Isaac Newton’s Gravity HD for iPad (Free 7 levels | US$9.99 100 levels)

 

You probably need to be an Isaac-Newton-calibre geek to enjoy this game thoroughly. As much as I like puzzles, I was stumped by Level 2. Okay, I’m stupid that way. I failed physics in secondary school.

But the Goonfather turned out to be a geek worthy of being a museum exhibit. He was the one who discovered this game and bowled through all 100 levels in, like, three days, all the while lamenting, “Oh no, I’m reaching Level 100 soon, then there’ll be no more to play!”

He started this dramatic lamentation as early as Level 30, compelling me to give him dirty looks combined with eye-rolling (no mean feat, that, I can assure you).

Isaac Newton’s Gravity HD is quite similar to Sierra’s Incredible Machine series of ancient times. I tried those before and remember faring better (at least I completed more levels). Maybe because there were cuter items such as toasters and goldfish bowls which you can use to achieve your goals, hence motivation.

(Actually, I don’t even remember about the toasters and such. The information came from the Goonfather. The fact that he remembers the details of such an ancient game series is testament to his geekhood.)

In Gravity HD, I suppose the cutest items are eyeballs, which is the extent of it. You get a bunch of sticks and balls and blocks to achieve the same goal in every level: To get a big red button pushed.

A ball or cart will pop out a hole and it’s your job to use those sticks and stuff to help the ball or cart manoeuvre its way towards the big red button.

It is harder than it looks at first glance. I mean, to my own defence, I have never been stumped at Level 2 of any game in my life.

Okay, fine. Physics just isn’t my thing, okay?

 

 

In this level (above), for example, a ball will shoot out the hole in the middle. Before you start the ball rolling, you must arrange an assortment of items given to you in such a way that they will propel the ball upwards, past all the obstacles, to reach the red button (top left corner).

I think the physics engine is brilliant. The energies and motions caused by the items interacting with one another are very realistic. It’s fun to watch the Goonfather solve the puzzles. I get to enjoy someone else’s fruits of labour.

It’s cool to see how the button gets pushed but it’s very hard work getting there. Some of the solutions are so whacked out you’d never think of them in a million years, so I conclude that the Goonfather must be truly whacked out to have thought of them.

He gives the game a 4.5 star rating (out of 5 stars). I give it a looney bin rating. I think you need to be one in order to complete all 100 levels of the game. Wasn’t Sir Isaac Newton a bit of a looney bin himself? Reports say that it’s because of mercury poisoning from his alchemical hobby, but I think it’s the apple that fell on his head that did the trick.

In all seriousness, though, I think this is an absolutely fantastic game, although the US$9.99 price tag seems a bit excessive. I suppose it might be worth it if you spend, like, 30 minutes to solve each level but I don’t know many people who would have that kind of patience.

For the more impatient, you have hint points to purchase hints from Isaac Newton himself but those are limited. He is quite selfish in that regard. Each hint only places one object for you, then you need to pay more points to reveal the next step.

Oh, there’s also a level editor where you can create puzzles for other people to get whacked out over. If you’re not the sadistic sort, then just log in and play other people’s levels. There are currently more than 700 levels created by the community.

Oh, joy.

Now, the Goonfather did the most amazingly generous thing. He screen-printed his solutions to all 100 levels for the purpose of rescuing cute damsels in distress who have run out of hint points. If you’re not a cute damsel in distress, I guess you can’t look. Bummer.

 

Isaac Newton’s Gravity HD for iPad Solutions

Gravity HD Solution – Level 1
Gravity HD Solution – Level 2
Gravity HD Solution – Level 3
Gravity HD Solution – Level 4
Gravity HD Solution – Level 5
Gravity HD Solution – Level 6
Gravity HD Solution – Level 7
Gravity HD Solution – Level 8
Gravity HD Solution – Level 9
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