Contraption Maker

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Contraption 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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 657 reviews

graphics25 positive mentions

monetization4 negative mentions

A nostalgic and enjoyable experience for fans of The Incredible Machine, with updated graphics and new mechanics.
Offers a wide variety of puzzles and parts, allowing for creative problem-solving and endless possibilities.
Great for all ages, making it a fun and educational game to play with children.

Some puzzles can feel too easy or trivial, lacking the challenge of the original games.
The user interface can be clunky and frustrating at times, making it difficult to manipulate certain items.
The music can become repetitive and annoying, detracting from the overall experience.

graphics
55 mentions
45 % positive mentions
49 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the bright, cheerful, and updated cartoonish aesthetic that aligns with modern standards, while others find it off-putting or reminiscent of a childish style. Some players appreciate the improved interface and the nostalgic connection to the original "The Incredible Machine," noting that the graphics enhance the overall experience, despite some criticisms regarding readability and design quality. Overall, the game is seen as a visually appealing update to a classic, though opinions vary on the effectiveness of its artistic choices.
- “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.”
- “The graphics are pretty childish, along with most of the tracks, and yet the non-rigid puzzle design of the main game alone is pretty entertaining and addictive.”
- “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.”
music
39 mentions
28 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it repetitive and uninspired, while others appreciate its nostalgic qualities and cheerful tone. Many users suggest that the soundtrack could benefit from more variety, as some tracks quickly become annoying. Overall, while the sound effects and music evoke fond memories for some, others prefer to mute the game and play their own music instead.
- “The music is awesome, and the controls are very intuitive.”
- “At first, I found the game extremely pleasant; the graphics are bright and cheery and the music is wonderful.”
- “The characters and soundtrack are cheerful and positive, and it's a nice challenge all around.”
- “The music is uninspired and repetitive.”
- “My only complaint is the music gets repetitive after a while, though it's definitely a nice throwback to comic tunes that could've easily existed in Rube Goldberg's era.”
- “Music blows though, might want to play your own soundtrack to it.”
gameplay
35 mentions
26 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a vast array of levels and mechanics, offering engaging puzzle-solving experiences reminiscent of classic titles. While the core mechanics are well-executed and provide hours of entertainment, some players note issues with tutorialization and user interface design that detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game successfully captures the nostalgic charm of its predecessor, allowing for creativity and dynamic gameplay.
- “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.”
- “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.”
humor
13 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humorous elements, including a funny art style, amusing character interactions, and quirky sound effects. Players find joy in the comedic aspects of the puzzles and the nostalgic references to classic games, contributing to an overall lighthearted and entertaining experience. While some humor may be repetitive, it effectively elicits laughter and enjoyment throughout gameplay.
- “It has good puzzles, and a funny art style.”
- “Tim is a very funny character!”
- “Also one of the songs sounds like an old west saloon remix of Marilyn Manson's 'The Beautiful People,' which I thought was hilarious.”
story
8 mentions
50 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is enhanced by a compelling backstory and engaging missions, although some players find the graphics and lack of narration detract from the experience. The missions are cleverly designed, progressively increasing in difficulty, making for a fun and well-crafted physics puzzle game. Overall, while the narrative elements could be improved, the foundation is solid and leaves room 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.”
monetization
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for heavily relying on in-app purchases to unlock levels and for persistent advertisements, which detracts from the overall experience. Players feel misled by the game's marketing, as the constant promotion of DLC and intrusive ads create a frustrating environment reminiscent of mobile games with aggressive microtransactions.
- “The game feels like a clone of The Incredible Machine, but it relies heavily on in-app purchases to unlock levels.”
- “It resembles something that would typically be found on an iPad, featuring microtransactions similar to 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.”
- “Looks more like something that would be on an iPad with microtransactions, such as Mega Jump.”
replayability
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is largely dependent on community engagement, with a wealth of user-generated puzzles and modifications enhancing the experience. While the base game may offer limited replay value after completing all puzzles, the creator mode and community contributions provide significant opportunities for ongoing play. Overall, players find that the potential for infinite replayability exists through shared content.
- “The large amount of included puzzles, coupled with creator mode and community-uploaded puzzles and game modifications, makes for great replay value.”
- “There is lots to do in this game, providing high replay value.”
- “You can upload your creations for other users to try and solve, giving this game almost infinite replayability.”
- “There isn't much replayability after completing all of the puzzles, aside from building your own.”
- “Replayability relies heavily on the community, as far as I can tell.”
stability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits notable stability issues, including various visual bugs and problematic camera animations that can hinder the experience. While it remains enjoyable when functioning properly, players may find themselves frequently troubleshooting glitches and physics-related problems.
- “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.”
- “It's a bit buggy but still fun when it works.”
- “Physics glitches should never be valid solutions.”
optimization
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-33 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game appears to be inconsistent; while some users report it runs well without issues, others experience significant problems, such as errors on specific hardware (like a 2016 MacBook Pro) and performance glitches. Additionally, the interface and functionality have been criticized for being outdated and lacking essential features.
- “Runs fairly well with no optimization issues.”
- “The ability to use JavaScript to program the level adds a unique layer of optimization.”
- “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 it 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).”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game evokes strong emotional responses, particularly nostalgia, through its engaging gameplay and nostalgic music, making it a delightful experience for both kids and adults. Players appreciate its wholesome and educational elements, which enhance the emotional connection to the game.
- “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!'”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find that excessive grinding transforms engaging puzzles into frustrating tasks, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “Otherwise, they cease to be puzzles and instead become exercises in tedious frustration.”
- “The grinding feels endless and often detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which quickly became monotonous.”