Looking for my Shining Star
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An independent game for PC created by Petri Purho, Crayon Physics Deluxe is a stylish set of puzzles in a world drawn entirely with crayons. Each level’s goal is simple: Get the little red ball to the star(s). The pull, as the title declares, is that every object drawn in the world brings with it a certain set of physical attributes based on its size, mass, etc. Small pebbles will plink off of larger objects, while huge monoliths carry with them a power to move all sorts of things.
As it is a fresh set of ideas to grasp from the get-go, Crayon Physics starts off on the extremely easy side. You have access to the full toolset from the beginning, but you’ll be taught a variety of new techniques every now and then. Initially, you’re just drawing various rocks to push the ball towards the star. Eventually it’s revealed that you can push the ball directly left or right. Later, you’re shown that you can create little anchor points to attach new objects to the existing level, allowing for things to swing around or to bolt down more platforms. As the levels go by the challenges ramp up pretty fast, eventually getting to the point where each level may be the focus of your entire play session, coming up with elaborate contraptions to make passage for the tiny circle.
An added bonus are the great community features tied into the game’s website. You can create new levels and share them with the community, adding even more content to the already packed main game. For twenty bucks, there’s a ton here to play with: I’ve been digging into several levels every day since it came out. It’s a good bit of relaxing gaming without needing to take up much processing power - for your computer that is. Your brain will be getting a hefty workout from some of the more challenging puzzles.
Check it out at the Crayon Physics Deluxe website. There’s a good-sized demo for free if you just want to give it a shot. It’s well worth it!
