Every Saturday morning when I ask my 4 year old daughter what she wants for breakfast, 9 times out of 10 she says, “Pancakes.” (The 10th time she says “chicken nuggets.”) And after 4 years of being a regular pancake chef, I consider myself somewhat of an expert flapjack flipper.
So when a copy of Flapjack Flipout rolled up to BGQ HQ, I figured I’d be a natural. It’s a dexterity game (a favorite of mine) that also mixes in some pattern matching and memory elements. Time to fire up our griddles as we take a look at this tile flipping game.
Gameplay Overview:
Like most dexterity games, Flapjack Flipout is pretty easy to learn. Each player grabs a spatula and the pancake tiles are spread out on the table face down. The bell is placed in the middle and you are ready to go. A player flips over an order card, shouts “Order Up” and all players simultaneously start grabbing pancake tiles to flip.
The flipping rules are pretty straightforward. You need to put the pancake face down on your spatula and flip it so it (ideally) lands face up on your spatula. It’s then placed facedown in a pile in front of you. If it falls off and hits the table, it’s removed from the round (no three-second rule here).
Once you think you’ve got all the pancakes for the order card, you smack the bell with your spatula and yell “Order In”. If you are right, you claim the card as a point. If you wrong, you are out of the round, and the remaining players can use the pancakes you did get correct to fill the order. The first player to four points wins.
Game Experience:
Flapjack Flipout arrived just in time to bring to Gen Con 2022 and I’m glad it did. This game definitely makes a great convention game. The rules are easy to gronk, the gameplay is a bit silly, and it can accommodate up to 6 players. More than once we got some strange looks as we are flipping cardboard discs around and ringing an order bell. Nope, we were not ashamed at all.
The hardest part about Flapjack Flipout is getting the flip right. The pancakes tend to stick to the spatula a little, the publisher described it to me as “stiction,” so you need to use your skills to overcome that. I’d suggest new players practice a little with the spatula before the game gets started, because it can definitely be a little tricky.
I was a little surprised at how much my memory sucked in this game. I would organize my pancakes into neat little piles by type, only to forget what something was between rounds. I mean, the flavors aren’t that complex: Blueberry, plain, apple, etc., but in the heat of the moment, while you are racing to be the first to complete an order, screwups will happen.
And that’s important to know about Flapjack Flipout. This is a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously and that’s ok. Components will go flying, the bell will be smashed with more force than necessary, and people will curse in despair as they reveal the wrong pancakes for the order. But that’s part of the charm of this little dexterity game. It’s a quirky and fun little break from the usual fare.
Final Thoughts:
Flapjack Flipout delivered up right what I was expecting in a memory and dexterity game. While it’s definitely a one-trick pony, it does that trick really well. The rules are light enough to make this easy to get to the table, yet the combination of flipping and memory is just enough of a challenge to keep players on their toes. While this one works just fine with two players, it really shines in larger groups, particularly after imbibing a favorite beverage or two. If you are looking for some silly fun that just about anyone who’s not a stick in the mud will enjoy, check out Flapjack Flipout.
Final Score: 3.5 Stars – A silly and quick-playing dexterity game that will test both your skills and your memory.
Hits:
• Easy to learn and get to the table
• Silly fun
• Ringing the bell is more fun than it should be
Misses:
• Not sure how much staying power it has after a couple of games
