Fugdale’s Funhouse

Object: Guide the ball from start to end through a course of angled mirrors. Collect all coins along the way.

Review: This inventive puzzler looks similar to multitudes of other puzzle games out there, such as Orbox B or Cubeoban. The difference in this is that you aren’t simply pushing a cube around, but have a ball that bounces off of cleverly placed angled mirrors. The ball starts on the square marked with an ‘S’ and you must maneuver the mirrors so that the ball bounces through the course and collects all the blue coins and then exits the course on the square marked with an ‘E’. On most courses you can start the ball bouncing around and then manipulate the mirrors to guide it where you want to go. However, some levels require you to map out the course in advance because once the ball starts all mirrors get frozen in place.

Each mirror rotates in one of two settings and you can change the angle right before or after the ball hits it to get it to go in a new direction. Some silver colored mirrors are permanently fixed in place. However, each level features unique ways of utilizing the fixed mirrors. In some levels, the silver mirrors stay put altogether. In other levels, a button my auto rotate all the fixed mirrors or they might just rotate on their own at random intervals. To add to the puzzling mix, you will sometimes have other obstacles, such as blocks that move in certain directions when the ball hits them. Each level has a seemingly different strategy involved in solving it.

This puzzler features progressively more difficult levels and each level comes with a passcode so you don’t have to start over next time you play. I found the first 8 or 9 levels pretty easy to get through and then things get a little tougher. The game mechanics feel smooth and responsive and the puzzles aren’t so tough or frustrating that you will give up right away. In fact, they sort of make you want to keep going. Because the courses are contained with boundaries, you don’t have to worry about flying off the edge of the course or ‘dying’. The ball will sometimes get stuck in a holding pattern, but on most levels you can just keep flipping mirrors until you get the ball where you want it to go. On those few courses where your ball gets stuck in a permanent loop, you can always start over by clicking on the start square. This will reset the course to it’s original position.

Object: Deactivate the bomb in the package within 15 minutes or die.

Review: This point-and-click adventure by Tim Betrand seems a little daunting at first, but with a little bit of deductive reasoning, you can make it out alive. The game itself doesn’t involve a long drawn out series of clicking and finding objects like some adventures. Instead you have one major task…to get inside the box and find a way to deactivate the bomb. You only have 15 minutes of real time to accomplish this task.

You will mostly have to put your number logic to work to make it through. The notes and etchings inside the box provide you with most of the information you need to deduce the next step, but it still takes a little thinking and a bit of trial and error to make it through in time. Starting with the combination lock, you immediately will thank yourself for all those games of Mastermind, but the game will test other areas of knowledge including multiplication and binary numbering systems.

If you don’t make it through in time, you will blow up, but you can always try again. Another unique feature of this game is that each time you play, the combinations and some of the puzzle solutions change. So you can’t rely on memorizing the sequences, but have to start fresh each time. In that sense, the game has some replay value, although once you’ve done it, you probably won’t need to go right back and do it again. The game won’t drag on forever. You really can solve it in just a few minutes if you put your mind to it, so give it a shot and see if you can work under pressure to disarm the package.

Object: Bounce your ball to the exit.

Review: Amberial, created by OddGoo, has a really fun and interesting interface. You only use two keys A & D (or the right/left arrow keys) to move your ball across a series of platforms, springs and other devices, while avoiding obstacles or falling into the pit below each level. Most of the dangerous items are red, but often you have to touch red platforms so you can’t always use color as an indicator.

The ball’s physics cause it to move downward with gravity into a state of rest. You are not able to bounce it or float it using the keyboard, so you have to propel yourself off the edge onto other platforms to bounce higher. Sometimes you need to drop off the screen entirely to a different section to find the platforms or springs you need to get higher. The general physics of the ball feel fairly realistic, but not as strict as real gravity. You are able to change the direction of the bounces in mid-air, which allows you to target where you land a bit better than an actual ball bouncing down a track. This provides enough control that you won’t be frustrated with too many restarts.

The game consists of a series of levels mapped out on a master track. Along the way, you will have choices as to which level to play next, so if you get frustrated with one level you can often take an alternate route. In each level, you will find a letter ‘A’. If you can navigate your ball to hit the ‘A’ you will collect it (you only need to do this once regardless of how many times it takes to reach the exit). Collect enough ‘A’s and you will be able to access three bonus levels at the end of the map. As you play each level you will see a check-mark appear or an ‘A’ appear indicating that you’ve either completed the level or found the ‘A’ or both.

One slightly frustrating thing is when you die, you get booted out to the map screen and have to click to get back to the course. But, this is a minor gripe and being booted allows you to change levels if you so choose. Other than that, this game rocks with its smooth game-play, challenging (but not impossible) levels, atmospheric music and sound effects and its original graphics design and physics implementation. Most people will be able to complete all levels with a little persistance.