Crayon Physics Deluxe

About

Crayon Physics Deluxe is a 2D puzzle game that allows players to draw shapes to solve physics-based challenges. The objective is to guide a ball to a star in each level by creating structures with various properties. With a simple and intuitive design, the game encourages creativity and experimentation while providing a fun and engaging experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 712 reviews

music29 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game encourages creativity and allows players to solve puzzles in multiple ways, making it a fun and engaging experience.
The soundtrack is beautiful and adds to the relaxing atmosphere of the game, enhancing the overall enjoyment.
The unique drawing mechanic allows players to interact with the game world in a playful way, reminiscent of childhood creativity.

The physics engine can be inconsistent, leading to frustrating moments where solutions don't work as intended.
Many players feel the game is overpriced for the amount of content and gameplay it offers, suggesting it should be much cheaper.
Some levels can become repetitive, and the challenge can diminish as players find similar solutions across different puzzles.

music
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
58%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and beautiful qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a soothing soundtrack that complements the gameplay. While many players find it relaxing and nostalgic, some note that the limited variety can lead to repetitiveness. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant asset, contributing to the game's charming atmosphere and emotional impact.
- “It's not just a soundtrack—it's the heartbeat of the game.”
- “The music is very peaceful and welcomed while one drifts into pure relaxation.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing and the game is overall quite a good time waster.”
- “Aside from the gameplay itself, my only comments are on the resolution and music, both of which aren't great.”
- “Although it is very relaxing, there is such little variety in Crayon Physics Deluxe's soundtrack that it soon becomes grating to listen to when faced with the task of collecting 120 stars in order to reach the final area.”
- “Instead, the soundtrack is made up of somber, ambient music that makes you feel sad and sleepy instead of youthful, energized, and inspired.”
gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
71%
6%
The gameplay of "Crayon Physics Deluxe" is characterized by its unique drawing mechanics that allow players to create custom physics objects, fostering creativity and experimentation. While the initial novelty and charm are appealing, many players find the gameplay becomes repetitive and simplistic over time, with limited depth and clunky physics. Despite its nostalgic presentation and relaxing soundtrack, the game may not hold long-term interest for those seeking more complex puzzle experiences.
- “The style, the simplicity, the original gameplay: charming and appealing for sure!”
- “Creative gameplay, with chill music, and the satisfaction of finding the more elegant solution.”
- “Crayon physics has all the hallmarks of an ideal puzzle game: basic object creation mechanics and physics simulation are easy to grasp, and the game then extrapolates from those basics with a variety of simple machines, ultimately including a level editor so that you're unlikely to ever entirely run out of new puzzles.”
- “This is a very basic game with little in the way of gameplay elements.”
- “The principal mechanic (drawing objects that help a ball get from point A to point B) is novel at first, but quickly grows repetitive.”
- “The puzzles are numerous and there is a level editor, but the gameplay does get a little old after the first dozen levels.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
52%
7%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming and unique crayon art style that evokes a nostalgic, childlike quality, appealing to many players. While some appreciate the visuals for their creativity and fun aesthetic, others criticize them as crude and messy, particularly in fullscreen mode. Overall, the graphics are seen as a distinctive feature that enhances the game's character, despite mixed opinions on their execution.
- “The crayon aesthetic brings joy and character to this game.”
- “The graphics are incredible in the sense that they actually perfectly resemble paper drawings.”
- “The art style is fantastic and brings you right back to your childhood.”
- “The art style seems kind of cute in theory, but playing in fullscreen mode reveals how really crude and messy everything is.”
- “The art style is as though a young child was responsible for the artwork, with background textures appearing as crinkled pieces of drawing paper.”
- “A lackluster narrative and very simple graphics engine make Crayon Physics Deluxe a poor man's upgrade to Crayon Physics non-deluxe.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game offers significant replayability, particularly due to its extensive user-generated content, including 12,800 levels created over a decade. While many players find the game charming and enjoyable with multiple solutions to puzzles, some express concerns about the lack of variety in challenges, which may limit long-term engagement. Overall, the replay value is seen as high for some, but not universally agreed upon.
