House Flipper 2 – Review

These days, a lot of people find a strange kind of satisfaction in playing simulation games that involve manual labor. Building, farming and power washing are just some examples and House Flipper 2 is also a game designed along the same lines. The sequel manages to build onto the success of the original cult game, but it comes with some notable improvements in gameplay and a new coat of paint.

The basics

Similar to the original House Flipper, the sequel requires you to renovate houses, which means you have to do everything from cleaning, demolishing and buying new furniture. You can also fulfill requests from characters and purchase houses, fix them up and later sell them for a profit. There are minimal changes in the meat of the game and this seems to be the right approach because you do not want to navigate unfamiliar territory when you have spent time in understanding its predecessor.

It has the same story mode that allows you to breeze through the numerous tasks and tools. The missions are sent via email and can vary, such as renovating a home damaged by flood, setting up a room for a baby and on it goes. Instead of an emotional ride, it is meant to soothe through repetition of paint, clean, furnish and fix.

The tools

To help you work your magic, House Flipper 2 provides you with a list of tools from demolition to cleaning. You can purchase materials from a store, such as furniture, wallpaper and plants, all of which help you to get done with tasks in every room. It also keeps track of the furniture that has to go in a room, where paint is required and the house stains that need to be cleaned.

While you might be informed about the number of chairs required, or if a lamp is needed in a room, it does not mark you on your aesthetic. If you want to continue purchasing stuff and let it pile into the corner, it is up to you. Every time you use a skill, you also get some perks. They may not seem like much, but can come in handy.

The change

There is one minor change that you will notice in House Flipper 2 and it does pay off. The game boasts a new visual style, which is one of the quirks that comes with simulation games. Things start looking familiar, whether you are renovating a train station, or cleaning out a barn. This is because developers often purchase game items from other companies that are pre-made. Here, you will notice that in-game décor and furniture come with an improvement and this adds some freshness to the game.

The addition of the Sandbox mode is the biggest change to the game, which allows you to begin a house from scratch rather than cleaning up after others and living with their strange design choices. There is also an Assembly mode that can be used by building purists who enjoy screwing and unscrewing different components.