Physics Games and Physics-Based Game Downloads

(Rate this game! 65 votes, average: 3.98 out of 5)

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The original RedLynx Trials game was one of the games that spurred me to create Fun-Motion. Here was a game completely based on physics, with its own learning curve and style of play. It was relatively obscure, though, as were many other physics games back then, so I decided to start a site dedicated to these unknown gems.

RedLynx is still at it, and launched Trials 2 Second Edition on Steam in late May. They’ve come a long way since that first Java-based trials game. The core play remains the same–the physics-based fun and frustration both–but the presentation has been given a humongous face lift, and new features abound. This is one beautiful game!

For New Players

Trials 2 SE does a good job of bringing new Trials players up to speed. The previous games relied on the player to learn how to manipulate the bike’s spring rig to jump forward, jump upwards, and generally clear obstacles. This time around, RedLynx has included tutorial levels that explicitly state how to accomplish these maneuvers.

Controls remain the same, simple scheme: Up and down control throttle, and left and right change rider stance and apply rotation to the rig. The sophistication comes from the physics simulation itself. This is a game where tapping acceleration 50ms later may mean the difference between clearing the hill climb or completely failing it.

New Physics Possibilities

The collision engine in the previous RedLynx games relied on one unbroken ground object for collision. This mean you couldn’t both go over and under something, just over it. Trials 2 SE removes any of those restrictions. They use this new flexibility in a sensible, fun way. There are pipes you have to go through in a crouched stance, which limit your options beforehand, and some great loop-like structures.

Physics interaction is 2D, despite the 3D appearance. There are actually a handful of levels where physics objects in the level are dynamic. I would love to see more levels like this, because it makes the game easier and more forgiving. The static levels have very definite solutions, where an optimal runs will look very similar. On the levels with free-moving obstacles, though, things are more fuzzy, which I like. These levels do have a strange disconnect in that physical objects, like a crate or barrel, can actually move in 3D, while your rider is still fixed in a 2D plane.

(Trials 2: Second Edition Game Screenshots)

Frustration Generator

As in the previous games, Trials 2 Second Edition provides a lot of frustration. It takes a certain player to bash their head against a seemingly impossible incline again, and again, and again. RedLynx is very good at level design at this late point in the series. They understand perfectly how to craft a particular combination of slopes, obstacles, and jumps into a death trap. I often find myself cursing that if some tire were just a tiny bit farther from a jump, this would be an easy line. It’s designed that way, of course, which is actually what motivates me. If I felt like the levels were hard because of random placement, I would give up. It’s a dangerous game to pit yourself against designers like this, though, and particularly against designers as savvy as the ones who built these levels.

On the plus side, the high scores for each level also have a recording available. If you’re stuck on a level, or simply baffled as to how someone beat it in literally half your time, you can watch their replay or download it as a ghost to race head-to-head. The replays even show keyboard input highlighted, to give you clues on a player’s technique.

Definitely Worth the $10

Trials 2 SE is a great upgrade for the series. The difficulty progression is smooth, there are new levels with goals like timed wheelies, flip counts, and the enhanced graphics will help lower the barrier to entry for average gamers. Trials tracks robust online integration, too, with individual and team rankings, Steam achievements, and the ability to download new levels in-game (here is my profile, for the curious).

Download Trials 2 SE Demo (123 MB) [or Steam demo link]

The full version costs $9.99 USD, and is available directly from RedLynx or through Steam.

Matthew Wegner is the founder and editor of Fun-Motion, this very site. He is unusually busy, but plans to spend more time on Fun-Motion soon!

(Rate this game! 36 votes, average: 3.53 out of 5)

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Obulis is the first PC release from IonFx, a longtime Pocket PC developer. It’s actually the third installment in the series, with the first two titles out on Windows Mobile. Obulis is a puzzle game in the truest, hardcore sense of the word. I hope you like thinking!

