Wizzel Wizzleton
11-12-2006, 01:22 PM
My short review of Bridge Construction Set, if you couldn’t make it past the graphic depiction of commuter death, was positive. Armadillo Run, another physics-based game strongly reminiscent of BCS, greatly improves upon the physics puzzler.
In my ever-humble opinion, I think the two-man development team should have completely left out the storyline – a spherical armadillo automagically transported to another dimension tries to finish each level by manipulating small machines to bump, roll, and launch it to various end zones.
Players have a relatively wide array of visibly and practically different materials to use in their machines. Lengths of cloth, sheet metal, and rubber can all serve as floor with various flexibilities and shock absorption factors; Rope, bungee cord, and metal bars support the structure; and rockets give the armadillo (or structure) a push in the right direction. One of my favorite features of Armadillo Run, one noticeably missing in BCS, is the ability to fiddle with various material tensions. Rope can be tightened to support a bridge more effectively, rubber can be compressed to make a spring, cloth and bungee cord work well as a trampoline… you get my drift. Watching a rocket powered roadster send the hapless roadkill over a spring-loaded bridge and into oblivion is particularly fun.
(What is up with me and my fascination with killing virtual civilians? Good post fodder there.)
The full version of Armadillo Run contains 50 levels, 10 of which are bonus levels unlocked with money saved – one of the main motivations for staying significantly under budget for each level. The bonus levels are pretty fun, too. Some are quite tricky, but the beauty of games like this is that there is never a single solution to a level, an interesting dynamic that when combined with unlimited construction over budget makes for some nifty tinkering even in the demo.
The level editor is adequate. Players can share levels online. Not much else to say there.
In case a particular level just gets WAY too frustrating, solutions to every stock scenario are available on the official website. I would have preferred a simple skip function so I could come back to a level later, especially since the one I felt I had to look up gave me such a “headsmack duh!” moment when I finally saw the solution I wished I hadn’t wavered.
Overall, it’s a really decent game, and well worth $19.99 is you like that genre. I’d recommend that newbies play through the demo before deciding – just remember to experiment over the budget!
In my ever-humble opinion, I think the two-man development team should have completely left out the storyline – a spherical armadillo automagically transported to another dimension tries to finish each level by manipulating small machines to bump, roll, and launch it to various end zones.
Players have a relatively wide array of visibly and practically different materials to use in their machines. Lengths of cloth, sheet metal, and rubber can all serve as floor with various flexibilities and shock absorption factors; Rope, bungee cord, and metal bars support the structure; and rockets give the armadillo (or structure) a push in the right direction. One of my favorite features of Armadillo Run, one noticeably missing in BCS, is the ability to fiddle with various material tensions. Rope can be tightened to support a bridge more effectively, rubber can be compressed to make a spring, cloth and bungee cord work well as a trampoline… you get my drift. Watching a rocket powered roadster send the hapless roadkill over a spring-loaded bridge and into oblivion is particularly fun.
(What is up with me and my fascination with killing virtual civilians? Good post fodder there.)
The full version of Armadillo Run contains 50 levels, 10 of which are bonus levels unlocked with money saved – one of the main motivations for staying significantly under budget for each level. The bonus levels are pretty fun, too. Some are quite tricky, but the beauty of games like this is that there is never a single solution to a level, an interesting dynamic that when combined with unlimited construction over budget makes for some nifty tinkering even in the demo.
The level editor is adequate. Players can share levels online. Not much else to say there.
In case a particular level just gets WAY too frustrating, solutions to every stock scenario are available on the official website. I would have preferred a simple skip function so I could come back to a level later, especially since the one I felt I had to look up gave me such a “headsmack duh!” moment when I finally saw the solution I wished I hadn’t wavered.
Overall, it’s a really decent game, and well worth $19.99 is you like that genre. I’d recommend that newbies play through the demo before deciding – just remember to experiment over the budget!