Voltorb Flip
Voltorb Flip is a game at the Goldenrod Game Corner and Celadon Game Corner in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. It replaces the traditional slot machines found in past Game Corners, and appears in all languages of the games, except for the Japanese release, which still contains the slot machines.
The game does not involve any gambling elements, unlike previous Game Corner games.
Play
Voltorb Flip was described in a pre-release review as "a cross between Picross and Minesweeper".[1] It features a five-by-five grid of tiles, underneath of which are hidden numbers (which multiply the player's score if located) and Voltorb (which Selfdestruct and cause the player to lose all points). The player can figure out where the Voltorb are located by using the clues provided: the number of Voltorb in each line and column are noted at the side of the screen. If the player can find all of the 2x and 3x multipliers, they will be able to advance to harder levels. Repeatedly losing a game will cause the game to drop to a lower level. Winning at this game, as before, will earn the player Coins, which can be traded for prizes.
There is also a "Memo" mode where the player can set symbols with the Voltorb and the numbers 1 to 3 on every field which has not yet been flipped up in the current game. This can be used to indicate whether, for example, a given tile can contain a 2x or 3x multiplier or only a Voltorb or a 1x multiplier.
Strategy
Voltorb Flip is luck-based in the fact that the placement of the x1, x2, x3, and Voltorb cards are random. However, a strategy can be used since the game is grid-based and tells how many Voltorbs and the total of the multipliers are in each row and column. If the total Voltorbs in a row or column is 0, all cards in that row are "safe" to flip over. If a row or column meets a certain requirement (shown below), all cards left unturned in that row are either x1 or Voltorb, and can be left unturned to complete the game. This is considered a "dead" row or column.
Dead Row/Column Formula
Given:
- a = Total Voltorbs in a row or column
- b = Total Multipliers for a row or column
- c = Number of x2 cards flipped
- d = Number of x3 cards flipped
If a + b - 5 > c + 2d, then the row is not yet "dead" - there is still at least one x2 and/or x3 card left to flip.
Reaction
The exclusion of the slot machines in European releases of Pokémon Platinum was met with wide criticism by fans. While no official word from Nintendo was given on the subject, it has later been speculated that the removal of the pseudo-gambling minigame was because of the negative stigma attached to gambling.[1] Instead of slot machines, European Platinum players instead were given game machines, which were largely uninteractive. This met with negative feedback.
The Voltorb Flip game is likely included to provide a fun alternative to the game machines. The initial reviews of the game have been positive, with Official Nintendo Magazine stating the game is "awesome".[1]
Trivia
- The flipping aspect of the game bears similarities to card flip, a Game Corner minigame exclusive to the Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.
In other languages
- French: Voltorbataille
- Korean: 찌리리공 뒤집기
- Spanish: Giravoltorb
- German: Voltofalle
