673rd played so far
Genre: Puzzle
Platform: PC
Year of Release: 2006
Developer: Peter Stock
When I was younger, I remember being into The Incredible Machine (a future game) and its more child friendly The Incredible Toon Machine. The build something and solve a puzzle genre never really was a big one, but it was part of a larger group anyway. Add the transport physics of Line Rider to this extended building, and you seem to get Armadillo Run, a game where you add to existing construction to move an armadillo from one place to another.
Our Thoughts
Armadillo Run works pretty much as you expect. A lot of it is pretty straight forward – you combine different types of cable and strings and planks of different material to add to existing structures so you can have an armadillo roll into an area. There are a bunch of more complicated features, like chains that only last for a time you give so you can have the structure move (like having a hammer push forward when the armadillo comes to a stop.
As is the case with these games, the setup is mostly simple, but with the budget you’re given for your materials (another thing to optimize for) the game gets challenging really fast. I struggled far earlier than I was anticipating and not wanting to look for spoilers, I started at some of these for longer than I thought I would.
There are a lot of fan made levels available – probably in part because the editor is simple and it’s easy to upload them. They are, of course, not easy either, but seeing all of this here gives the game a lot of extra life. I’m not sure I’ll be ready for them any time soon though.
Final Thoughts
Armadillo Run does what good puzzle games do: Have a simple game and build up from there. It might even be a bit more complicated than most, with certain timers, but for a physics puzzler, already trading on known concepts, it works really well. I’m just starting to wonder whether I’m smart enough for it.