House Flipper's Garden Flipper DLC Review

Back in May 2018 developer Empyrean released a title by the name of House Flipper. This simulation videogame gave players the chance to experience what it is like to buy a property, do it up through some much-needed DIY, and then sell it on for a profit. Though a highly enjoyable title players were limited to the inside of the property with no options available to make any changes to the surrounding ground work. Well, that’s now changed thanks to the newly released DLC that let’s players get their green fingers dirty and get to work in those gardens.

Titled Garden Flipper, this DLC brings a wide variety of new items and gameplay mechanics to the core game, providing players with everything they need to make the perfect garden for their properties. Of course, your first task will be to unlock and learn how to use each of the new mechanics that make gardening possible. You’ll do this by completing one of the many new missions which have been integrated into the core game to ensure you have a steady stream of new tools to play with during your playthrough.

Cut grass with a trimmer, dig holes to put plants in with your new spade, chop down trees with an axe, pull up weeds, lay turf, and even build new garden furniture. Much like in the base game these are all performed with ease and sometimes in a few steps. For example, to lay some turf you’ll first need to clear the area, then purchase the turf rolls via your in-game tablet. Next, you’ll place them where you want to start and then roll them out using the mouse. Simple! Of course, the more you perform each of these actions the more experience you will earn allowing you to purchase upgrades, making each one faster, cheaper, and even provide more funds..

Now, money is the goal here as you’ll be looking to add further value to a property by doing up the garden along with the inside of the property. The gameplay loop remains the same in that you will complete missions to earn the starting funds to then purchase your first property. From here you will use what you have learned to try and turn a profit without spending too much. Thankfully, it turns out that clearing out a garden and doing a bit of work actually adds a lot of value to a property, making it a worthwhile investment.

It might all sound like a lot of hard work but Garden Flipper manages to maintain what made the core game so enjoyable: it’s relaxing. There is next to no pressure to complete a job here outside of the requirements to finish a mission, which even then is a carefree experience. For many, having the additional options to go and work in the garden will actually make the game more appealing and that is completely understandable.

Garden Flipper helps to make the House Flipper experience feel like a more complete package while also maintaining a solid frame rate and performance throughout. If you are looking for a way to relax or just to build your dream house and garden then look no further than Garden Flipper.