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A simulator game that allows you to clean, remodel and sell a variety of houses

A simulator game that allows you to clean, remodel and sell a variety of houses

Vote: (166 votes)

Program license: Paid

Developer: Empyrean

Works under: Windows

Also available for Android

Vote:

Program license

(166 votes)

Paid

Developer

Empyrean

Works under:

Also available for

Windows

Android

Pros

  • Targets particular roles and objectives
  • Become a renovator, the engineer, or the interior designer
  • Immersive 3D graphics
  • A realistic property management simulation

Cons

  • Repetitive gameplay

House Flipper is a game, but there's no alien blasting here, no first-person shooting or zombie slaying. Used to virtually fix up and "flip" a graphically realistic representation of a rundown home, this is a simulation. In this game category, the gamer works on real-world activities, so there are no spaceports or castles, just badly beat up residences. Desperately in need of renovation, it's the job of the game user's simulated handyman to make their fixer-upper a desirable piece of real estate.

And that's the objective, the goal set by the House Flipper software writers, to transform a devastated home, an utter wreck of a residence, into a property that'll sell for a profit on the virtual housing market. Playing the game, the player is sucked into an immersive 3D environment, a place where a simulated home's walls and exposed surfaces are falling apart. It's viewed from a first-person perspective, just like a shooter game. Except, instead of a loaded weapon, that unseen handyman, the player's character, gets to hold and throw around a surface-bludgeoning sledgehammer. There's something of a perverse sense of pleasure when the hammer falls. Bricks and mortar go flying, and the renovation is underway.

The simulation strives for reality. A for sale sign flaps lazily in an invisible breeze. The aging house is waiting, perhaps behind a faded picket fence and an overgrown garden. Take a brush or mop out of the inventory, and get sweeping. There's broken furniture to clear, dirty windows to wash, and even a mess of encroaching bugs to exterminate. All of this, the dirty rooms and crawling insects included, are rendered in three-dimensions. To keep these immersive graphics moving smoothly, an Intel i3 or AMD equivalent processor should be powering a 64-bit edition of Windows 7 or above. Those are, of course, the minimum system specs for this game. If gaming stability is to be assured, install it on an Intel i5 machine, one with 8GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 970 video card.

As a one-man, or woman, renovator, there are scores of tasks to manage, including the gritty feel of the demolition work. From the paperwork side of things, the house has to be bought and then sold, but only after that remodeling phase is finished. Renovating the property, all of the old materials and furniture are obviously coming out, then there are new building materials to purchase. Use a hammer and nails to restore the structure's framework. Swap out the hammer for a drill, then use the power tool to install lighting fixtures, plumbing and electrical systems, and more. Finally, with all the simulated home systems installed, experiment with interior design. Try different colors and textures, change the lighting and window styling, and add resell value to the property.

Pros

  • Targets particular roles and objectives
  • Become a renovator, the engineer, or the interior designer
  • Immersive 3D graphics
  • A realistic property management simulation

Cons

  • Repetitive gameplay