QCF: Flippidy Tap!

here are a slew of time-wasters on the google play store and apple store that captivate their users during those menial moments where they're waiting for an important meeting, slogging through a commune on public transit or generally finding a bit of downtime to relax and poke at their devices' screens for a bit. I, of course, prefer the shmuppy ones, but puzzles are a big deal for me too, and while it may not exactly be Tetris or anything, Flippidy Tap! is a game that ended up being subtly challenging with a bit of hidden tension and a decent premise.

So what do you do in Flippidy Tap!? Well, it's a match-two tile matching game that has players poking at tiles to flip them over. Flipping another identical tile will create a match, and players continue until all tiles are matched up. Players will start in “Enduro Mode,” which challenges players to clear whole boards of tiles and make it to as high a level as they can before the clock inevitably runs down. As long as there's time left on the clock, players will progress to the next level. Simple, right?—sure, at first it is. Two tiles?—Instant win—Four?—Gimme more.—Eight tiles?—Breezy—Forty-eight tiles?—Woah, now that's another matter, especially on a timer. The climbing difficulty curve can be especially challenging in later stages where time has run a little thin, and the urgency becomes a little more tangible and the panic starts to set in!

Thankfully, even in later stages, there are little animated cues that let players know where they might find a match, whether a card winks at the player or if two same-paneled cards wiggle a bit. This can be pretty helpful as the game progresses, so a sharp eye will definitely get players further. Players also receive extra time and coins for every match and stage win, allowing them to claw back much those needed seconds to keep the game going if a particular set had ground down the clock.

There's definitely an addictive game here and it's only made better with Flippidy Tap!'s sound and visuals. With a funkadelic BGM and an assortment of great pixel art UI elements and sprites, there's definitely a lot to like about Flippidy Tap!'s presentation. We really appreciated the pixel art images for each tile, which features everything from ninjas to orcs to cherries, gems, emoticons and cats. There really is a little bit of everything in here! The sound effects also hit home with great retro-sounding effects that make Flippidy Tap! Feel exquisitely videogamey—Mmm.

To start, players have access only to “Enduro Mode” which, in our opinion, is the best one for those looking for a challenging time. But what about kicking back and flipping tiles without the stress of timers and memory overload? Well, for two bucks, three extra modes open up: Casual Easy, Casual Medium and Casual Hard. All three modes play identically to each other, save for the amount of tiles that they feature. Additionally, none of these extra modes are timed, meaning players can sit back and relax, taking Flippidy Tap! at a calm, and leisurely pace.

There are other reasons to plunk a couple of bucks down too; unlocking the full game grants players 10,000 coins to spend on new tile-sets including food and flags, as well as a permanent coin double in-game, across all modes and difficulties. Win, Win, Win.

The only downside could, perhaps, be that there aren't quite as many unlockable tiles as we'd have liked. Extra BGM styles could be good as well; what's here is funky and works well, but three to choose from would give players a good amount of choice when it comes to their aural experience. Of course, any of these can be added in future versions of the game so these are, admittedly, very minor gripes.

Those dog days of summer are fast approaching and it's going to be hot, humid and lazy. And honestly? This is going to be one of those fantastic pick-up-and-play apps for lounging around with a beverage of your choice, whether it be on a couch or in a hammock. Give Flippidy Tap! a try for free today on the Google Play store or Apple App Store.