Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game

Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game is the next installment of a series of logical puzzles inspired by titles such as The Incredible Machine series. Although this is the fourth independent installment, the game is the first English-language game in the series, prepared for the wide world market and is very often confused with its first edition, published in Germany in 2004. The Wacky Contraptions Game is, in fact, a compilation of puzzles, known from the first two parts of the series.

Mechanics

The tasks set before us require not only creative thinking but also knowledge, at least basic, of the laws of physics. We play the role of an inventor dealing with the construction of rather bizarre machines and devices. The game consists of more than two hundred stages. The tasks are different (for example, moving an object, piercing a nail or launching a projectile from a cannon), but they always require the assembly of a suitable machine with the parts that we have at our disposal.

The developers have provided us with multiple items. We can use a variety of energy sources, portable objects such as balls, wires, balloons, transmissions, boxes, pipes, catapults, dynamite and even pistons, conveyor belts, cannons, and robots. While constructing our devices, we have to take into account the laws of physics and properties of individual objects. And so, for example, when releasing a balloon, we have to be careful not to put it near the flame, because it will burst. On the other hand, by heating the water tank, we can be sure that excess steam will try to find an outlet. The material, from which the elements are made, also has an impact on the gameplay. For example, when trying to shoot a ball, we can be sure that a tennis ball will bounce high, but will not have the same impact force as a billiard ball.

All this makes it often necessary to strain the mind to cope with the task. One consolation is the fact that on many boards, there is more than one way to the destination. The game is constructed in such a way that the level of difficulty increases with each stage. Completing them all does not necessarily mean the end of the adventure with Crazy Machines: Wacky Contraptions Game. The authors have made it possible to create their own charts and invent new challenges.

Last updated on 10 December 2007