Physics Games and Physics-Based Game Downloads

(Rate this game! 161 votes, average: 4.08 out of 5)

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Switchball is a new game by Atomic Elbow, creators of the IGF-nominated Crazyball. They bill it as a sequel (although Crazyball was never finished?) and describe it as:

Steer the Switchball past traps and puzzles in 20 increasingly challenging levels by morphing between balls with different properties and abilities. Use machines and elements like magnets, fans, cannons, fire, water and many more in a game that gives you the fun of oldschool platform gaming with ultra realistic physics and awesome 3D graphics!

The game falls into the roll-the-ball-to-the-goal genre with as many inventive physics contraptions as possible to get in your way. Switchball utilizes the Ageia physics engine, which means there are a lot of possibilities for innovative obstacles. Atomic Elbow promises 4 levels that will be exclusive to owners of the upcoming PhysX hardware, which is interesting. I’ve actually heard that Ageia licenses its technology for free to small developers who will support their hardware.

Gameplay in Switchball is a mix between skill-based maneuvering and thinking-based puzzles. Various pods throughout the level will change your ball’s physical attributes: to a super-heavy metal ball, lightweight ball, or electric ball and so on (as far as I know Ballance was the first game to use this material-changing theme). Getting through a level requires you change materials as needed to get by obstacles. A metal ball is too heavy to cross a wooden plank, for instance, but burly enough to push the preceding crates out of the way. Alternating materials several times is usually required to get by an area.

This review is based on a free 1-level alpha demo of Switchball that Atomic Elbow recently released. They warn that this isn’t indicative of the final quality of the game, but as far as I can tell everything is top-notch. The graphics and audio are both excellent. My one complaint is that the camera feels a little weak. I’m often manually controlling its orientation and zoom level to see where I need to go which can be annoying. Of course, in a game like this the camera is everything and it’s certainly a difficult development challenge. If they can polish up the camera movement Switchball will indeed be a very excellent game when it’s done.

(Switchball Game Screenshots)

The game is available for download here or over at Atomic Elbow’s site. They are actively soliciting feedback for this release, so if you check it out and have some suggestions feel free to let them know.

Atomic Elbow’s Crazyball was nominated in the Independent Games Festival 2006 for the Technical Excellence award. They’ve kicked their craft up a notch since then with Switchball. Check out the free download of this great physics game!

Download the game here (43.2 MB).

(Rate this game! 449 votes, average: 4.11 out of 5)

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While I will usually focus on smaller independent productions, there are certainly some fully-funded retail productions that deserve mention. The Trackmania series of games definitely stands out from your typical racing game. Driving games are inherently physics-games. They obviously mimic a very physical activity. Some racing titles focus on perfect simulation, others mix in idealized controls (FlatOut comes to mind), and still others do away with realism altogether (why haven’t they made a new Carmaggedon game?).

Trackmania Nations stands somewhere between idealized and absurd. It’s almost best to think of the game as a platform game, but instead of Mario you have a speedy little car. The courses range from the expected, very typical race tracks to outright insane loops, half-pipes, and boost-powered jumps. This Flash 8 video shows off one of the advanced courses:

Best of all, Trackmania Nations is free. It’s a downloadable release specifically created for the Electronic Sports World Cup. Players will be able to train for finals to be held in Paris this summer. Apparently there’s $400,000 up for grabs. Personally, I don’t have the aptitude to hone my driving skills to a competitive level, although I certainly appreciate the free gameplay.

The game contains 90 solo training tracks ranging from the very simple to the nearly gimmicky. Some of the expert tracks require you to use jumps and other props in very nonstandard ways. The earlier levels train you in on how to use props in a certain way and then they pull the rug out from under you. If you get tired of the existing tracks the game includes an editor; all of the included tracks were made with it. Want to string three crazy loops together with a bunch of boosts? Go for it.

Trackmania Nations is more about optimizing for time than it is exploring crazy physics courses. Some aspects of the game are frustrating and require a lot of trial and error. For instance, it’s difficult to judge how fast you should be going on certain jumps without having failed at least once or twice by over- and under-shooting. Analog controls like a PS2-style joystick or driving wheel will certainly give you an edge over the keyboard controls. It’s much easier to modulate your speed on a smooth basis when it comes to the later, more difficult levels.

(Trackmania Nations Game Screenshots)

The game is available free as a rather large download (265 MB). Be warned, though, it does require you accept Starforce protection in order to play it. I suppose that’s there to protect the game from hacking on account of the whole competing-for-real-money thing, but if you’ve had trouble with Starforce in the past you may want to take a pass on this one.

Trackmania Nations is a very neat slant on the driving genre. Why race in a flat circle when you can zip through imagination courses at several hundred miles per hour? It’s a fun way to kill a few hours, and you can’t beat its value at the low, low price of absolutely free!

Download Trackmania Nations here (265 MB).

(Rate this game! 86 votes, average: 3.74 out of 5)

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Solid Balance is a stacking physics game by Solid Games. It’s a physics game that replicates something we all probably did in our childhood: stack boxes. The goal of each level is to stack an ever-increasing number of boxes and other objects without tipping everything over.

The game has two modes. The default mode has no restrictions. You simply place whatever object is next in line. The problem with this is that there is very rarely a compelling reason to do anything except place in the center and symmetrically. Inertia from the object you are currently placing will transfer over, though, so a soft touch is essential.

Far more interesting is the “color rule” option. With this option turned on, another failure state is added. If two objects of the same color touch you will lose. This is much more interesting. You quickly learn to leave pockets in your tower to place unwanted objects and need to think on your feet when you get two large pieces of the same color. The game shows you the next two upcoming pieces to help you plan ahead. You don’t have long, though; there is a time meter that counts down. Whatever piece you’re currently placing will drop when the time meter empties.

Solid Balance uses the TOKAMAK physics engine which has specific optimizations for stacking. Even so, sometimes the behavior of the blocks is a little weird. They tend to skate around a bit before coming to a rest. They come to a rest very quickly, too, which is both good and bad. It provides a stable base, but it’s also hard to see an impending collapse coming. When your tower shifts it tends to destabilize very quickly. It would be nice to have more advance warning in order to have the chance to balance things out.

(Solid Balance Game Screenshots)

All told, Solid Balance is a good implementation of a stacking physics game. More variety would certainly be appreciated, but for roughly $10 USD the game delivers adequately at that price point. There is a 1-level demo available to try out the game before committing to a purchase. It’s relaxing fun and certainly much easier to clean up after than stacking real blocks.

Download Solid Balance game here (5.09 MB) or head on over to the Solid Balance page at Solid Games’ website.