It almost looked as if EA was simply going to release all stories included in the retail title Flips: Too Ghoul for School on DSiWare, but that seems not to be the case. This third book is actually from Flips: Faraway Tree Stories, which did not include completely "new" stories, but rather old ones written in the mid-1900s by author Enid Blyton.
They're all part of one big story, but thankfully EA has chosen to release the first in the series first! These books are all about the kids Joe, Beth and Frannie, who move to the country and end up living right next to a magical forest. Of course, they end up exploring the forest and having all sorts of wild adventures.
In terms of presentation, this one's pretty much the same as the previous two Flips titles, Terror in Cubicle Four and The Bubonic Builders. You'll get nothing but a very basic menu and a brief tutorial on how things work before you're left to read. There are once again actually two stories, but both are unlocked this time as the second is actually more of a biography, detailing the life of author Enid Blyton.
The main story is much, much larger than those release before. Rather than being 400-500 pages long, it's got over 1100! It still features the occasional splash of interactivity, with certain words being clickable, making sounds play or character profiles showing up. There are also collectibles again, this time in the form of mushrooms and other objects you'd find in a forest. They won't unlock as many things though: there's four different sets of items, and if you manage to complete one set, you'll unlock one of four recipes to make something delicious in real life. Strangest unlockable ever? Quite possibly!
Perhaps because of the story's length, or perhaps because it's over 70 years old, there are no quizzes between chapters this time, so interactivity is limited to sounds and pictures. A bit disappointing, but you're getting so much extra readable content in return that it's more than enough to make up for it.
The Download Play feature is once again present, allowing you to share one chapter of the story with anybody else who owns a DSi in order to try to convince them to pick up the title as well.
Conclusion
If you were getting used to the characters and setting of the previous two Flips instalments, it's mildly disappointing that this one features completely different ones. However, the story itself has been popular with kids for over 70 years, meaning it should also manage to hold your interest. It's got over twice as many pages as the previous two stories, so it'll last you longer as well!
Comments 6
Interesting, but Shantae is my next Dsi purchase.
Still waiting for Shantae and Photo Dojo.
Great idea actually. My wife has been getting vintage children's books to read to my daughter and they're just so much better written than much of the stuff aimed at kids today which seems to be far too oriented towards selling an endless series of books and often feels "dumbed-down."
They'd do well to cover the Orlando books or Jenny and the Cat Club (my daughter's really into cats), but we have an interesting Australian story called The Magic Pudding which is interesting and strange too.
Thanks for covering these Drake!
I've never heard of this book.
Is this Enid Blyton of the "Famous Five" fame? I should've downloaded this one instead of the ghoul one. My research on the Internet hints that the contemporary version has been changed from the old classic for better fit of the "political correctness."
I don't see how it's mildly disappointing to see a different branch of story. If you like the ghoul story so much, you'd already gone and bought the whole thing on cartridge! I actually want to try out a different story, so to me, a change of series is something to savor.
Ah, Enid Blyton One of my favourite classical authors. Have all Malory Towers and Famous Five books. Still love 'em!
Back on point, I'm giving this a pass for now. Can't wait for...Photo Dojo!
Tap here to load 6 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...