The developers’ concept is simple: clients in a small town offer real estate jobs, pay for completing orders, and with the profits you can buy and renovate houses to earn even more. The journey will lead to tools not available at the start, earning skill points, and upgrading abilities depending on how frequently you use auxiliary gear.
After ten minutes or so, you can understand what the game is all about — there are no particular challenges or competitive elements here, and you shouldn’t expect sharp mechanical pivots or unexpected plot twists. It is a meditative game about performing repetitive tasks for results.
The sequel to 2018’s successful House Flipper from Polish studio Frozen District and publisher PlayWay is a kind of “remaster from scratch” with a new mode. The creators didn’t further bloat the “base,” choosing instead to refine the gameplay more thoroughly. The game looks fresher and has changed visually. How exactly?
While in the original game everything was cleaned by a “magic” hand, the new title introduces a rag, scraper, spray, and wipe depending on the surface type. Another noticeable detail is the gradual filling of the trash bag, which is then thrown into a dumpster. Granted, the latter forces extra actions and will prove annoying.
Special attention is paid to the item assembly minigame. A dedicated tab features desk lamps, clocks, and other items that turn from a set of parts into a full-fledged object. The work is rated by star count – the higher the rating, the cheaper the item will sell in the in-game store.
And at first glance, there are quite a lot of items here. Building materials, paints, tables, appliances, kitchens, bathtubs, wardrobes, computers, posters, and tons of other things. But naturally, over time, they will run short – a clear groundwork for expansions.
Want to build a basement or go through all the construction cycles to build your dream home? Be our guest!
The narrative is a background element for better immersion. The protagonist has moved into a somewhat dilapidated childhood home in the suburbs, where they receive emails and calls from clients. The missions not only introduce mechanics, but also develop a straightforward story. Today you need to furnish a room ordered by an elderly woman whose beloved grandson is moving in, and tomorrow you’re outfitting a freelancer’s workspace.
One of the game’s incentives is the gradual introduction of tools. From the very beginning, the player isn’t overwhelmed with a heap of possibilities; instead, you’re taught basic cleaning: pick up trash, wipe windows and walls, vacuum. Later on, you’re allowed to paint surfaces, lay tile and laminate flooring, demolish and build walls. What was previously learned isn’t discarded, but gradually expanded upon.
Tutorial completed, basic tools unlocked. What else fuels the desire to keep playing? Upgrading character perks on a dedicated skill tree! As the workload increases, all processes become streamlined to prevent player burnout. For instance, you mop floors much faster, get a wider paint roller, and become a superb negotiator when selling houses.
The freedom granted by the developers is pleasantly surprising – choices of furniture assembly variants, patterns, textures, which way a door swings, and so forth. If funds allow, there’s plenty of room to let loose. And that’s where the game truly shines.
Attention is paid to the aesthetic aspect, namely color-matching the environment and furniture. You can ignore it or experiment with it, as there is a dedicated perk for this. However, the options cannot be called limitless, which will likely be expanded in future DLCs.
The game sorely lacks an undo button for recent actions, for instance, when applying finishing materials incorrectly. A “before and after” view upon completing jobs wouldn’t hurt either.
Sandbox mode is a creative playground independent of the story campaign, where you can design jobs and even send them to friends. The process isn’t overly laborious, but there is no in-game tutorial, and that’s a downside.
Despite the improvements, visually House Flipper 2 looks rather plain in 2023. The level of detail is good, but you can’t shake the feeling that the project was assembled from Unity store assets. Even on mid-range PCs, it stutters and forces you to enable DLSS and FSR. Nevertheless, there are no crashes or critical errors, which is already a plus.
Questions will certainly arise regarding control convenience with wall painting and item assembly.
House Flipper 2, just like its predecessor, will surely be monetized through a bunch of DLCs. There is nothing unusual here — this is the norm for simulators of this kind, but it is disappointing. Five expansions were released for the first game, and players had to shell out anywhere from half to the full price of the “base” game for each. Those familiar with the original will sorely miss gardening, pets, and luxury mansions.
Diagnosis
House Flipper 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but makes it spin faster by building upon the first game’s ideas. It is a title for relaxing sessions, with maximally straightforward gameplay where you decide what to do with the freedom provided and the expanded, intuitive construction tools. Even if the concept of “renovation” sounds intimidating, the developers provide a basic walkthrough showing all its charms and drawbacks.
Is the sequel better than the original? Certainly not in its launch state – it needs plenty of time and expansions. And most importantly, a solid discount.
On the flip side, while playing you can feel like Julius Caesar multitasking several things at once – chatting in messengers, watching TV shows or videos, combining business with (pointless) pleasure.
Pros:
- Better looking than the original
- Calming, yet not sleep-inducing gameplay
- Broad possibilities and accessibility
- Clients are generous with payouts
Cons:
- Short story campaign
- Base version serves as a foundation for DLC sales
- Optimization shortcomings
- Occasional control issues