House Flipper 2

Live the property fantasy, debt-free.

You can see why the original House Flipper was such a hit. Its cosy fantasy of home ownership and fulfilling work was a soothing balm after a miserable day at the office, and that fantasy is only strengthened in this sequel. The basics remain the same: jobs appear in your email, from cleaning tasks to full-on home renovation, and you can use the profits to buy properties from the auction house, ready to be glowed up and flipped for a profit.

Accept a job and you’ll appear outside the house with your bag of tools. Bin bags to collect the rubbish, one measly cloth to wipe down the surfaces, a roller for painting, and so on. Straddling simulation and more casual play, these actions mimic real life, to an extent. When building a brick wall, you watch a lovely animation play, but all you’re doing is holding the mouse button down, as your character plucks bricks and mortar from thin air. Mostly, I’m happy with this middle ground, but I’d feel more connected to the work if I also had to clean up the rubble.

There’s now a wholesome story campaign tying all your freelance jobs together, as you tackle projects across the town of Pinnacove.

You’ll gradually expand your operation, from Crayfish Coast to Suburban Pinnacove and ultimately Coralroot Forest, taking on bigger jobs and earning more money in the process.

As I restored a bedroom for a grandmother who was eagerly awaiting her grandson’s arrival, I was touched to open a box and discover his train set. Delicately assembling it on his desk – because I wanted to, not as a marked objective – is one of the most satisfying things I’ve done in a game all year.

And, there’s the new Sandbox mode featuring no clients at all. Design a house from scratch without having to worry about money, and with a more comprehensive range of tools that let you speedily set down walls and even sculpt the surrounding environment. Lovely.

VERDICT

House Flipper 2 is more of a touch-up than a full-on renovation, but Sandbox mode is exciting.

Tom Sykes

I’m sure the Toblerone headquarters is smaller than it used to be.

1 You have a gun that turns unwanted items into profit. 2 Hit Q to highlight objects that need to be dealt with.