When the first House Flipper launched in 2018, it didn't get the best reviews. Reviews at the time caught the home repair sim as it replicated a cleaning game that turned chores into jobs. After playing its recently announced sequel, House Flipper 2, I had to wonder if developer Empyrean was too ahead of its time.
Games like House Flipper have become an unexpected phenomenon in the few short years between releases. This is largely thanks to PowerWash Simulator, an unexpectedly popular game where players simply have to wash very dirty surfaces. Maybe it's just because it's starting in the middle of a world-changing pandemic and a stressful election, but it seems like a lot of people are finding some much-needed respite in the digital purge. The world might not be quite ready for House Flipper in 2018, but it sure is House Flipper 2 in 2023.
Like its predecessor, House Flipper 2 tasks you with renovating abandoned businesses and run-down houses. Each room has a list of renovation goals, from simple stain removal to arranging new furniture. The included story mode starts off small, with a mission to clean up a small house infested with muddy raccoons. That size would eventually grow as I bought houses, renovated them from top to bottom and flipped them for a profit.
House Flipper 2 builds on the same satisfying gameplay loop that made me fall in love with PowerWash Simulator a few years ago. I can turn a hideous room into a sparkling house, like I'm the fairy godmother granting Cinderella's wishes. This is achieved through a few simple mini-games. For each job, I have a menu of radial tools appropriate for the job. When choosing a cleaner, I could see myself magically cleaning paint spots and cloudy windows with a squeegee. I can paint walls, tile floors, and even instantly sell unwanted furniture with my handy pinball tool. Sure, the missions are repetitive, but it creates a zen-like gameplay loop that's easy to relax into. Like ASMR.
In House Flipper 2, the Frozen District player paints the walls blue
This is nothing new for sequels, but House Flipper 2 makes some strides in its narrative weaving. Every house I renovate now has its own unique history that I can gather as I renovate the space. My personal favorite job was tidying up an old woman's attic because she wanted to make a room for her grandson who came to visit. I followed her instructions and started unpacking the toy train set and animal tablecloth she had picked out for him. It's a charming mission that reflects the fact that every living room has its own story. Players are also encouraged to construct their own stories. Renovating a free-form home gives the player a certain degree of freedom, who can remove old furniture, rearrange walls as they see fit, and decorate as they see fit. Sandbox mode goes a step further and allows players to build a house from scratch on empty land. It's an amazingly powerful tool that's easy to use — take note, Animal Crossing. While some may find the story mode repetitive after a while, I think the sandbox is a place where many people can express themselves freely.
The player builds a house in the sandbox mode of House Flipper 2. frozen areas
I'm more than happy to stick to the more educational side of the experience. This involved completing a furniture assembly minigame that had me follow IKEA-like step-by-step instructions to build a table and a lamp. Doing this quickly and efficiently allows me to get discounts on these items as I set up my house, which makes for a fun little progress hook to break up some of the repetition. But most of all, I love diving into new spaces and discovering their stories beneath the dirt. Following the trail of paint-stained footprints in the garage of my house, I pieced together what happened after the rock concert. At another house, I had a sloppy bathroom DIY project that went awry when cleaning up an uneven stencil pattern on a tile wall. There are often funny but charming family mishaps that bring humanity to the Machina series. House Flipper 2 gives us the opportunity to laugh at our own failures and then empowers us to fix them.
House Flipper 2 launches for PC on December 14th. Editor's ChoiceHouse Flipper 2 is the ultimate relaxing game of 2023
When the first House Flipper launched in 2018, it didn't get the best reviews. Reviews at the time caught the home repair sim as it replicated a cleaning game that turned chores into jobs. After playing its recently announced sequel, House Flipper 2, I had to wonder if developer Empyrean was too ahead of its time.
Games like House Flipper have become an unexpected phenomenon in the few short years between releases. This is largely thanks to PowerWash Simulator, an unexpectedly popular game where players simply have to wash very dirty surfaces. Maybe it's just because it's starting in the middle of a world-changing pandemic and a stressful election, but it seems like a lot of people are finding some much-needed respite in the digital purge. The world might not be quite ready for House Flipper in 2018, but it sure is House Flipper 2 in 2023.
Like its predecessor, House Flipper 2 tasks you with renovating abandoned businesses and run-down houses. Each room has a list of renovation goals, from simple stain removal to arranging new furniture. The included story mode starts off small, with a mission to clean up a small house infested with muddy raccoons. That size would eventually grow as I bought houses, renovated them from top to bottom and flipped them for a profit.
House Flipper 2 builds on the same satisfying gameplay loop that made me fall in love with PowerWash Simulator a few years ago. I can turn a hideous room into a sparkling house, like I'm the fairy godmother granting Cinderella's wishes. This is achieved through a few simple mini-games. For each job, I have a menu of radial tools appropriate for the job. When choosing a cleaner, I could see myself magically cleaning paint spots and cloudy windows with a squeegee. I can paint walls, tile floors, and even instantly sell unwanted furniture with my handy pinball tool. Sure, the missions are repetitive, but it creates a zen-like gameplay loop that's easy to relax into. Like ASMR.
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