I’ve recently found my way into the world of cozy gaming, and this often brings with it a slew of simulators. House Flipper 2 is the latest building sim to make it into my Xbox library, and though it’s a bit different from what I’m used to, it brings a lot to the table for building enthusiasts.
House Flipper 2, believe it or not, has a story mode, and I actually think it’s kind of cute. You start in a small bedroom in a house in a town called Pinnacove. The house has definitely seen better days, but after you start to look around, you find you’re in your parent’s home, which they’ve now left to you. There are adorable Post-Its all over the house from your mom, and it’s actually really sweet when you read them all.
From there, you get a call from an old friend about some work, and start cleaning houses, which eventually leads to flipping them all on your own. The first part of the game is spent doing smaller jobs like cleaning, unpacking, or flipping individual rooms. The story itself works as a tutorial in House Flipper 2, and I really like the way it flows.
Each job has a series of quests to complete, including jobs like picking up garbage, cleaning, doing windows, selling things, painting, decorating and more. Depending on how thoroughly you complete these quests, you’ll earn one to three stars, earning more money with each star rating. The best way I can describe House Flipper 2 is a dash of The Sims, a sprinkle of Unpacking, a splash of A Little to the Left and a spray or two of Power Wash Simulator (yes, I know the original House Flipper came first).
“House Flipper 2, believe it or not, has a story mode, and I actually think it’s kind of cute.”
Personally, I really enjoyed the quicker jobs that included cleaning, selling things and picking up trash. Unpacking and decorating were a bit frustrating on the Xbox Series X, as the controller doesn’t translate to House Flipper 2 quite as well as a point-and-click mouse work. Trying to put books on a shelf or glasses in a row could be incredibly frustrating, but over time, with some patience, I found a groove.
There is an option to have items snap into place or use precise placement. I found that there was almost no difference between the two. Snapping to a grid didn’t really seem to have an effect in House Flipper 2, so hopefully, that will be tweaked later. Otherwise, there is such a wide variety of items, colours, and finishes that more creative players could spend hours tweaking everything.
For me, I preferred having a direction for a room, so following the story mode and completing jobs was my favourite part. It wasn’t until a good chunk of the way in that I realized I was supposed to be choosing specific colours or fabrics for furniture and was just picking whatever the standard model was. House Flipper 2 is very forgiving if you don’t finish everything just the way clients want it, though.
Whether or not that is a good thing, I’m not sure. There is a three-star system in House Flipper 2, meaning you have different levels of quality when you finish a job. For myself, I loved that I could take the lazy way out with some or go above and beyond for others. I completed many three-star jobs without knowing about the item customization and also saw three stars when things were noticeably not complete.
I think the system should be a bit more balanced in that way. Being able to dip out at one star is an awesome option, especially if you don’t love a specific mechanic or are short on time, but I don’t think you should be able to get three stars without near-perfection. I also noticed that because I was frustrated with placement, I could essentially just throw all the items on the floor, and the job would still be deemed complete. I probably shouldn’t have gotten away with that, and because House Flipper 2 let me, I ended up not really caring if all my books were in a neat row.
Some of the detail in House Flipper 2 blows my mind. Now, I won’t tell you that actual house flippers will be on board with how detailed I think the game is. I assume it’s not exactly realistic. But the team at Frozen District has brought a ton of detail to the game. So much so that when I saw something about learning to build furniture, I thought I was going to need to quit the game.
GOOD NEWS! You do NOT have to build each piece of furniture. This is just a mode that allows you to practice a building task in order to receive a discount in the shop. Again, a very neat idea. It is up to you whether or not you choose to master those skills. There are many mechanics or modes in House Flipper 2 that you are free to take on or leave alone, and I really appreciate that freedom to play a cozy game like this the way you want to—unlike those other cozy titles that keep making me fish!
House Flipper 2 handles things like painting walls, laying floors and tiling a little differently than most simulators, too. Usually, you’ll find easier and easier ways to complete things in simulation games, like watering cans that fill a wider area, etc. In The Sims, when you decorate it just blankets the area in the chosen paint or wallpaper. In House Flipper 2, you actually have to use your paintbrush, dip it in the paint and coat the whole wall.
The same goes for tiling or other finishes. You need to pick them up and place them all bit by bit. Of course, there are going to be ways that make it easier as time goes on, like larger area covering or needing to dip your brush less often, but it’s still a neat little addition that some people might love, and some people might absolutely hate. I personally love the tedium and find it relaxing.
“I think House Flipper 2 will be a standard for building sim fanatics for years to come.”
Jumping into House Flipper 2’s sandbox mode brought so many items and mechanics I hadn’t yet laid eyes on, and for those looking to create, this is definitely something that will be appreciated. You can design your own home, or even a house that needs to be flipped, in the town, forest or coast, and upload it to the House Flipper 2 community to show off or have them clean up and flip themselves. It is a really cool concept, and it means that the game will keep going long after you finish the main story.
There is also a brand-new “Floor is Lava” mode in House Flipper 2 that will also add some longevity to the simulator’s life. It certainly got my 9-year-old’s attention, and I am pretty sure I will have to share soon. You can also design and upload your own to have players take them on or play theirs. The first time I played one was during Story mode, and it brought me right back to Deathruns in Fortnite, so I am sure they will be very popular.
Something that took me by surprise was some of the quality-of-life features that House Flipper 2 has included. The ability to toggle items on and off was a lifesaver for my trigger finger. It meant I could turn on the vacuum or scrubbing without having to press or hold down the trigger button was amazing. There is also the bumper, which will highlight what you’re missing with most tools, helping you get those last few smudges or pieces of trash.
At the same time, though, there are some issues on the Xbox and in general, that hold House Flipper 2 back. For instance, the lack of locking in place well makes decorating a nightmare sometimes. Something else noticeably missing is an “undo” button. The number of times I sold something I shouldn’t have or placed a rogue tile was high, so an undo would be a real game changer.
House Flipper 2 has become a strange new addiction, and I think it is one of the best building simulators out there, but I also think that it is one of the most forgiving. With a wide range of gameplay styles and customization options, I think House Flipper 2 will be a standard for building sim fanatics for years to come.
