Review: Fliptoons by Thunderworks (copy provided for review purposes: opinions always my own).
Players: 1-4
Time: 15-30
Verdict: simple game, one-more-go gameplay
Look, I know Fliptoons Season 2 is out already, but I’m always behind on these things: I’ve not even started House Of Dragons yet. No spoilers!
It’s a deckbuilder (think Dominion) where all players start with the same base deck, and you’re looking to acquire more powerful cards from the market while hopefully ditching your basic ones. You lay out your cartoon cast in a 3×2 grid – some work well together, some don’t have the chemistry. Flip ‘em one after another, earn Fame and activate abilities. Use Fame to buy bigger stars from the market, or ditch lesser stars who can no longer pull in the big bucks.
The key to the game is knowing when to use your Fame to dismiss basic Toons, even if it means not taking a Toon from the Market this turn. You’ve got to tilt your hand in your favour. This way, your grid becomes more and more powerful as the game progresses. There’s lots of fun Toons in the deck: Snake is a favourite of mine, as it forces you to discard your next card, but take one from the top of the deck. I also enjoyed how the Lion needs to be surrounded by minions of lower Fame. (I identify stronger with this character…)
Don’t be surprised by varying game lengths as you play: we’ve had some pretty snappy games that ended within quarter of an hour, yet other times pushed 30 minutes as no-one could quite trigger the Final Flip. In 2 player games it felt like going first gave an advantage that was hard to recover from: not always, but enough times that it was noticeable. At 3 players this balances out, and it’s a lot of fun watching the different ways that everyone’s grid develops.
The mechanics may be over-familiar, but the theme is implemented well and the character designs are appealing. Bear in mind the variability in play-time, but this is a good family game, perfect for travelling.
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