The puzzles are of course the highlight of the game. For the most part they’re pretty challenging and engaging although the programmers will throw you a bone every once in awhile. Where this game differs from
TIM is in the goal structure. As opposed to setting a contraption into motion, you’ll have to move a rocket-riding monster (developer
Monster Studios' mascot) into a designated landing pad which serves as the goal area. It’s very different from
TIM yet it’s vaguely familiar. While some vets may initially be turned off by this change I personally loved it.
I found the variety to be quiet excellent as puzzle designer Chris Cole mixes things up quite nicely. What’s great about this game is that there is a true sense of accomplishment every time that a puzzle is defeated. I found myself hooting and hollering every time I beat one of these brain busters, especially the more difficult ones. If you’re not content with the current puzzles in the game you can always go and create your own with the included puzzle creator. I thought that I would just check out the feature for a few minutes but instead I was sucked in for hours. You'll be able to create your own puzzles with all of the game's 40+ parts. Best of all you can personalize them to your liking, writing your own descriptions that can be used to taunt your intellectually challenged friends. It's as simple as saving the file and e-mailing it to your buddies.
When stacked up against more modern games the visuals appear to be a bit dated but since this wasn’t supposed to be a graphical intensive game in the first place, the graphics are a welcome surprise. The entire game still takes place on a 2D plane but now resides in a 3D space. You’ll now be allowed to rotate the camera freely to obtain a brand new perspective on your puzzle. I know that it doesn’t seem to make too much of a difference but you’ll be dumbfounded at just how much difference a little change of scenery can make.
The audio won’t win any awards but the background music and sound effects do a great job of fitting in with the game. I especially love the music which is uppity and appealing.
At the time of this review, I had quite a few gripes with the game but as a testament to Garage Games' commitment, they were quickly worked out without incident. I had a few problems with the game's stability but some minor changes really stabilized this product immensely. At its current downloadble state, this game is as solid as a rock and runs without much incident.
Te availability of this title is quite limited as the only means of acquiring it is through the
Garage Games Website. This means that it's not available at your local retail outlets through conventional means. The upside to this though is that the good folks at Garage Games are only charging you $14.95 for this excellent title. What's more was that this game was produced and designed without any outside funding, in this day and age that's just non-existent. If you ask the staff of GN, we'll tell you that this is one heck of a bargain.
This is one of the first games to come out of Garage Games’ doors and if this is any indication with the direction that the studio is taking, the gaming world is going to be in for one amazing treat. Play this by yourself or play it with a friend, it’s an excellent title that may not appeal to everyone but that shouldn’t stop you from playing it. If you're a fan of TIM then you owe it to yourself to get this game. This is definitely one of this year’s most pleasant surprises, don’t pass this one up.
B
An excellent puzzle game in the same vane as The Incredible Machine hits your PC.
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