For the last few weeks I've tried different browser-based games, and this is one of my favorites. Fantastic Contraption presents a simple challenge: Get the object from here to there - except that the execution is never very simple. I'm thirteen levels in and I haven't yet resorted to a walkthrough or Youtube cheat, but I don't think I'm going to last much longer without at least checking youtube for some help with strategy. I've been playing a little bit on my lunch breaks every day. It's easy to pick up and play in short bursts. Built by this dude, Fantastic Contraption is uncompromising in its difficulty, yet you'll gladly spend a half hour or more trying to think of various ways to get aound obstacles like slippery steps, wide gaps, and imposing walls. Build simple two-wheeled "cars", massive treaded "tanks" or even catapults.
Your tools are wheels and connecting rods. That's it! The challenge is determining the length of the rods, and where to connect them to the wheels, which can turn clockwise or counterclockwise. This brilliant economy makes for a perfect little game. It's excellent flash titles like this that make me want to sell my Wii.
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