Amid all the Unreal Engine 5 remakes of classic games appearing these days, it's always nice to come across a reminder that a quirky, innovative premise and gameplay can still beat photorealism in game design – and a dose of nostalgia can help too.
With its wonderfully utilitarian title, Flipping is Hard is a platform game that involves flipping a retro brick phone through various perilous environments, including snow, rock and rooftops.
A phone may not sound like the most charismatic game character, but the game looks surprisingly charming (for more gems see our pick of the best retro games consoles. And if you want to work on your own, see our guide to the best game development software).
Flipping is Hard was developed in Unity by Elegant Horse Studios. With simple controls and physics-based gameplay, players use only the phone’s rotation to move.
Writing on Reddit, the developer says the mechanic was originally built around a plank. Through a happy accident, they dropped in old phone asset while working on the character, leading to a light bulb moment.
"I gave it a try, and somehow, it just clicked," they write. "It felt more fun, more ridiculous, and honestly had way more personality and random ideas I could follow. So the plank was out, and the phone stayed."
I think this was definitely the right decision. Not only does a retro phone have more personality than a plank, but it adds a new element of nostalgia to a game that already had retro platform influences. It also gives the player more motivation since trying to save a phone is something people can probably relate to more than trying to save a plank.
The game has seven worlds and a charmingly cartoony art style. Players will be able to customise their phone by unlocking new styles. For even more nostalgia value, there are several classic mobile mini-games including Snake, Flappy Bird and Bounce, and there are cameo appearances from other retro tech as NPCs you can interact with, including a floppy disk and a Tamagotchi.
Now all it needs is a bowl of rice challenge and some vibration mechanics to complete the Y2K mobile experience.
Elegant Horse warns that most people quit the game because they "can't keep calm", so be prepared for some frustration with this tricky little game. Are your nerves up to it? Let me know in the comments.
You can wishlist Flipping is Hard on Steam now. It's slated for release in 2026.
