Crazy Machines Elements Review [Archive]

Smore ninja

September 3rd, 2011, 01:02 PM

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 Crazy Machines Elements is an Xbox Live Arcade game that was developed by FAKT Software and is currently available on the marketplace. It is a puzzle game that is based around building Rube Goldberg devices. Basically taking an otherwise simple task, such as melting three blocks of ice, and making it overly complicated. Using the ice melting example; fire a laser at a wooden plank that, when it burns up, will drop a very bouncy ball onto a lever which will provide power to a rocket. The rocket will then blast off and hit a block that is attached to an axle. The block will swing and hit a button on top of a robot’s head which will start to push a ball of fire off a ramp. The fire ball will land on a different ramp and slowly roll towards the ice, melting it as it gets closer. Need a more visual example? Then I strongly suggest watching some of “Greens Machines.” Those videos are a great example of what a Rube Goldberg device is. I haven’t heard anything at all beforehand about Crazy Machines Elements, but one thing that attracted me to this game and made me want to purchase it was the fact that it reminded me of a game that I have played as a child, Sierra’s Incredible Machines. It had the same general idea of making unnecessarily complicated machines just for the sake of doing so, and it can even be said that FAKT Software has brought this back with Crazy Machines Elements and has also done a really good job at doing so.

The main part of Crazy Machines Elements is the puzzle mode in which you need to figure out how to complete a machine using only the parts the game has provided. All of the puzzles are sorted into nine different categories mostly based on style instead of difficulty, but the later categories do get harder. The puzzles are very pleasant to solve and it is enjoyable to try one idea, see how the reactions are, and then build off the results. There will be times when a puzzle will have gotten the best of you but with Crazy Machines Elements I have found that it is one of the few puzzle games where it is better to take a break from a puzzle that has bested you and either take a crack at a different puzzle or grab a snack and come back with a fresh perspective on things. Every puzzle has gold coloured nuts, called Bonus Nuts, scattered around them and the way to collect them is to have a part move over it. Doesn’t matter if it is a part you placed or one that was on the puzzle originally. Collecting all of the Bonus Nuts will give you a perfect score for the puzzle, but the Bonus Nuts do serve a great secondary function as a hint system. A handful of times I’ve been stumped on a puzzle and after looking at how the Bonus Nuts are placed, I was able to determine that the only way to get some of them would be through one method. I’d be able to build off that train of thought until I reached the solution. Like with all good puzzle games, Crazy Machines Elements makes solving a puzzle very rewarding. Simply seeing something you have spent a good half-hour on perfecting, work like it should, is it’s own reward. But in addition to that, you then get a crowd cheering and in some cases explosions to give you that extra sense of accomplishment.

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There are two other game modes to pick from. The first is an editor mode that you can choose to play if you desire a break from puzzle solving. Unlocked by completing four puzzles, you can create your own Rube Goldberg machine using all the parts that you’ve obtained. The editor mode also allows you to create your own puzzles with the use of logic chips. Crazy Machines provides good enough explanation on how each logic chip works, but I’m not sure if I’m saying that because I have experience with logic chips or if it is actually easy to understand. There is a limit to how many parts you can actually use as each part has it’s own price tag and there is only a limited amount of money. A good comparison is Halo’s Forge system. The final game mode is called Challenge mode and I almost had to say that I might not be smart enough to actually properly review this. To unlock challenge mode you have to complete a staggering 40 puzzles. Challenge mode is a mixture of editor and puzzle modes. You still need to accomplish a specific task but instead of a machine missing parts and you having to figure out how to complete it, this mode requires you to build the machine from scratch. You have a limited economy to build your machine and each challenge has certain parts being restricted. Your performance is evaluated on how expensive your machine is and how long it takes to work. I’ll feel like a genius when I actually complete a challenge, but I can say that the mode is properly named because these puzzles are hard.

Crazy Machine Elements presents itself in a very nice manner as all the sounds in the game make sense and the art style is bright and inviting. The music is generally calm and relaxing to help you focus on the puzzle you are working on. Backgrounds of the puzzles are surprisingly nice and varied. The direction of the visuals can be quite silly, but they work greatly in favor for Crazy Machines Elements. They make ideas such as weather machines, anti-gravity machines or even UFOs in a mad scientist’s backyard make perfect sense without distracting or dragging you out of the game.

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There is, however, a problem or two with Crazy Machines that can make it less than enjoyable to some. First, some puzzles have a very small margin of error when it comes to placement of objects. On its own this isn’t an issue though. However, it becomes an issue when trying to move whatever needs fixing for a minor adjustment because, more often than not, the game will move the object in a random direction. In general, object movement isn’t the most reliable thing. The automatic camera, which takes over when you start the invention, is really annoying and most of the time I had disabled it in favor of the manual camera where I can keep my focus on what is actually happening with the machine instead of the entire machine.

In the end, Crazy Machines Elements is a great puzzle game that, despite what issues it may have ,will still be worth investing. I would warn, however, that while you won’t need a physics degree to solve these puzzles, they can be tricky. But, like every good puzzle game, it provides itself with enough “Ah-ha!” moments that all hardships are forgiven.

Overall Rating:
7.5/10