Crayon Physics Deluxe – MB – Review

Physics-based games have always been
a blast to play. A long time ago there was a game entitled: The Incredible
Machine. The object of this game was to solve various puzzles using a handful of
everyday objects at the disposal. To help players find a solution to the puzzle,
there was a "fixed" object thrown throughout the level, which payers would have
a starting point to the answer. For instance one mission was to "light a
candle." In this mission players might only have access to a bowling ball,
treadmill, mice, a generator, and a few other objects. Players then had to put
these objects together in such a fashion that when the objects were made to
"come to life" (pressing the giant play button on the screen) it would make the
candle light. It was puzzle games like this that gave birth to more complicated
puzzle games using the actual laws of physics to solve puzzles.

There have been various
physics-based games released on the iPhone lately, and many of them involve the
use of the iPhone accelerator functions. The newest puzzle game released that
uses physics is entitled Crayon Physics Deluxe, and this game takes the
ingenuity of The Incredible Machine, and mixes in modern physics-based gameplay
and creates something really unique that will keep players involved in for a
long time. What makes this game different than the other physics based games is
that it does not use the iPhone accelerator functions.

The premise of this game is simple:
push the red ball to the yellow star. The real meat of this game is how players
choose to accomplish the various tasks. All players have access to is a stack of
crayons and their imagination. In the beginning levels players will have their
ball on a hill and the star will be on the other hill, all players have to do is
draw a straight line from one spot to another and then tap on the ball to push
it towards the star, or drop a box on top of the ball to make it move forward.
In another level the ball will be on a balance beam, and players will have to
draw various shapes to make the balance beam "shoot" the ball over to the star.
Another thing players have to take in account is that gravity is in place here
also, players can "overshoot" the star and have to try the mission over again.

The gameplay editor will also
consume player’s time. In this mode, players can create various puzzles for
their friends to try to solve. While this is a great addition to the game, there
are a few issues with it. Players cannot create some of the more advanced
features that they see later in the last few levels. Another major issue is that
there is no way to share levels that have been created. There is a huge window
for player-created content on the iPhone that is just waiting to be explored.
Hopefully the developers of Crayon Physics Deluxe will cross this gap and there
is a huge opportunity for this as it will expand this game’s lifespan.

Even though this game is great to
play, there are a few nagging issues in this build that really needs to be
addressed. The main issue is the persistent lag this game has, and it is really
brought to the forefront in later puzzles when the levels get more complex. At
times the game is almost unplayable. This is something that really has to be
looked at as it hampers the game from even being completed.

The graphics for this game are
extremely simple. Many levels will look like childhood drawing on Manila paper.
Even though the graphics are very simple, it is this unique look that will
really draw people into this game as they reminiscent of their own childhood
memories. The music for this game is decent and sets a mellow mood; the only
problem is the lack of variety in the music, as players will hear the same
melody playing forever.

Crayon Physics Deluxe can be
purchased on the iTunes App store for $4.99

Gameplay: 8.2
The puzzles in this game are not overly challenging, but it does
provide a lot of entertainment. The level editor is a great addition that can
only be made better if players will be allowed to share and download other
player’s creations.

Graphics: 8.2
Crayon Physics Deluxe has a really unique look to it that is all its own.

Sound: 7.7
The background music is soothing, but there is not much variation so
players will end up muting the sound.

Difficulty: Medium
This is not the most challenging puzzle game, but it will provide some
decent brain benders.

Concept: 8.0
There have been numerous physics-based games released on the iPhone
recently; this game stands apart from the crowd.

Overall: 8.0
Crayon Physics Deluxe is a really fun game, but at this time it is not
worth the $4.99 charge. The bugs that currently exist really hamper the game
from being great. Another thing that would make the $4.99 charge sit well is the
ability to share levels that other players have made. Other than these issues,
this is a really fun game that will occupy your time for a while.