstract backdrops add a nice eye-catching look to the presentation. You won't see a lot in the way of detail, but there's certainly enough flare and variety to at least keep your attention on the game long enough to get through the various levels. Just don't expect an overwhelming desire to go back for seconds.
Conclusion
Hardcore shmup fans have been waiting a long time for a solid eShop title, but while Flip the Core features some nice gameplay ideas, the need to keep flipping planes and trying to keep track of levels that keep constantly changing ends up taking too much focus off of the core shooting experience. The inexpensive $2 price tag makes the game at least worth checking out for those who just can't get enough arcade shooting action, but that comes with the caveat of keeping your expectations in check when you do.
Comments 12
SHMUPPPP!!!!
Wow... this gen has really been tough for Shoot em up fans. This one looks decent though. This is why I miss the old SEGA soo much. They knew how to make the best SHMUP games.
I was afraid of that.
A 6/10 for a $2 SCHMUP. That's not too bad actually. Might pick this up down the road.
Good review. It definitely has issues, but the $2 price tag feels pretty right for this one. It's definitely worth a whirl, and I'd love to see a better utilized sequel.
I love shmups and have been eyeing this one so I'm going to get it. Thanks for the review.
I really hope we get a basic fast paced SHMUP on the eShop one day. The gimmicks in some of these are unnesecary. Only Metal Torrent got the gimmick thing to actually add to the gameplay.
I would buy this if there was a way to launch DSiware games from the SD card. I don't have any more room for DSiware games in the system's built-in memory.
"Hardcore shmup fans have been waiting a long time for a solid eShop title..."
...which is why Kyotokei should be ported to eShop.
I do hate how the community believes every review, good and bad.This is much more enjoyable for a shmup fan than the score would indicate. He didn't note that the "orbs" add to your score multiplier, nor that you have three weapons to choose from, and assumes it will be quick work to unlock all the levels, which makes me wonder how much he played this. If you had a tough time, just be upfront about it; only jerks will mock you for it and eff them anyway. But we the readers should be informed completely of your experience, if it was an incomplete experience.
I should add, I think the game IS tough myself, which is why I added the "quick work" bit. Shmup fans want challenging shmups, though.
@WesFX I very much doubt Corbie had a hard time playing this game, he's our shoot 'em up master!
We don't try to document every aspect of a game in our reviews, so inevitably there may be times reviews don't cover everything you'd like to know. I'm glad you're enjoying the game though!
Nice review corbs. I literally wrote a review for this game just recently for the website i work with. gave it a 6.5. I agreed with everything you said too. Loose controls they could have been tighter. But also the music wasn't half bad neither. Would have like a soundtest feature if anything. Hope we can possibly get a sequel.
@James
I'm trying to put this in a way that doesn't come off rude; can't do it: he can tell me if he missed something I spoke about, not you.
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