Puzzle games are always designed to push your attention to detail to the limit and make your brain work hard. As you play through the tutorial of a puzzle game you normally find that everything is being spoon-fed to you. But as soon as the spoon leaves your mouth you often find that puzzles can sometimes become so overwhelmingly difficult that you merely stare at an array of colours which have been placed in front of you for what seem like hours on end. Looking to create a unique take on the puzzle genre is Rube Works, the latest release from Unity Games and it is available now for PC, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android.
Rube Works is the first official Rube Goldberg licensed game which features Rube’s contraptions, cartoon and slapstick humour. The game combines these whacky aspects of Rube’s work and creates a difficult problem solving game with a comedic twist. The goal of each level is simple: you have to complete normal, everyday tasks by using objects such as penguins, fireworks and guns. The everyday tasks include carving a turkey, make your bridge player aware that it’s their turn and opening a garage door.
As soon as you load the game, the first thing you are met with is an array of colour which portrays the slapstick tone of the game and this is continued throughout each and every level. A loading screen of blueprints and Rube Goldberg’s face show how much this game has been designed on the man’s great mind and why there is a huge fascination with him for so many people.
Unfortunately the art style is the only positive aspect of Rube Works. The sound design is almost non-existent as you often find when trying to work out which part goes where or how you interact with the environment, there is a deafening silence which you wouldn’t expect from a game which focuses on hilarity and bizarre humour. There are moments of music being played when in the menus, but it adds next to nothing to the game. I definitely had the impression that Rube Works was a game merely intended for mobile devices and this reflects on the gameplay too.
In terms of depth of gameplay there isn’t any change from the moment you start the game until you finish it. While the puzzles do become more intricate, the way in which you solve these puzzles doesn’t. The only thing required in each level is that you have to put the various objects in the correct position, which is far more frustrating than it sounds. Each object comes with 3 clues as to which item it reacts to and while associating these items together are easy, the position in which you put them are often placed down in peril. I lost count the amount of time I spent trying various locations which to put the objects in. Even in from the 2nd level, right after the tutorial level, you find yourself staring blankly at the screen as the end never seems to be in sight.
Once you do finally make it through a level, you are relieved more than feeling any sense of achievement. As you stare desperately at the screen continuously attempting to place the objects in the correct order and attach string and rubber bands, a mere 10 minutes or so pass when it seems like hours have passed. Once you have completed a level there is no reason to revisit that level as the objects can only be placed in one way in order to progress. Although there is a 3 star rating system which has been seen in many mobile games in recent years, I never once got less than 3 stars even though I took over 30 minutes on one level so there is no reason to revisit a level.
For a game which focuses on creating a humorous colour schemes and environmental designs, Rube Works is not a fun game to play. Although many puzzle games are extremely difficult, it all seems worthwhile in the end when you reach that goal you have always been striving for. When you finish a level in Rube Works you are more relieved that you won’t have to replay that level. There is no sense of progression throughout each level and, even though there are 18 different puzzles, they all feel alike and each is as frustrating as the last.
Rube Works could have been a unique puzzle game, but it ultimately falls way short and is nothing more than a huge consumption of time with little or no reward. It’s a huge shame as Rube Goldberg’s ideas seem funny enough; it’s just that they’re very poorly executed.
Rube Works is out now for PC, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android and for around £3.99.