 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Crayon Physics Deluxe
Common Sense Media says
Innovative game combines physics puzzles and drawing.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know
that this is a nifty puzzle game that can teach your kids some physics. Play is
drawing-based where your cursor becomes a crayon, and once you draw something,
it immediately assumes mass and weight. There is nothing to concern parents
with the content, other than if your kids are old enough to tackle the puzzles
which start out easy but get progressively harder. While kids as young as age
6-7 can play the early puzzles, the later puzzles are better for kids ages 8
and up. Since there is no storyline, this is a game best played by kids who
like to do puzzles.
What's it about?
CRAYON PHYSICS
DELUXE is a puzzle game set in a familiar, childlike environment of crumpled
paper with crayon drawings. And yet, this juvenile environment houses a
powerful physics engine that turns your scribblings into objects that have
weight and mass. The game consists of 76 puzzles which all share the same goal:
get the little red ball to roll over to the yellow star. Your cursor is a
crayon and you can draw anything that you can imagine to solve the puzzle.
At first, solving a
puzzle can be as simple as drawing a line between the ball and the star and
clicking on the ball to get it to start rolling. But you will quickly learn how
to draw objects that fall, as well as platforms and ramps. As you progress
through the puzzles, new concepts are introduced through drawn instructions. In
one, you will see a small round circular pushpin and dotted lines showing
the outline of a mallet around the pin. When you connect the dotted lines, the mallet appears, rotates
around the pin, and hits the ball so that it will roll over the star. The puzzles get more challenging by introducing the concepts of levers and
pulleys.
Is it any good?
For puzzle lovers, this is a fabulous game. Because this is an environment made up solely of paper and crayons, it is a comfortable environment in which children (and adults) can stretch their creative and scientific muscles. Its genius is that there is no right way to solve a puzzle -- it is all about how you use your creativity. The game also provides you with a way to create your own puzzle levels and then allows you to upload them to the Crayon Physics Playground for others to share. Uploaded puzzles can be rated by stars, similar to the user-created content found in Little Big Planet.
While your solutions are drawn on the screen by using a computer mouse, you don't have to be good at drawing to play this game. This is a game about exploring how the physics of this game environment will affect the objects you think to draw. What makes this game so good is that it encourages you to expand your thinking – if something doesn't work, figure out why and try something else. If you really get stuck, you can check out video solutions shared by others on YouTube.
What families can talk about
Families can talk
about whether this environment of virtual crayon and paper made you feel
comfortable? This game was created by a solo developer. Would you want to try
to create and market a game?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Awesome, simple game. My 6 year old is glued to this game. He can easily solve the early puzzles, needs a little help past level 15-20. My husband and I enjoy it, too. No speed involved, just brain power. Take your time on each level, try again as many times as you need to solve a level -- there is no penalty for mistakes and taking your time. You can even redo levels as many times as you'd like to see if you can come up with a better solution.
The downside is that the instructions are minimal, so it's hard to know what tools you have at your disposal. There is a demo video on the CPD website that helps.
Enjoy!
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AGE
Highly addictive.
I played this game for half the night when I first downloaded it. It also sucked in my wife and son. The puzzles start out easy, and get progressively more diabolical. Highly recommended.
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| Platforms: | Windows, Mac |
| Available online? | Available online |
| Genre: | Puzzle |
| Developer: | Kloonigames |
| Release date: | January 7, 2009 |
| Price: | $19.95 |
| ESRB rating: | NR |
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