- “Creative concept for a game, and plenty of replay value.”
- “A very adorable and simple physics puzzle game, with a lot of puzzles that can be solved in many ways by drawing shapes and other things with crayons, and has a lot of replay value for that reason.”
- “In my opinion, however, the solutions aren't varied enough to sustain interest over time and although every level has a 'challenge' setting (giving you something extra for drawing few shapes, etc.) it's not really replayable in my eyes.”
- “It's a unique idea and fun to play while it lasts, but it doesn't have replay value and is pretty short to be honest.”
- “The ultimate replayability of this game comes from the 12,800 levels (free DLCs) created by users for more than 10 years.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's story is described as minimal, with some users noting it lacks a traditional narrative due to its sandbox nature. However, it is praised for its engaging concept and creativity, with one reviewer humorously claiming it has a better love story than "Twilight." Overall, while the storyline may not be central, it contributes to the game's charm and appeal.
- “Its cheap, it has a pretty nice storyline too.”
- “Also better love story than Twilight.”
- “This game doesn't have a story since it's a drawing sandbox.”
- “Our mission is clear: we’re here to honor Crayon Physics Deluxe, a game that turns scribbles into solutions, doodles into dreams, and mistakes into… well, slightly different mistakes.”
- “[h1]Story, visuals, & music:[/h1]”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as both absurd and unexpectedly amusing, with some players finding the pricing situation ironically funny. While it may provide a few laughs, many agree that the overall experience is not worth its cost, leading to a mix of frustration and humor in their critiques.
- “The ninja turtles huddle together, whispering and laughing.”
- “This game is not even worth a dollar; the fact it's listed for $20 is honestly so insulting it comes back around to being funny again.”
- “Soothing and at a lot of times hilariously unexpected.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted through its chaotic and expressive art style, characterized by spirals and jagged lines, which evokes a sense of depth and complexity. Coupled with the charming and wholesome nature of the physics puzzle gameplay, it creates an engaging experience that resonates with players on an emotional level.
- “His drawing is chaotic and emotional—a labyrinth of spirals and jagged lines.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and time-consuming, often feeling it detracts from the core gameplay experience, such as puzzles. While some acknowledge it may be a personal issue with patience, the consensus is that the grind to unlock content can become frustrating and lead to disengagement.
- “This is a tedious process that keeps you out of the puzzles for far too long.”
- “The thing that made me put the game down eventually was collecting the stars to unlock later stages; it got a bit tedious, but that's probably just a personal issue with patience.”
- “Bonus island unlocked by grinding, which I'm not interested in.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game is considered outdated and may not be optimized for modern monitors and hardware, leading to potential issues with graphics and performance.
- “The game is a classic, but it's important to note that it may not be fully optimized for modern monitors and hardware.”
- “The graphics, performance, and visuals are impressive for their time, showcasing a strong attention to detail in optimization.”
- “Be aware that the game is old and probably no longer optimized for today's monitors and hardware.”
- “[i]graphics, performance, port, physics, arts, visuals...[/i]”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized as calm and lighthearted, enhanced by a beautiful soundtrack and an immersive environment that fosters creativity. Players appreciate its simplicity and the way it inspires imagination, making it accessible even to those who may not typically engage in creative activities.
- “This is a very simple, lighthearted, and wonderfully creative casual game which hosts a beautiful soundtrack, an easy learning curve, and a humble but immersive atmosphere that really does inspire imagination in even the least of creative moods.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been criticized for its instability, with users noting that it exhibits numerous bugs reminiscent of a poorly developed flash game.
- “I'm pretty sure this is based on a freakin' flash game, and it's just as buggy as you'd expect one to be.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy is criticized as a cash grab, suggesting that developers are prioritizing profit over quality and player experience.
- “It's just a cash grab from lazy developers.”
- “The monetization system feels exploitative and takes away from the overall experience.”
- “I feel pressured to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”