Simple Rules

The goal in Obulis is to get the colored balls to their matching pots. To do this, you need to manipulate their physical motion. You can only do this in one way, by cutting rope. You can snip any of the ropes in the game, which usually hold the balls up, but also act as a way to time the release of launchers. The controls allow you to select and destroy rope as separate actions, which helps with difficult timing (although, annoying, if you use right-click to cut a rope you still have to select it first–it should be one click).

Inelastic Physics

The physics engine in Obulis is wholly inelastic, which support many of the puzzle designs. When a ball rolls into another ball, it comes to a complete stop, with the second ball taking on all of its velocity. There is only so much potential energy in each level, so you’ll find yourself re-routing energy through multiple balls. Visualizing the total remaining energy will be key to solving the puzzles.

Cleverness, Timing

My big complaint with true puzzle games is the nature of complexity. In order for a puzzle game to become more difficult, the designer needs to do some really clever stuff. In my mind, the fun of the game should boil down to the player re-discovering the clever solution for themselves. But sometimes it just feels like the level designer is showcasing their cleverness without any consideration for the player. Personally I would enjoy more levels with open-ended setups, where I can fudge the solution (Armadillo Run does this fantastically). Obulis has a much tighter possibility space; most levels must be solved exactly as the designer intended.

The other complaint I have with Obulis is the nature of the timing involved to get the physics right. It’s very annoying to have a realization about what you’re supposed to do, and then have to beat your head against the wall to get the timing correct. Watch the end of the gameplay video for an example of this in action.

(Obulis Game Screenshots)

Puzzle Gamers Rejoice!

I’m willing to admit that I just don’t have the right state of mind to enjoy a puzzle game like Obulis. The production value is fantastic, and many of the levels are a joy to play, but it’s also an amazing frustration generator. If you have the stomach for that kind of thing, or feel some strange pressure to prove yourself to game designers, then Obulis is very definitely the game for you.

Download Obulis Demo (33.5 MB)

Or visit the Obulis website for more information. The full version costs $19.99 USD.

Matthew Wegner is the founder and editor of Fun-Motion, this very site.

(Rate this game! 73 votes, average: 2.64 out of 5)

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Soup du Jour is a small physics game from Digital Eel, an independent developer best known for their Infinite Space games. It’s worth mentioning that, although it’s not a physics game, Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space is a fantastic experience. I highly recommend it. So how does their foray into physics-based gameplay fare? Unfortunately, not as well…

Goals and Controls

Let’s start with the basics: You play Soup du Jour by clicking and dragging on springy physics objects to make matches. This becomes difficult as pieces spawn more quickly, get in the way of each other, and become more chaotic. It’s difficult to make a game about fast/accurate mouse movement. It tends to be a frustrating experience, and Soup du Jour is no exception. I crave some kind of stylus input.

Harsh Pacing

Soup du Jour starts off well. You make a few matches, push some of the ingredients around, and get a sense than you’re interacting in a highly physical environment. But it soon becomes very, very difficult. It’s like all of the thought put into design was brainstorming how to make things more difficult. And they’ve certainly succeeded. A slew of challenges await you: Large pieces, bombs, missiles, and more colors. You’re punished when pieces fall over the edge; a single bomb could knock half of your ingredients out if you aren’t careful.

My personal preference would have been to focus on variation, but along other axes besides difficult. What variations would make the game easier? Or simply different? In the current play experience all of the variations add difficultly, and the variations come pretty quickly and don’t let up. Before too long your defeat is inevitable and it just doesn’t feel very fun. A pacing that oscillated up and down would be more enjoyable. There are very few times where you feel on the brink of reversible defeat. It’s relentless.

(Soup du Jour Game Screenshots)

Worth the $10?

Soup du Jour is priced at a modest $10, which isn’t a bad value for a short play experience. For me, though, it’s a play experience I don’t really want to repeat. It isn’t the kind of game I can enjoy in short bursts. Highly competitive players may enjoy maximizing their score, but personally I’d rather enjoy something a little longer and more forgiving. There’s a free demo, though, so you be the judge!

Download Soup du Jour Demo (5.2 MB)

Or visit the Soup du Jour website for more information. The full version costs $10 USD.

Matthew Wegner is the founder and editor of Fun-Motion, this very site.