In a world where glitches roam free to exact upon gamers their cheat-induced quests, and Newton’s Laws are a simple inconvenient thorn in your side, physics-based strategy games live and prosper. Often scorned by gamers for their poor realization of that thing we live in called real-life, a new physics game is released every month, and each one is a worse interpretation than the previous.

But a new physics game has been released which seems to agree with Newton about how the world works, and it may just be able to bring the physics genre out of the drink-induced coma it has found itself in. The name of this champion of games is Fantastic Contraption.

The aim of FC is very similar to many other physics games; get a particular object to a certain place using a variety of tools and any convoluted means you can think of. But this is where the similarities end. Most other physics games have a mountain of glitches and cheats which gamers exploit to finish the level faster and quicker, simply so they can brag about their ‘liek well cool gaming skillz’ (when the rest of us just think they’re retar…). In FC this is almost non-existent. For some strange reason, gamers are almost unwilling to use glitches to pass the level, preferring instead to finish the level ‘the right way’. But then as this video shows, given how amazing the Gameplay is, it is understandable why:

If Gameplay is the best part of the game, then graphics is surely a close second. Perhaps a rule amongst developers is that physics games should have graphics that are as outlandish as possible, and FC certainly doesn’t break this. At first glance the graphics may seem somewhat eccentric, but after a few minutes playing, you will realise that the graphics are perfectly suited to the gameplay, and will crave atonement for your previous statement. The simplistic images and colour scheme suits the games basic style, and anything more complex would ruin the overall feel of the game.

So we’ve covered gameplay and graphics, the next logical step would be to look at lastability, the factor that can break even the greatest game. Strategy games generally tend to have high lastability due to gamers obsession to complete every level, and FC is no different. I started playing the game last Tuesday and even now, a week later, I am still playing the game with the same fervour I had when I first begin. The attraction to keep on playing this game is the fact that you can go back and make your contraptions bigger and more extravagant, and ultimately show off your designs to your friends. The online capability means that even if you hit a brick wall as far as completing levels goes, you can see what designs other people have made, and perhaps submit your own, where the only limit is your own imagination.

Like many other strategy games, Fantastic Contraption will enthral and delight all levels of gamers; whether you are looking for a quick five minute break or something to truly challenge your skills, Fantastic Contraption is the game for you.