Item: Flat Pack
Rating: 86
Author: Dinsun

Our Site Score

86/100

Flat Pack is a brilliant exercise in spatial awareness and perspective from the masters of mobile arcade games at Nitrome. It blends 2D platforming with 3D geometry in a way that feels totally unique—you’re essentially running around the surface of a flattened cube. As you move across the 'creases' of the level, the world rotates, turning walls into floors and vice-versa. It’s a head-spinning mechanic that is incredibly satisfying to master.

True to Nitrome’s reputation, the pixel art is vibrant and full of character, and the level design is top-tier. Each level introduces new hazards that force you to think about the 3D space differently. There’s also a really cool AR mode that lets you project the levels into your real-world environment, which actually helps you visualize the cube-like nature of the puzzles. It’s a clever, polished, and challenging platformer that manages to innovate in a genre that often feels stale. If you love puzzles that challenge your brain's '3D mode', this is a gem.

Reviewed on: Sun May 19 2024

Dinsun Review

Dinsun here. Nitrome usually makes solid pixel-art games, and 'Flat Pack' is a neat evolution of their style. The idea of playing a classic 2D platformer wrapped around a 3D cube is genuinely disorienting in a fun way. It forces you to think spatially to figure out how avoiding a laser on one side of a box will affect you when you cross over the edge. Now, the heavily advertised AR mode? It's a total gimmick. Walking around my living room holding my iPad up to look at a virtual cube is exhausting and ruins the precise platforming controls. But if you ignore the AR and play it as a standard touch-screen game, it’s a tight, challenging, and highly inventive puzzle-platformer.

Overall Stats

Pros & Cons

Excellent core mechanic blending 2D and 3D
Great pixel art and character design
Challenging level design

AR mode is a clunky, impractical gimmick
Touch controls can occasionally misinterpret swipes near edges
Boss fights can be frustrating

Technical Report

Performance: AR mode drains battery very rapidly and causes device heating.

Accessibility:

Playable without AR

Audience Fit

Buy if: You like perspective-bending games like Fez or Monument Valley.

Skip if: You hate on-screen D-pad controls for precision platforming.

Similar Games:

Monument Valley
Fez
Super Phantom Cat

Reviewer Context

Reviewer: Dinsun, 40-year-old conservative gamer
Hardware: iPhone 14 Pro
Playtime: 6 hours
Status: Finished all levels (mostly in non-AR mode)

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

1206776375

Free9+★4.7 4402 reviews

Author : Nitrome

Pubish Date : Sun Sep 17 2017

Last Update Date : Mon Apr 15 2024

Support Languages : English

Genres :

Version 1.1.1Mon Apr 15 2024

- Fixed hidden (secret) achievement that couldn't be completed.
Requires iOS 11.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Flat Pack. A 2D and 3D platform mix-up!
Features:
• Cool traps and enemies that escape the confines of the level.
• Take to the skies and explore 30+ levels each with there own unique twist.
• Featuring brand new AR Mode! Manoeuvre around levels in a real world environment.
• Wrap your brain around this 2D and 3D hybrid!
• One handed platforming at its best.
• Epic Boss Fights!!!
• Explore and find all of the secret stars to unlock a secret ending!

Ratings & Reviews

4.7 out of 5 with 4402 Counts

★★★★★

Age Rating 9+

Flat Pack is an innovative platformer that challenges your perception by merging 2D and 3D gameplay. Players control a small character navigating levels that wrap around the surfaces of 3D geometric shapes. As you cross the edges, the camera shifts, creating a seamless transition between flat platforming and 3D navigation. Developed by Nitrome, the game features over 30 levels packed with traps, enemies, and secret stars. It also includes an AR (Augmented Reality) mode, allowing you to manipulate the levels in your real-world space to find the best path forward. With its unique 'one-handed' control scheme and epic boss fights, it is a standout title in the platforming genre.

Features

Unique 2D and 3D hybrid platforming

Over 30 levels with distinct twists

Augmented Reality (AR) mode for immersive play

Epic boss fights and hidden secrets

Vibrant pixel art and one-handed controls

Tips

Thinking in 3D

When you reach the edge of a face, don't stop! The level will rotate. Use this to 'fall' onto new surfaces or escape enemies that can only move on one face. Look for secret stars hidden on the underside of blocks to unlock the true ending.

Gameplays

Surface Navigation

Use simple taps and swipes to move and jump. The core gameplay revolves around navigating hazards that exist across multiple planes of a 3D object. You must collect parts to complete the level while avoiding traps that follow the geometry.