Contraption Maker
- August 28, 2013
- spotkin
- 20h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreContraption Maker is a physics-based puzzle game that allows players to build and share their own Rube Goldberg-inspired machines. With over 200 official puzzles and over 1,000 user-created levels in the Workshop, players can spend hours tinkering with various parts and characters. The game also features a built-in Javascript Editor for creating custom games and the ability to play online with up to 8 players. This 2-pack game comes with an extra copy for a friend to build together.
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- A nostalgic remake of The Incredible Machine that captures the original's charm while adding new features and improved graphics.
- Offers a wide variety of puzzles and parts, allowing for creative problem-solving and endless possibilities in the sandbox mode.
- Great for all ages, providing educational value while being fun and engaging for both kids and adults.
- Some puzzles can be either trivially easy or frustratingly difficult, leading to a lack of balanced challenge.
- The user interface can be clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to interact with certain elements and navigate menus.
- The music can become repetitive and annoying, detracting from the overall experience.
- graphics110 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the bright, cartoonish art style and modern updates that enhance the overall experience. However, some players find the aesthetic off-putting or reminiscent of a lower quality, with criticisms aimed at its readability and a perceived childishness. Overall, while the graphics are seen as an improvement over the original, opinions vary on their appeal and execution.
“The graphics have been updated, the physics engine seems to be more sophisticated, and the interface is far more user-friendly.”
“At first, I found the game extremely pleasant; the graphics are bright and cheery and the music is wonderful.”
“M makes another return, this contraption maker is much nicer than previous contraption games, new HD graphics and artwork is just beautiful.”
“I found the art style difficult to read and off-putting, and I ended up preferring the Incredible Machine.”
“Surely I could find some faults, like puzzles are either too easy or too hard, and the graphics are very caricaturistic and ugly.”
“In short, the graphics right now are worse than the Windows release of Incredible Machine, and other sprite games of the period, for example, Creatures 3.”
- music78 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it enjoyable and nostalgic, while others describe it as repetitive and uninspired. Many users appreciate the cheerful and positive tone of the soundtrack, but express a desire for more variety and better quality compared to the original series. Overall, while the sound effects are generally considered serviceable, the music often leads players to prefer turning it off or playing their own tracks.
“At first, I found the game extremely pleasant; the graphics are bright and cheery and the music is wonderful.”
“The music is awesome, and the controls are very intuitive.”
“The music is almost as good as the old soundtracks, and just try not to shed a tear of nostalgia when you clear a puzzle and hear 'whew!'”
“The music is uninspired and repetitive.”
“My only qualm would, of course, be the repetitive music.”
“Music's obnoxious, too; turned it off in like 5 minutes.”
- gameplay70 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a vast array of levels and mechanics, offering engaging puzzle-solving experiences reminiscent of classic Rube Goldberg machines. While the core mechanics remain strong and entertaining, some players note issues with tutorialization and user interface design, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game provides hours of creative gameplay and nostalgia, appealing to both new players and fans of the original.
“With its relaxing gameplay, nostalgic charm, and endless opportunities for creativity, it's a game that's sure to keep you entertained for hours on end.”
“It's fun, has dynamic gameplay and there are unlimited possibilities.”
“The incredible machine has returned and is better than ever, this game is a polished and refined version of the incredible machine, one of the best Rube Goldberg sandbox games ever made. I remember spending long hours with a friend making some of the most intricate and crazy contraptions, that and solving the puzzles.”
“After you complete the tutorial puzzles – by the way, it only covers a small amount of the many parts this game has and doesn’t offer enough information on the overall mechanics of the game itself – most of the puzzles, even within medium and hard puzzles, range from pretty easy for a 'medium puzzle' to outrageously situational where one pixel change in placement makes a huge difference.”
“Unfortunately for all the tutorialization, you almost immediately run into required mechanics the game has never taught you and which don't exactly make sense.”
“Perhaps the gameplay will be gradually expanded, but so far between the inferior graphics, the iffy controls, and the unnecessarily free positioning, I recommend the original over this.”
- humor26 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, featuring a funny art style, amusing characters like Tim, and entertaining sound effects. Players enjoy the comedic aspect of solving puzzles in unconventional ways, and the nostalgic references to classic games add to the overall humor. Overall, it delivers a lighthearted experience that evokes laughter and fond memories.
