Physics Sandbox 2 is the sequel to the original Physics Sandbox game that was released onto the XBLIG channel a while ago. To be honest, it’s a pretty self explanatory game and one that should either instantly appeal to you or not depending on how much you enjoy 2D physics based puzzlers. But we’ll get a bit more in depth with the title anyway.

Physics Sandbox 2 comes with two different game modes, there’s the puzzle mode which offers an array of physics based puzzles for you to complete or the sanbox mode which allows you to just dick around with various shapes that you create; each of which has its own physical properties.

The puzzle mode is fairly simple and is reminiscent of games like Crayon Physics Deluxe. In each level you’re given a red ball and a star. The object is to get the red ball to hit the star. Doing so will allow you to move on to the next level for a total of 20 levels.

The way you go about this is by drawing either squares, circles or triangles (along with other mechanics such as springs and hooks) and then pushing the play button to see if everything goes according to plan. In many instances it can be quite fun to watch as your creations react in the way you had envisioned. Other times it can be downright frustrating to know that nothing is happening. But that’s physics for you.

Of course, being tasked with drawing and creating objects within the game isn’t all that great. Let’s be honest, there’s a reason why Crayon Physics Deluxe didn’t get ported to a console and that’s because the analog sticks make for poor drawing apparatuses. While the developer did use a lot of automation in the process, it still wasn’t an ideal situation, at least not one that could have been easily been fixed were the game available on the PC instead.

Overall the game is fairly robust for a $1 puzzler. The physics are all splendid and the art style has this whole “hand drawn” style to it that’s quite endearing. Finally, the game’s been given quite a discount from the original title which was priced at $3 instead. With all that said, I’d recommend this to anybody looking for a “poor mans” Crayon Physics Deluxe.

Physics Sandbox 2 is available right now via the XBLIG channel for 80 MS points ($1).

[This is not a review. This is a "first impressions" piece based on less than an hour of gameplay.]

[Buy/Try]

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