A strange little side quest
Zoom out from Flipping is Hard for a moment and the timeline gets surprisingly deep. Donkey Kong arrived in 1981 with a character called Jumpman, who would later become one of gaming's most recognizable figures: Mario. It also connects to a different milestone: Early computer role-playing games helped turn rules, inventories, exploration and character progression into systems that could support long-form digital adventures. That gives Flipping is Hard a little more company than it first appears to have.
