Ketchapp is arguably the master of casual arcade games – they keep churning ‘em out, almost on a weekly basis, and even if some of their games may feel similar to each other, you can’t deny that they’re hard to put down. Their latest such title is Flippy, which is an endless runner (much like many other Ketchapp games, such as Balls Race, Roller Coaster and Rush to name a few), where your objective is to score points by overtaking as many runners as possible, while avoiding the red spikes, which will automatically and instantly end your run. As you earn more gems in the game, either by picking them up in the levels, completing quests/missions, or by watching ads, you can unlock new characters. And you can, of course, compete with friends or players from all over the world on Apple’s Game Center or Google Play, depending on your phone’s operating system – as is the case with almost every Ketchapp game, this title is available for Android and iOS devices alike.
You may think that such games do not need a strategy guide – they’re so simple that you can learn how to play them in a matter of minutes. But our exclusive Flippy strategy guide proves otherwise. We’re here to help you truly master the game, beat your high score time and again, and fly up the Game Center or Google Play rankings, while also helping you unlock all the characters as soon as possible.
1. Complete The Quests
Yes, we know. This sounds like an odd tip for a casual arcade game — quests are available in RPGs or other titles to keep you up to date and up to speed whenever and wherever possible. But this game does have its own share of quests, though you won’t be able to view what they are ahead of time. The quests can all be achieved by playing the game as usual, so just relax, don’t put yourself under too much pressure, and let the quests come to you naturally. You may be asked, for instance, to touch/overtake a certain number of runners or collect a specific number of a given kind of power-up. Either way, just keep on playing and you’ll complete the quests, with 40 gems as your reward for each one completed.
The percentage figure on the lower half of the screen refers to your quest completion percentage. This is an endless runner, which means you shouldn’t confuse the percentage as level completion. It’s quest completion, and you can simply ignore it because it’s so easy to complete these quests organically!
2. Flip Well Before The Spikes Start
The basic premise of this game, and you better believe it is basic, is that you have to “flip” yourself from one side of the level to the other to avoid hitting the red spikes in either direction. At first, your instinct may be to flip by tapping on the screen once you’re just about to hit the spikes. That might not be the best strategy to employ, however — instead, you’re better off flipping the moment you see the red line that’s designed to get you ready for the next flip. That may sound easy, but believe us — as your motions can easily speed up if you come into contact with certain power-ups, or each time you pass multiple runners, flipping early is easier said than done. One bonus tip as well — be careful when flipping, as it’s a very common mistake for players to flip from a blank, coast-is-clear side of the level, only to hit the spikes!
3. Go For The Yellow Boost
As we mentioned in the game’s overview, you won’t be alone — the procedurally generated levels in Flippy come with random power-ups which you can activate by running into them. That means you may get power-ups that increase your score multiplier, slow you down, or speed you up. However, you shouldn’t risk your score in the game by chasing after those power-ups if you see them on the opposite side. The only power-up worth taking a risk for, in our opinion, is the yellow boost, which makes you invincible and super-fast for a few seconds or so. We never can seem to do this due to the random appearance and disappearance of other runners, but if you’re careening through the levels at top speed and completely invincible, that could allow your score to increase significantly, and give you a solid chance at beating your old high score.
Regardless of character, each of them costs 200 gems, so this, for better or for worse, is the only thing you can buy with your currency!
4. Watch Ad Videos To Resume Your Good Games
It would seem that Ketchapp only makes this option available once you’ve scored a certain number of points — based on our experience, this appears to be scores of 65 to 70 and above. The game rewards good performances by asking you if you want to watch an ad video to resume your game, and if you do, you can continue where you left off and get yourself another chance to keep increasing your score, hopefully until you erase your old record with a new one. Take note, however, that you only get one “second chance” — if your character gets killed a third time, you won’t be able to continue, and you’ll have no choice but to restart from square one.
As a bonus tip, make sure that you actually complete the video — it could get a bit confusing at some times, especially if you don’t have a good internet connection, but the only time you can continue by watching an ad is if you only hit on the “X” button on the upper right once the video is all done.
5. Spin The Wheel Of Fortune, Play The Bonus Round, And Watch Those Ads
Want even more gems in Flippy? Yes, you can collect the gems that appear on the levels, and complete the quests as we mentioned above, but there are other things you can do in order to add up to your gem totals.
There are three more ways for you to earn additional gems, which are the game’s only form of currency, much like they are in other titles from Ketchapp. The first method we will be discussing is by spinning the Wheel of Fortune, where you can win anywhere between 10 and 100 gems. More often than not, you may end up with the lower-value options (10 gems, for instance), but you may also get lucky from time to time and get a good hundred gems!
A second way to earn more gems would be by playing the bonus round — this button appears in the middle after you complete a level, and this is like a mini-game of sorts where your objective is to collect as many gems as possible in 20 seconds. The stakes aren’t too high here — there are no spikes until the 20 seconds are up, so you can focus on flipping from one side to the next, as you try to gather as many gems as possible from both sides. You can earn up to 100 gems from the bonus round, though realistically speaking, 80 to 90 is a pretty good number to shoot for.
Lastly, there are various opportunities to watch ad videos, which would allow you to earn 30 gems per advertisement watched. This isn’t as much as the 40 gems you’ll win by completing the quests, but it could add up, and these ads can come in handy if you’re just a few gems short of 200 and wanting to unlock a new character.
6. All The Characters Play The Same
This should probably be such an obvious tip (for those who regularly play casual arcade games on their mobile devices), but the truth is, not all games in the casual arcade category fit this billing. There are some where different characters may have different skill sets, strengths, or weaknesses. But Ketchapp isn’t known for such bells and whistles, and Flippy is not an exception to their rule. While you can indeed unlock a ton of characters in this game, they all play the same way. The old man will not be slower, and the astronaut won’t be able to use a jet pack to get him above the spikes. It’s all about keeping it simple in this game, and that means a homogenized set of characters. If it means anything, however, some players play best when they have a wide choice of characters to choose from, as the different appearances from one character to the next may help in breaking the monotony of using the same guy over and over again.
7. Safety First
If we may go back to the gameplay for a moment, we need to emphasize one thing before we end this guide — your main focus should be on staying alive for as long as possible, and not hitting the spikes. You may see a big group of runners on the opposite side, but if they’re about to run into a row of spikes, you might not want to take the risk. And you certainly don’t want to risk getting hit by the spikes if you see one measly gem on the other side, or on your side but right before the spikes appear. There are much better ways for you to earn a ton of gems, just as we had explained above.
Long story short — it’s all about avoiding the spikes. Bump into a bunch of runners if you could, chase the yellow boost power-up and the bonus points power-ups if possible, but never do so if it’s too risky for comfort.
8. Take A Breather
The environments in which the game takes place in can be very, very dizzying, especially if the colors used are in the brighter side. And we know how it is to be so determined to beat one’s high score, that the pressure gets to be too much, with one bad game leading to another. In order to avoid such loss of momentum, you may choose to take breaks every now and then, perhaps about 30 minutes to an hour. This is a good way to get back into the groove of things, as resting in between play sessions could allow you to regain your focus or, if applicable, snap out of a funk. It’s the very same principle behind timeouts in sports. Of course, we completely understand that this could be quite a hard game to put down, but if you’re playing poorly or if the fatigue is showing in your technique, maybe taking a quick breather could do you some good.