If you have ever wanted to build your dream home and dip your toes in flipping houses this is the game for you! ‘House Flipper 2’ is the sequel smash hit of ‘House Flipper’ developed by Empyrean and Frozen District and the main objective of the game is to take on tasks to help clean up houses or repair run-down properties to sell on the market. There are two main game modes to pick from; campaign and sandbox mode. Let your creative power be free to build whatever estate you want and style it any way you wish.

In the campaign mode, you will get email requests for cleaning, repair and unpacking houses and businesses. As you progress you will learn the basics such as painting, adding furniture to locations and how to give them the ultimate makeover.

You will also be able to start buying run-down houses to fix up and flip for a return profit. The tasks take you to cover many locations, from houses in the suburbs to coastal view properties; it is nice being able to change things around and make it feel like a dream home in any area. The sandbox mode is where players can really unleash their dreams as you do not have a limit to the cost or expenditures so there are no blockades to how much you can add to your dream flip.

While House Flipper 2 has the same core concept as the first game, the graphics and how certain tasks play out with the updated perk system have improved. Hence, cleaning is easier with the addition of a spray bottle to reduce how many wipes to clean a surface.

The more you use a skill to complete a task the quicker it will level up then you will be able to get the perk tree filled faster. As you cover the campaign, the improved perks will make the bigger jobs easier to finish promptly. In contrast, the length of a job does not impact the scoring system it just makes rooms that are covered in trash easier to clear up.

If you are like me when taking a cleaning task, you will pull everything out of the room and stack it outside to fully check for rubbish. The outside lighting makes it easier to see if seats or cabinets need to be wiped down. Also, you can stack items on top of each other which can be a bit iffy at times but makes for a more efficient organisation system for things such as books or smaller items.

Sadly, like the original House Flipper, the sequel does not include any multiplayer aspects so if you were hoping to just have a relaxing night in with a partner to play with it can’t be done here. As a single-player experience though amazing it would be nice to tackle tasks with a friend.

The graphics are whimsical and cartoon-like. The charming town of Pinnacove is teaming with houses full of details, whether it be in a rundown condition to a gleamy brand newly renovated condo. Each location in appearance has its own character and charm and is very visually interesting. The audio scape in this game does not feature much as it is a calm and relaxing experience.

I found just playing some of my own music in the background made the time fly as if I was doing housework around my own home. You will get phone calls that interrupt the peace from time to time from a business partner but it is all text-based as you pick your reply to questions raised mainly about how you are going with certain tasks at hand and how you are enjoying the tasks you are doing.

In conclusion, House Flipper 2 takes all the great core aspects from the first instalment and improves on the already great system. It is such a fun and relaxing sim with no difficulty or overly complicated systems to learn. It can be played by players of all ages and skill levels. It may not be for the hardcore competitive players as you don’t have leaderboards to compare with others your successes but it is certainly great for just a relaxing day of gaming without having to stress.

Written by: Shane Walsh