What happens when Death goes on vacation? Well, in Flipping Death he mistakenly leaves the job to a recently deceased woman named Penny, who learns she can help restless spirits with their unfinished business by jumping between the land of the dead and the land of the living. It’s a cool premise, and executed very much like a more action-centric spiritual successor to the point-and-click adventure comedies of classic LucasArts. Flipping Death’s vibrant presentation, quirky characters and fun plot ensured I was in for the whole ride, even if the gameplay felt a bit haphazard at times.
Anyone who played developer Zoink Games’ excellent Stick it to the Man! from 2013 will be right at home here. Flipping Death has a similar emphasis on getting inside people’s heads and solving scenarios using suitably bizarre lines of logic, but this time around you’re physically possessing them to help you do it. Need something poked? There’s a guy for that. Need to open a can of paint? Maybe that drill-wielding dentist can help. Want to crap on the heads of every character in the level just for the fun of it? Take control of the seagull. It’s a fun take on the traditional inventory and item systems.