Flip’s Twisted World is a very creative Wii game that requires some smart thinking to figure out when the main character should rotate the level in order to progress through the game.
This single-player game utilizes the Wii-mote and nunchuk, and requires a good deal of button pushing to perform various actions. The game’s main character, Flip, has the ability to rotate the world 90 degrees in any direction, and can also push, pull, jump and utilize other objects. The first level of the game takes about 20 minutes and slowly introduces you to the controls for all of these.
The main gameplay wrinkle, flipping the world, is performed by holding down the B trigger button on the Wii-mote, and rotating the Wii-mote in the direction you want to flip the world. Releasing the B trigger flips the world, and causes nearby objects to rotate with you. It’s usually important to use the d-pad in order to make sure you have a good side angle on Flip before rotating.
One other thing to note is that Flip does fight enemies in this game. They are very cartoony, and are attacked by shaking the Wii-mote. Once defeated, the enemies disappear.
Everything in Flip’s Twisted World is written, there is no dialogue and no verbal direction. But since playing the game takes a high degree of concentration and coordination, chances are that any kids or grown-ups who will enjoy this game will also be strong readers.
As Flip progresses through the world he’s assisted by his six-sided cube friend pivot. Each fact of the cube has a different personality and power, and Flip will need to use them in each level in order to progress.
We think that Flip’s Twisted World is a very unique Wii game that will cause players to think a bit differently and strategically than they are used to. For this reason, we do see some educational value in the critical thinking element this title requires, along with feeling this game lends itself well to over-the-shoulder style cooperative gameplay, even though it is a one-player game. We personally prefer a bit more dialogue in our games, but feel that Flip’s Twisted World provides a unique challenge for experienced kids and up.