FlipOver! is inspired by the game Lights Out, originally a handheld game with 25 buttons that light up in random patterns. If you press a button it changes it's state, but so do adjacent buttons. The objective is to turn all the lights off by pressing the right buttons.

Gameplay: FlipOver! slightly differs from other Lights Out games. In FlipOver! the center-tile doesn't change when you flip. This makes the game a lot easier, maybe even a little too easy. Still it's a very entertaining game and for some reason I find it strangely addictive.

Graphics: The graphics are clean and simple. DonSkeeto has only used a few colours but they go well together. The effects in the flipping of the tiles and the wiping between levels add a lot to the game.

Sound: There are no sound effects but the game doesn't really need any. DonSkeeto wrote the background music himself, it's a catchy tune and it suits the game.

Controls: These are simple and feel just right. You use the d-pad to move around, the a-button to flip and start+select to go back to the title-screen.

Replay value: Thanks to endless computer generated levels in random mode you can keep playing forever. Minor problem: random mode always creates the same level sequence but if you go back to the title screen and start random mode again it will generate a new sequence.

The difference between the original FlipOver! and the game you can play here is that there is no sound or random mode. It will give you a good impression of the real game though.
Lights Out history
It's not easy to find information on the first version of Lights Out. To the best of my knowledge the first handheld version of a Lights Out type game is on the Merlin.
MerlinLights Out Lights Out games are produced by Tiger Toys and they come in many different shapes and sizes. There is a version that doesn't just turn lights on or off, but also use lights in different colours and there's even one in a cube shape so you can play in three dimensions.
FlipOver! icon Game:
Author:
Genre:
FlipOver!
DonSkeeto
Puzzle
  Visit homepage Download FlipOver! Play FlipOver!
Very nice game, excellent for a quick 5 minute play. Click here to play it yourself.
DonSkeeto Don has made a couple of fun projects for the GP32.
He hasn't bought a GP2X yet so I don't know if any will be ported.
- DonSkeeto -