Publisher: Namco Games
Developer: Namco Games
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now

With smart phones taking the world by storm, it makes sense that more and more developers are looking to cash in on the potential gaming market now available to them. But it’s a very tricky venture to make a game you can sell cheaply that doesn’t feel like a cheap game. Isaac Newton’s Gravity is an excellent example of this, a simple concept that is fun but not repetitive or boring.

With the help of Sir Isaac himself, you must consistently perform one basic task in Gravity: guide a ball to hit a switch. Each level starts out with a sphere being dropped from one location and sent on its merry way. As the player, you use a set of pre-determined objects at your disposal to help the ball move across the board. You can rotate and place items such as beams, other spheres and blocks to create the right path for the ball to reach its destination. Once that occurs, the next level opens up.

While the gameplay is simple, the developers have found very clever ways to keep Gravity both challenging and addictive. The number of items at your disposal is usually sparse, so you must be very creative with their usage. Often times all the items are (or have to be) used, which adds more interest to the game. If you get stuck, you can always buy a hint to keep the progress moving. Gravity also includes a level creator, offering you something different from the puzzles.

There’s no question that Isaac Newton’s Gravity is addictive. There is great satisfaction to be gained from beating a stage, and the puzzles are challenging without seeming to be impossible. The inclusion of hints also prevents you from getting completely stuck and having frustration take over. The actual physics of the game are strong and play out very well, in that the objects move and react as you would expect them to do.

The number one issue with Gravity is control. While the game allows you to zoom in and out for precision, often the objects get stuck, making placing them a little difficult. Also, every now and again the game wants the solution to be a little too exact. For example, I played a stage several times before finally breaking down and getting hints to provide the answer. I was a little miffed to see that their solution was the same one I had been trying with nearly indistinct differences, but apparently enough variations to make mine wrong. Also, the level editor is a great idea but limited, in that you can’t share your levels with friends, but I’ve heard an update for this is coming.

Isaac Newton’s Gravity is a fun little game. It’s one of those things you think you’ll play for 10 minutes, but an hour later you’re still muttering, “Okay, one more level, then I’m done!” So check Gravity out if you can; it’s a good price for what you get in return.

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