‘Fantastic Contraption’ Review (iPhone)

Tue, Jan 27, 2009

When "Fantastic Contraption" debuted as a simple physics-based puzzler via Flash, gamers were hooked. With a simple and approachable interface, the game allowed players to explore vast possibilities through a basic set of rules and parts. Now, the game has been ported to Apple's own fantastic contraption, and is a nearly perfect port of the original, albeit with one major flaw.

"Contraption," for the uninitiated, has a simple goal: Move a single 2D object to a "goal" area somewhere on the playing field. Of course, to complicate matters, a number of obstacles may be in one's way, from large, movable objects, to gaps or walls in the landscape. In addition, the object itself cannot move on its own; it must be manipulated by other objects, rotational forces, gravity, and so on.

With only five object types to place on the playing field, the player must devise and construct a solution, hit "go," and see if it works. If it doesn't, one can easily adjust the contraption and try again. There is no time limit, and thousands of potential solutions to any given level; "Contraption" is a game that rewards curiosity and experimentation.

The original game's point-and-click controls make for a natural adaptation to the iPhone's tap-and-slide touch-screen, though the developer, inXile, has gone the extra mile to create an ideal interface for the iPhone platform. The ability to zoom in and out at will, for starters, helps players to make those pixel-perfect adjustments to their contraptions, but more impressive is the addition of a pop-up window when placing or moving objects. This secondary view appears whenever something is being manipulated, so that players can make sure they're attaching the right joint or moving the right wheel, even when said object is being obscured by one's own finger. It seems like common sense, but remarkably few games provide this feature, and "Contraption" is a game that wouldn't work half as well without it.

Apart from the new interface features, "Contraption" is largely the same game as the original, including all of the original puzzles plus an expansion pack, for 40+ levels in all. It also contains robust online functionality, allowing one to view and share puzzle solutions, as well as create and download new puzzle levels for potentially infinite longevity.

The major flaw in "Contraption," however, must be addressed: For all that inXile has done to make their game good for the iPhone, they seem to have missed the device's most notable feature -- the fact that it is also a telephone. "Contraption" allows designs to be saved, and the game will retain any work-in-progress if the iPhone is put to sleep. However, if the game is interrupted for any other reason -- most notably, by receiving a phone call -- any current progress on the level disappears. In later levels, this can represent potential hours of experimentation and refinement, erased without warning.

Apart from this problem, "Contraption" is an excellent port of an excellent game, and well worth any puzzler's hard-working brain cells.