“It was funny for me to 'broke' the original solution and create a 'wrong' solution.”
“Also one of the songs sounds like an old west saloon remix of Marilyn Manson's 'The Beautiful People,' which I thought was hilarious.”
“Tim is a very funny character!”
- story16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is supported by a compelling backstory and engaging missions, although some players find the clipart-style graphics and lack of narration detract from the experience. The missions are cleverly designed, progressively increasing in difficulty, which keeps the gameplay interesting. Overall, while the narrative elements could be enhanced, the foundation is solid and offers potential for future development.
“Such a good backstory behind the makers.”
“The backstory video from the team was great too.”
“Let me tell you a story.”
- monetization12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for heavily relying on in-app purchases to unlock levels, leading to frequent advertisements and a feeling of misrepresentation in its marketing. Players express frustration over constant DLC prompts and the presence of persistent ads, which detracts from the overall experience and gives the impression of a mobile game focused on microtransactions.
“So a TIM (The Incredible Machine) clone, but that relies on in-app purchases to unlock levels.”
“Looks more like something that would be on an iPad with microtransactions, such as Mega Jump.”
“So a TIM (The Incredible Machine) clone... but that relies on in-app purchases to unlock levels?”
“I shouldn't have to dismiss an advertisement for DLC every time I launch the game.”
“They also keep a constant advertisement for Wonderstruct that is visible no matter where you are in the game.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is largely dependent on community engagement, with a wealth of user-generated content and puzzle creation options that offer nearly infinite replay value. However, some players feel that once the initial puzzles are completed, replayability diminishes unless they actively participate in creating or exploring new community puzzles. Overall, the combination of included puzzles and creator mode provides significant replay potential, but it hinges on ongoing community contributions.
“The large amount of included puzzles coupled with creator mode and community-uploaded puzzles/game modifications makes for great replay value.”
“You can then upload them for other users to try and solve, giving this game almost infinite replayability.”
“Lots to do in this game with high replay value.”
“Not much replayability after completing all of the puzzles (aside from building your own).”
“Replayability relies on the community, as far as I can tell.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits notable stability issues, including various visual bugs and problematic tools, particularly the camera animation feature, which users find frustratingly unreliable. Despite these glitches, players still find enjoyment in the game, often viewing it as an opportunity to hone their troubleshooting skills.
“There are visual bugs here and there, and the camera animation tool is, while clever for presentation, one of the most infuriatingly buggy tools I've worked with.”
“Physics glitches should never be valid solutions.”
“It's a bit buggy but still fun when it works.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game appears to be inconsistent; while some users report it runs fairly well without major issues, others have encountered errors on specific hardware, such as a 2016 MacBook Pro, and noted performance problems alongside a glitchy interface. Overall, the game's optimization may not meet the expectations of all players, particularly those using older systems.
“Runs fairly well (no optimization issues, etc).”
“I was actually going to say I don't recommend this game if you've played Tim before (not much has changed in 15 years of absence, yet the interface is very strange, there's no proper snap grid, undo/redo, etc. is glitchy and it even has performance issues) but then I found out that you can use JavaScript to program the level to do whatever.”
“Installed, launched, and got an error that this title was not optimized for my Mac (a 15" 2016 MacBook Pro).”
“I was actually gonna say I *don't* recommend this game if you've played Tim before (not much has changed in 15 years of absence, yet the interface is very strange, there's no proper snap grid, undo/redo etc. is glitchy and it even has performance issues).”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game evokes strong emotional responses through its nostalgic music and engaging gameplay, making it a heartwarming experience for players, especially when enjoyed with children. Its blend of educational problem-solving and fun creates a wholesome atmosphere that resonates deeply with players.
“The music is almost as good as the old soundtracks, and just try not to shed a tear of nostalgia when you clear a puzzle and hear 'whew!'”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players often find grinding to be a tedious and frustrating experience, detracting from the enjoyment of the game and transforming challenges into monotonous tasks rather than engaging puzzles.
“Otherwise, they cease to be puzzles, and instead become exercises in tedious frustration.”
