Gamer reviews for Flop Rocket
Flop Rocket: To Infinity and Beyond
Help these cave-nauts fulfill their dream of reaching space by launching their spaceship from within a cave. Flop Rocket is a game made by Butterscotch Shenanigans and is, according to the developers, a physics-based space-cave flight-simulator evasion-arcade RPG and you can download it for free on Android and iOS. It doesn't have In-app purchases but it gives you bonuses if you purchase it for about $3. There are ads and they are quite intrusive because some ads have the "install" button right where you press the screen to thrust the ship. Purchasing it removes all ads though.
The game is based on maneuvering your ship in a long cave filled with various hazards from stalactites and stalagmites, to spaceducks (flying alien things), and even huge space worms. Many more obstacles are most likely to appear near the end of the cave. As you fly, or most of the time flutter or float through the cave, you will have to dodge obstacles and collect coins. These coins are used to upgrade your spacecraft to perform better. You can upgrade your magnetism to increase the radius in which you attract coins. Later on, after upgrading magnetism, you may increase the strength of the attraction, increase the speed at which you thrust, increase the power of your thrusts so that you don't slide as much when changing directions, and upgrade your fuel capacity.
Aside from these four basic upgrade paths, IF you buy the game, an additional eight more paths are unlocked. These upgrades are really good and even give you offensive capabilities. Unfortunately they are locked behind a, albeit not so expensive paywall. The important ones like the basic capacity and maneuverability of the ship is free so you can still complete the game without buying it. You also get missions as you start your game. These are random and include refueling two times before hitting the ground or ceiling, and collecting a specific amount of coins. Completing these missions reward you with Juice which is a secondary currency used to purchase perks you get to use for a single game like an escape pod that lets you fly a little bit longer after you die. The pod however doesn't control as well as the main ship and seems to have the same maneuverability as your default ship with no upgrades and having horribly less fuel. You can also use Juice to give you a massive headstart by launching yourself like a cannon. You can also buy ammunition but that is only if you unlocked the eight additional upgrade paths by buying the game. The rest comes from the player's skill to expertly control the ship towards the exit—a challenge that will surely take most of your time.
The graphics used in the game is a simple cartoony 2D art style. It runs pretty well even when you are flying at high speeds. The sound is another good thing in this game. The background music is pretty hip and fun to listen to. The sound effects are nice too. The sound when you explode is oddly nice too.
In my opinion, Flop Rocket is a game that deserves your time, and even if you decide to buy it with your own money. It doesn't complicate itself too much and its difficulty curve isn't steep. It just takes a little getting used to. Also, who wouldn't want to help these poor cavenauts fulfill their dream of getting into space? An oddly specific theme but nonetheless entertaining. Prove those naysayers wrong and show them that it is possible (althought extremely counterproductive) to launch a ship from a cave.
