I bought this in 2013. Where does the time go? Probably the same place as the original Incredible Machine series, but oh well.

So now that it's actually had time to come together, I can safely say this is the new, proper successor to The Incredible Machine. Parts abound, the new physics engine feels more realistic, and a bundle of new parts and part interactions means all sorts of interesting new puzzle opportunities. Vertically oriented scissors! Tie ropes to a bunch of stuff you couldn't before, including platforms used to precariously balance other objects! Create a recursive assembly line with part manufacture and disposal points! Expand the playing field to a theoretically infinite size, and build as much as you want! It's a real gem, and I regret putting it off for this long after the first phase of Early Access felt so chintzy.

In some ways it does still feel oddly chintzy. The aesthetic of many of the parts very much rides the razor's edge between "smoothly designed" and "cheap looking", and some of them seem to have a terrifying size disparity. The interface screams "mobile game", even though it's PC-only. Some part interactions still feel like they're completely missing sound effects. You'll get a popup asking if you want to follow their Twitter. There are typos in the news on the title screen. 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.

But you know what? It is the best game yet for making some got-dang Rube Goldberg goodness, and it's criminally cheap to boot. Some of the golden standouts of the 80's and 90's are really finding new footing again, and this is one of 'em.

I bought this in 2013. Where does the time go? Probably the same place as the original Incredible Machine series, but oh well. So now that it's actually had time to come together, I can safely say this is the new, proper successor to The Incredible Machine. Parts abound, the new physics engine feels more realistic, and a bundle of new parts and part interactions means all sorts of interesting new puzzle opportunities. Vertically oriented scissors! Tie ropes to a bunch of stuff you couldn't before, including platforms used to precariously balance other objects! Create a recursive assembly line with part manufacture and disposal points! Expand the playing field to a theoretically infinite size, and build as much as you want! It's a real gem, and I regret putting it off for this long after the first phase of Early Access felt so chintzy. In some ways it does still feel oddly chintzy. The aesthetic of many of the parts very much rides the razor's edge between "smoothly designed" and "cheap looking", and some of them seem to have a terrifying size disparity. The interface screams "mobile game", even though it's PC-only. Some part interactions still feel like they're completely missing sound effects. You'll get a popup asking if you want to follow their Twitter. There are typos in the news on the title screen. 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. But you know what? It is [b]the[/b] best game yet for making some got-dang Rube Goldberg goodness, and it's criminally cheap to boot. Some of the golden standouts of the 80's and 90's are really finding new footing again, and this is one of 'em.