Challenging action puzzler

Flipside of the Divine is an action puzzle game, putting you in an ancient Aztec world of twisting platforms and fatal falls.

The game is in third person 3D, and your leaping protagonist is controlled with WASD and Space, with the camera being controlled by the mouse. This works very well, and the camera movement in intuitive and always allows you the best angle to view the action at any moment.

On every Flipside of the Divine level, your goal is to reach a portal by traversing a course of floating panels. These panels can be flipped on or off by some enemies, or by a magical bird that you can launch. The puzzle aspect usually comes from working out from where to launch your flipping bird. Each bird will flip five panels only, meaning you have to be careful when flipping panels that you’re not also destroying panels further along the path.

Flipside of the Divine is a good idea, and the tight controls make jumping uncomplicated, while the panel flipping idea can make levels head scratchingly difficult. The mixture of fast paced running and jumping, with the thoughtful flipping is a good combination. Graphics are effective, and the sound is sparse but atmospheric.

The only criticism we’d have of this game is that while the game mechanics are good, and it is enjoyable, it’s lacking character. The experience feels a bit empty, and it’s only the challenge of the puzzles that make you want to carry on.

Flipside of the Divine is an interesting design, with a challenging learning curve and well designed puzzles.