Flipper Critters review

At first glance, Flipper Critters initiates its intended response: Awwwww… and we even had to edit out a couple w’s. The characters and presentation exude adorability - headed up by our plucky heroes, Tiger and Monkey. As their quirky adventures unfold you’ll celebrate birthdays, tend to a cows clinical depression, and even take a trip to the moon - all through the magic of, uh, pinball.

But Flipper Critters' thrills are as stunted and disproportionate as the Billy Goat mayor's midgeted character model. We've seen some fairly decent pinball representations in our time, but it'd be just as unfair to compare Flipper Critters that stalwart arcade pastime as it would be to liken it to Monkey Ball just because your ball is played by a chimp. The roulette of play areas are less than a third the size of an actual pinball table and leaves little to work with or do. Almost anything occurring on the top screen is not only irrelevant, but it distracts from the balls eventual descent back into the sliver of play space, often resulting in lost ball doom if you're not careful.