Review: Physics Gamebox - Two Games In One
by Staff Writer
July 9, 2010
Overview
Physics Gamebox is a game style that you've seen before in Ragdoll Blaster. There are two games in one giving you Roly-Poly Cannon and Ragdoll Cannon. In Roly-Poly you're goal is to fire bombs to blow up the evil roly polys while in Ragdoll Cannon you simply try to blast the ragdoll to the goal indicated by a here box.
Features
There are over 300 levels divided between the two games. The ragdoll cannon is presented with doodle artwork, and roly poly cannon is more colorful and stylized. OpenFeint is included for online high scores and achievements.The Good
You get two fully featured games in one app. They have similar premises, and some of the levels blend together, but it's much better than buying two separate apps. If you're a fan of Ragdoll Blaster or similar physics based games you'll be familiar and comfortable in the world of physics Gamebox.
The physics based puzzle game has been done on the iPhone in tons of ways, and Physics Gamebox is no different, but still well done. Every level gives you a different course layout, and there are tons and tons of levels. Simply playing every level will give you an overload of time spent with the app.
Ragdoll Cannon is the original flash game, but it's just a follower on the iPhone, but if you know the style you know if you'll enjoy the game. Roly-Poly is similar to Fragger in style where you fire bombs that take three seconds to blow after touching something. It's a fun style though it's relatively simplistic as you only tap once to fire without tighter controls.
Roly-Poly is more challenging and fun with friendly roly-polys that you can’t damage. The levels complexity vary greatly, but you always have a few ones open to switch around so you’re not simply stuck on one. The sounds and graphics of roly-poly are much better, and it’s really the game you’re getting for $0.99.
The Bad
Though there are 300 different levels the levels on e different game play very similarly giving you less variability than it would seem on the surface. Ragdoll Cannon is just like the original ragdoll blaster, though it's the original, it's not original to the iPhone, and you've played the game before. The game doesn't play very differently at all, and it really pales to Ragdoll Blaster 2 which is extensively deluxe in comparison.
As you're playing you feel as though you're just going through the motions as there is never any real challenge. Most levels you can complete with one or two shots, and the main way there is replayability or challenge is in trying to reach the goal in one or two shots. There is no incentive to keep going through the levels as you've seen most of them before, and there isn't the greatest variability even from level to level.
The reset button doesn't work every time you press it so it takes multiple taps to finally reset the level with a few more ragdolls blasted off. The controls ate super simple, but in doing so there isn't as much as precision as you would like especially when considering physics is in the name.
The art style is relatively simplistic for both games, and seems relatively basic similar to App Store veteran Ragdoll Blaster. The sound effects are basic and bland that verge on annoying more than anything else.
