Crazy Machines 3 Review

Crazy Machines 3 is the latest, greatest, most amazing and craziest part of the series and fascinates once more with physic-based puzzles. Build your own crazy machines and share your awesomeness across the world thanks to the Steam Workshop.

Crazy Machines 3 Review

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to create whatever your mind was thinking? There are no limitations with-in the limitless content within this game! Crazy Machines 3 is a game that gives off a very family game like vibe within it. It does this successfully as it does seem like a fun family game. It is actually a great game to play when you just need a game to pass time with, but it does have its aggravating moments.There are some great options to play with for what you're paying for, though, which are things like being able to create puzzles within many different degrees of complexity. There is a funny mediocre story that does keep you wanting to keep playing to see the random stories. The story is of course, not linear but it is a mini series of separate awkward occasions that need to be resolved in a puzzle-like way.

Crazy Machines 3 is available on Steam for $19.99

Story

This game is mostly focused on the puzzle portion of it the most. Don't expect much of a complex story within this game. The story is just to sweeten the deal, it is a great addition to the amount you're charged. All in all, the story is just a mediocre attempt to be like Little Big Planet. The one problem the story had was that it really didn't attempt to keep the gamer's attention. Yes, one may state that this is a puzzle game/ sandbox creation game and that story really isn't what is in the attention of development. But there is a large number of games that fit this genre in which have a simplified story and great game mechanics.              

Crazy Machines 3 Review

Sound/Design

Music is a strong point in the game. With this type of game, music can be a deal-breaker to many. If the soundtrack is repetitive then the pleasure of playing the game withers away. Crazy Machines 3 does an impressive job giving the average gamer a soothing/casual soundtrack that isn't too overbearing. Almost all too many times the first thing I do when I first launch a game is completely mute the music from a game because of the extreme loudness of it. Loudness is just one factor; sometimes stock soundtracks are used, even within triple AAA video games, which really hinders the quality of a game. The great thing about this game is that the soundtrack actually held my desire to keep playing. It's a great feeling to play and be completely invested in a video game just to listen to a soundtrack.

The graphics are actually pretty decent for the genre it is in. There is a lot of texture and definition in objects used in the game, and it shows a nice attention to detail.

Crazy Machines 3 Review

Gameplay

The game itself has some really great ideas. The great thing is the fact that Crazy Machines 3 really tries to commit to a quality gaming experience. It doesn't feel like the game takes shortcuts or that the product was rushed. That's the perk of playing an indie game, is the fact that this is a perfect example of what a product looks like when they're not being rushed to fit a specific time schedule.

There is an exaggerated amount of content within this game to create the perfect machine/puzzle. It's literally overbearing; when I first started messing around with the creation aspect of the game I almost felt intimated to even attempt to create something. Truly speaking though, this isn't a bad thing, having too much content to work with is actually a great thing. The creation option of the game is really organized with options to pick some really interesting things. The menu used to pick resources is great as well. The "simple" option is what I really stuck with for a while. There is a pretty big learning curve towards the creation aspect of things, this isn't one of those types of games that you will learn within a mere minute of playing it. Not only that, but this game takes a lot, I repeat, A LOT of creativity. If you're looking for a casual game that really doesn't take much brainpower, this game is not for you.

The simple mode was a great mode to work with when creating some funky looking puzzles/machines. After a few hours in the simple mode, I saw that there is an advanced mode to work with, and that's a whole other challenge to accomplish. The amount of extreme detail that is involved with this menu is insane. If you can think of something, you can make it happen within the game.

Another addition to the creation mode is that the Steam Workshop can be used. The Steam community is filled with a lot of creativity, and I even downloaded some puzzles. The puzzles had me stumped for the longest time. The only con of the workshop being available is that there isn't much content on the workshop. As I'm typing this review there is a total of 249 user creations that may be downloaded. Take in effect that not all of the content created is quality work, but this is obvious as this goes with every game that uses community-created content support.

Fluidity is a problem in the game, mainly the camera. The camera in the game really is almost a deal-breaker and really hinders the quality of the game. The camera system really is an awkward part of the game which almost completely turned me off in playing the game more.

Yes, this game does have a large amount of content to work with. But the another problem this game deals with is the repetition of it. There really isn't much to do in it after you get bored of puzzles and creating… "things". It was a great attempt from the team of Crazy Machines 3 to come up with a new taste to the specific genre but it really isn't anything new or groundbreaking. It's just a mediocre type of game.

Crazy Machines 3 Review

Final Verdict 

As much as I wanted to like this game, it wasn't anything too exciting or jaw-dropping for me. It was just another one of those puzzle/creation games that get released every year, there's nothing new here. Unless you want a new creation game under a different developer and title, then try this one out. Grab it when it's on a Steam sale, then it'll be worth it. It's not worth the $20.00 the developers are asking for.

PROS CONS
 + Great Graphics  – Replayability value is very low
 + Catchy soundtrack  – Not much user-created content
 + Large amount of creation tools/resources  – Once fully explored, not much to do in the game
6.5
Fair

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