Fugdale’s Funhouse

Review: This game definitely falls in a certain genre of puzzler. Many similar games such as Orbox B share the same basic principle. You guide an object around a course of blocks, walls, traps and warp stations to reach a goal. The edges of the course lead out into oblivion, so you have to carefully plan which direction to send your object so that it hits a wall and lands where you can guide it to it’s next step on the path. With Road Blocks 2, designer Mike Gannon has come up with several unique obstacles, which I haven’t encountered in other iterations of this sub-genre.

His traps include goopy orange pits and endless tube loops which you can get stuck in. The objects and obstacles he provides include, ice cubes which crack each time you hit them and eventually break up; diamonds which move one step in whichever direction you hit them; sticky circles which stop you from moving in any direction; and random target-like warp pads scattered about some of the courses. These obstacles provide new and fresh ideas to this type of game and keep players on their toes.

The game includes 4 different play modes, including a wild space mode in which you have large gangly devices which move around when you touch them and impede your progress through the course. The first 5 courses on each mode won’t give most gamers too much trouble, but some of the later courses really provide a puzzling challenge. Like most games of this genre, starting over after dying is quick and easy. So if you don’t give up, you will eventually discover the correct pathway. Luckily on many of the courses, you have several options available to you, and often more than one goal can be reached. The ball you move about has a certain rubbery quality to it and the animations and sound effects really add to the complete design. I really enjoyed moving the ball around the screen even when I couldn’t quite discover which route to take. For those who get stuck, a single password will save your progress on all four game modes, so make sure you write it down before you close out of the game and you can pick back up where you left off next time.

Road Blocks 2 may not win any awards for break-through game design, but it definitely is one of the best of it’s type out there.