Add physics and 3 dimensions to a classic game.

Breakout and its successor Arkanoid are maybe the most copied and emulated video game ever. Most of them are more or less the same, but FlipOut takes the block breaking ball in a new direction.

In FlipOut, the game physics are a bit more real than before. The ball doesn’t move under its own speed, but rather has to be pushed. You do this by flicking your paddle to the left or right using the Z and X keys. You still move the paddle left to right as normal to keep the ball in play.

There is also an element of a third dimension in FlipOut, as sometimes you will find yourself working to topple walls ahead of you. The main aim is as usual, to destroy all the bricks on screen, then move to the next level.

This new gameplay takes some getting used to. It’s pretty hard to complete even one level! This is partly due to the new mechanics feeling strange, but also because the ball sometimes picks up so much speed it’s impossible to keep it in play. FlipOut would be much more playable if the speed was limited.

Despite FlipOut’s high difficulty, its pretty addictive, and definitely fun to play. You can play any of the 19 levels whenever you want, and there’s quite a variety of styles amongst them.

FlipOut is a refreshing take on one of video gaming’s standard formats.