An area that has been talked about by both game developers and by gamers in general, has been the implementation of physics in video games. Already physics is used a fair amount in certain games, but the next step would be a game where small actions effect gameplay more so than what is available currently. Well, with Crayon Physics, what we have is an experimental game, where physics and drawing both play a big role in reaching the goal of each level. Using your crayon you can draw certain objects, which can help by pushing, launching, and simply manoeuvring your little crayon shaped ball so that it reaches the crayon shaped star at the end of the level. There may only be seven levels, but it is a unique idea with some added relaxing music. It doesn’t just offer a single challenge on each level, but also allows you to approach the problem of reaching the star in each level in a variety of ways.

So the objective of each level is quite simple: get your little ball to the star. There are seven levels to explore and you have the option of loading any one of them from the menu, accessed by pressing escape, in case you are stuck.  Of course, reaching the end of the stage is the hard part. Using your mouse cursor, you can draw different shaped blocks that can help propel your ball, or maybe stop it in its track if it is rolling. You can even launch your ball at an angle towards the goal. There is usually more than one way to reach that star. That is what makes this game such an enjoyable one to try: the different strategies that are available. One person may think of a simple path to the goal, while another may go for a more complex option.

The physics engine in the game does a nice job, from the actions that occur from the movement of the ball, to the different drawings that can be made to either help or hinder your ball’s progress. While the game does give you the freedom of making certain objects with your mouse, at times it will default to a rectangle or square shape. The reason for this is the engine of the game, where if a certain object is not identified it will default to the square and rectangle shape. I personally did not mind, but this is just a heads up for gamers wondering why said object that they drew, did not appear on screen.

The graphics of the game also look quite nice, with its crayon style. It can even draw comparison to Joakim Sandberg’s game Chalk, with a similar style. Oddly enough, according to the developer of Crayon Physics the two games were released pretty close to one another – pretty cool all around. While there may not be many environments in the levels, the different objects you can draw and all the action going on screen guiding the ball, it might perhaps still end up being more of a distraction in the end. Nevertheless, the style of the drawings of objects and the things you can draw in game looks really nice. Props to the developer.

Although the developer did not originally create the music, it is a perfect choice for the game. It is relaxing to listen to and does not distract from the action. The music is just the perfect blend of some ambient type of music, while being soothing at the same time.

There is not much more to say about the game, other than it is a tad short as the seven levels can be completed fairly quickly once you do get the hang of the game. But there is the ability to create your own levels. This is available at the homepage of the developer, with a nice and detailed tutorial also included. This is a fun game to try out and I do hope that Petri Purho, continues to add to the game at a later date. There is potential for this game to take off, with some of the ideas being shown. So if you are looking for a different sort of puzzle game, with a unique style and where physics play a role, check out Crayon Physics.