The Gaming Experience
Shaun InguanzoElefunk Review: a lesson in patience
August 5th 2008 07:02
Problems aside, you'll still want to join this circus.
FLAWED but fun - an old cliche that is true of Elefunk.
Elefunk is a two-dimensional puzzle game in which you must build a bridge and its supports to escort elephants from one platform to another.
Gamers have a set number of pieces to place between platforms and are rewarded for using as few of those pieces as possible.
Pegs are also littered on the map, some offering more support than others.
Link the bridge to these pegs using the pieces, then have your elephants walk safely across it to the other side - then, it's on to the next level. Sounds easy, hey?
Well, it's not.
Unless you are a civil engineer, building a bridge in a gaming world that abides by the laws of physics will challenge your mind in a way never seen before.
This will either frustrate you or keep you coming back for more.
Personally, I couldn't put down the controller, loving every bridge collapse as much as I thoroughly enjoyed the success of seeing my elephant cross safely.
There is a lot of trial and error involved in building a good, safe bridge, and unfortunately just as you get the hang of it, the game changes themes.
Also, the camera which allows you to zoom in or out of the map is locked to two positions - it's not handy if you want to manually zoom.
But you'll be forgiving of these problems if Elefunk is your cup of tea, with gameplay that reminds me of a cross between Lemmings and a jigsaw puzzle.
Bear in mind that the elephants don't move until you tell them to - there is no race against the clock unless you are after points.
The game's tutorial tells you how to play it, but offers few tips on how to master it.
There's an online multiplayer mode, but I have no idea how it works, as I found no one to play against in half an hour of searching and waiting!
Still, for $13 (AUD) this one's worth it for the single player puzzle element.
Epic Elefail...
FLAWED but fun - an old cliche that is true of Elefunk.
Elefunk is a two-dimensional puzzle game in which you must build a bridge and its supports to escort elephants from one platform to another.
Gamers have a set number of pieces to place between platforms and are rewarded for using as few of those pieces as possible.
Pegs are also littered on the map, some offering more support than others.
Link the bridge to these pegs using the pieces, then have your elephants walk safely across it to the other side - then, it's on to the next level. Sounds easy, hey?
Well, it's not.
Unless you are a civil engineer, building a bridge in a gaming world that abides by the laws of physics will challenge your mind in a way never seen before.
This will either frustrate you or keep you coming back for more.
Personally, I couldn't put down the controller, loving every bridge collapse as much as I thoroughly enjoyed the success of seeing my elephant cross safely.
There is a lot of trial and error involved in building a good, safe bridge, and unfortunately just as you get the hang of it, the game changes themes.
Also, the camera which allows you to zoom in or out of the map is locked to two positions - it's not handy if you want to manually zoom.
But you'll be forgiving of these problems if Elefunk is your cup of tea, with gameplay that reminds me of a cross between Lemmings and a jigsaw puzzle.
Bear in mind that the elephants don't move until you tell them to - there is no race against the clock unless you are after points.
The game's tutorial tells you how to play it, but offers few tips on how to master it.
There's an online multiplayer mode, but I have no idea how it works, as I found no one to play against in half an hour of searching and waiting!
Still, for $13 (AUD) this one's worth it for the single player puzzle element.
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Comment by Glen Atwell
Haha! For $13 on the Playstation Network, it's hard to go past the value!!
I'll download this one and have a look.