Flip

Flip. is a video game developed by e-Motion Interactive and published by ACS. Released for PlayStation 4, XBox ONE and the Samsung Zeo. The game is a parkour simulation that puts players in the shoes of a freerunner as they sprint, jump and flip through various obstacles scattered all over the city.

Gameplay
Touted as “a giant leap for free movement in video gaming”, the game takes the free-flowing action of parkour with the arcade-style, trick-based gameplay of extreme sports games like the Tony Hawk series, while also integrating wide open environments.

Using an intuitive and easy-to-learn control scheme, players can perform twists, flips, wall-jumps, and hurdles, among many other parkour tricks available. Players use the left stick and/or d-pad for movement, the face buttons for basic commands like jumping, running, centering the camera and sliding, the right stick to perform parkour tricks such as flips and twists, and the shoulder buttons to strafe and sideroll. Controls are fully customizable on the options menu.

The gameplay is mostly point-based, with each parkour trick performed earning the player points upon successful performance. Variety of tricks is encouraged, and the score of a repeated trick will be cut by a fraction of their original score, so performing the same trick over and over will not grant the player as much points as performing a varying set of tricks in the same time period.

After a run, points are then converted to Cash, which can then be used to buy extra tricks and customization items. In Adventure mode (see below), points are also integral to a player’s “Fame” level. By earning more points, the player gets to earn Fame much faster. Players can also get a “high score” provided that they have reached a high enough amount of points to succeed the previous high score. Beating a high score on an area usually grants the player a huge Cash reward.

The game features motion capture by professional parkour artists, with every single parkour move captured realistically,

Adventure
The game’s main mode is Adventure mode, where players traverse through the areas as a created character while taking several sidequests from NPCs scattered all through the area.

In adventure mode, the player is given a Health meter that goes down everytime the player bails out. When the Health meter is depleted, the run ends, and the player gets all the bonuses earned fron said run. Players can also end the run by quitting through the Pause menu.

The player’s main method of earning cash is by performing sidequests from NPCs. Sidequest NPCs are indicated by a speech bubble above their head. The player can then stop near the NPC to trigger the sidequest. When the player fails the sidequest, either by bailing or running out of time, the player is sent back to the NPC for a quick chance to try again.

Sidequests can range from earning a set amount of points in a certain amount of time, to performing a certain trick on a certain spot. Each sidequest has a time limit, adding a degree of challenge to each task.

At certain parts of an area, the player can encounter one of the pros, who will give out “Pro Challenges” to the player. These Pro Challenges are based around the pro’s real-life achievements and are usually harder than regular sidequests. Completing Pro Challenges reward the player a huge amount of cash and Fame, unlocks extra tricks and customiaztion items, and are required for 100% game completion.

Session
Session mode is a mode that acts similar to the Single Session mode in the classic Tony Hawk titles. Players are given two minutes to roam around the area and perform as many tricks as they can to earn a high score. When the player has earned a high amount of points in one session, they can then save their high score.

Free
Free mode allows players to roam through the area freely, without any sidequests to do, or time limits to chase after. Useful for those who want to study every nook and cranny of the area, or those who simply want to practice their moves.

Multiplayer
The game includes various multiplayer games. Players can choose to play on local multiplaye with a friend, or go online and challenge players from all around the world.


 * Trick Attack: A multiplayer version of Session mode, two players are given two minutes to roam around the area and perform as many tricks as they can. Whoever gets the highest score wins.


 * H-O-R-S-E: Similar to the “game of S-K-A-T-E” in skateboarding, and the similary named game in basketball, one player performs a certain trick, which the others then need to copy. Every failed attempt earns the player a letter from H-O-R-S-E. Whoever gets the letters for H-O-R-S-E first loses.


 * Free: A two-player free run session, where both players can roam through the area freely, without any challenges or time limits. Useful for those who want to study every nook and cranny of the area, or those who simply want to practice their moves.

Create
Create mode allows players to create their own character, as well as customize their bio and trick list. Each player can save 15 created characters per save. The Create mode also hosts the Shop, which is where the player can buy more tricks, customization items, and stat points for use for their created character.

Gallery
Gallery mode allows the player to view unlocked parkour videos by some of the pros included in the game, look at pictures of the pros as well as early development material, and listen to all 30 of the in-game licensed tracks.

Characters
<p style="font-weight:400;">The characters featured in the game consists of various professional freerunners and parkour traceurs. Players can also create their own character using the Create feature.

Playable Pros

 * Ryan Doyle


 * Tim Shieff
 * Damien Walters
 * Cory DeMeyers
 * Victor Lopez


 * Jason Paul


 * Dimitris Kyrsanidis


 * Zen Shimada


 * Pasha Petkuns


 * Jesse La Flair


 * Erik Mukhametshin


 * Kie Willis


 * Katie McDonnell

Areas
<p style="font-weight:400;">The game features 10 areas based on real-life cities. While not connected to one another, these areas are vast and huge, with lots and lots of places to explore and discover. ACS has announced two extra stages to be included via DLC.


 * San Diego, California


 * Seattle, Washington


 * San Antonio, Texas


 * Las Vegas, Nevada


 * London, England


 * Brighton, England


 * Shibuya, Japan


 * Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


 * Beijing, China


 * Mardin, Turkey


 * Santorini, Greece

Soundtrack
<p style="font-weight:400;">The game features a licensed soundtrack featuring 30 songs from various eras such as the 90s, 2000s and 2010s. These soundtracks range from hip-hop, to rock, to dubstep.

Trivia

 * Before getting picked up by ACS, Albany-based development studio e-Motion Interactive had contacted Konami to publish the game during its earliest stages. However, after Konami’s controversial exit from the console gaming market, ACS proceeded to pick up the project.


 * Thai singer and parkour traceur Anan Anwar was considered to be included in the game, but was ommited due to other commitments


 * Flip is not the first game to feature parkour and Tony Hawk-style gameplay together: 10 years prior, Ubisoft released Free Running for various consoles, to lukewarm reception.