Do you remember a time either when you were a child or perhaps recently when you might have been in a meeting at work where you may not have been able to focus as much as you should or just needing something to help spark that creative thinking? Maybe it was drawing something or calculations to see how if an actual project would work. For me, there was a lot of creating with objects around me just to see how it would end up. I would take any object from dominoes to parts of the board game, Mousetrap, to even parts around the house just to see who creative I could make things. To me, it was really fun, except having to pick up all the pieces, but it was fun. But does developer Metanaut show us what it is like to create with endless possibilities? Let’s find out with Gadgeteer for the PlayStation VR.
Before we begin, I am not going to show all the levels as I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone. Gadgeteer is about being creative, expect the unexpected, and having some fun, and I want that to continue. So with that said, let’s continue.
Gadgeteer is a physics-based VR puzzle game where you will be building chain reaction machines with the toolheads to solve so fun and creative puzzles. The machines that you build will use gadgets to launch, bump, twist, and turn which results in creating chain reactions that may end up tearing apart the fabric of space. With that said, just keep in mind that there might be a little to a lot of trial and error to complete each puzzle.
When you first start Gadgeteer, you may notice that your height or when you are at a puzzle that even your angle or view needs to be adjusted and to do this you simply use the the trigger buttons and you can drag to the height, angle and view are exactly how you like it which is nice. You do have a couple of different options. There is the Tutorial, Online, Maker, and Puzzle. So before jumping in and trying to solve and create all the puzzles youc an, go through the tutorial just so you can see how everything works from placing items to cloning them. Plus the tutorial really is not that long and you will get some simple satisfaction out of solving the easiest of the puzzles thus far.
Puzzle Mode is where you go through each of the different puzzles and try to complete them in the best way possible. The puzzles start simple and then progress to more complex ones where you may even have to get to different heights, have a ball slide down at different angles to knock over the blocks to even having the ball launch in the air at a distance, and then try to figure out how and where to place what size object where so you can ultimately get the ball to hit the end goal.
I will say that seeing the progression of the challenges as the puzzles as you keep moving really had me start thinking about how I would make my own puzzles. And when you can have a game that already is making you think how you might do things, that can only be a good thing, right? But it’s when you can enter a new area and seeing what those puzzles start to look like, it makes you want to keep playing.
When you have that creative spark, that is when you head over to Maker Mode, so you can create your own puzzles with a greater variety of gadgets from basketballs to bowling and rolling pins to even a rubber duck. Because when you add a rubber duck into the mix, it can only bring smiles or frustration depending on how the rubber duck was used in so said puzzle. But the great thing here is you can make it as simple or as complex as you want. It’s your puzzle to make.
But what may be the best part of Gadgeteer besides the puzzles that are already made are the ones that players, like you and I, can create and then share online with an infinite amount of puzzles to play and solve in the Online Mode and the amount of time and thought that went into some of these puzzles are truly amazing. Each puzzle has an ID number which you can search for, you can see what the hot puzzles are, the newest ones, and even collections to try to solve it’s a blast.
When looking at the graphics of Gadgeteer, it does look good on the PlayStation VR. Everything can be made out. The blocks and gadgets are detailed and look really good in VR. When there were puzzles that had the ball launch, not at one time did I find it hard to track where the ball was, or did it lose any sense of detail when moving at any speeds where it was going. Listening to the sound, the simple and casual music fit, and was the right decision to have here. Here the clicks and the ball moving along with the blocks falling over were not too loud and did not try to overpower the game at any time which is also a nice thing to have.
If there is anything I would love to see here added are even more gadgets to use such as different holidays themed ones or even different themed rooms and areas to have puzzles in or even some future DLC. Other than that, the ability to create and solve infinite about of puzzles really adds a lot of replay value here.
Gadgeteer shows us that our only real limitations are our own creations of our imagination in what we can accomplish if we just put our minds to it. Just like anything, with hard work, determination, patience, and creativity, anything is possible. And isn’t it a good feeling to know that we can become anything we want to be and do anything we want to do if we just dream it?
Gadgeteer is out now for the Oculus Rift/Rift S and Oculus Quest/Quest 2 on the Oculus Store, PlayStation VR, and Steam. A review code was provided.
To learn more about the game, please visit the site, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter. To learn more about Metanaut, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube Channel.
Also, check out the Gadgeteer interview.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I have to see what new levels people have created.
