Springen
If I ever had to live out a game genre in real life, you can bet your bottom, middle, and top dollars simultaneously I wouldn't pick the physics puzzle (or the phuzzle, as it's known in these here parts). I'd get sick of being tossed about like a hyperkinetic skipping stone, and being subjected to all sorts of conditional gravities, and then there would be the constant resetting of time and space to approximately 30 seconds prior every time a single molecule dropped a little too far to the left. Not that I'd be tremendously happy dismantling screwdrivers for keys in a room escape game, but... I suppose beggars can't be choosers. Unfortunately for the bouncing red balls of Springen, the latest phuzzle on the block from Pier-Jean Lizotte, they're going to get every treatment on the list, including a couple new ones completely free of charge.
Every level starts with a number of red balls rotating around a starting ring, your starting point and where the balls return should you reset the level (with the [R] key). The goal is to get every red ball on the black ring, or at least as many as you need to progress to the next level. To do so, you'll need to click on a ball on the starting hoop, and then move your cursor accordingly to account for direction and intensity. Let go of the mouse button to release, and then it's all up to the simulated forces of nature. Until you start finding those items that allow you to click on and re-fire a ball, in midair. Then there's bumpers, and teleporters, and gravity changers, and even remorseless ball-popping spikes. See, now you feel bad for the red balls too.
Springen is not a challenge for the faint of brain; while there's a well-sized chunk of straightforward levels, there's a few dastardly rogues in there that ought to give you a run for your money. There's also a little bit of practice and skill involved, as the farther you have to lob those red globes, the less accurate you become and the more gravity becomes a fickle master. The balls are heavier than they look, and when you add a wealth of bumpers, gravity wells, and other gizmos between you and the ending hoop, some of the puzzles test your luck as opposed to your intellect.
Thankfully, the majority of the puzzles require crafty feats of ball-flinging, and you'll have to learn to use some of those obstacles to your advantage if you hope to make it through all 30 levels of phuzzling goodness. Maybe the red balls actually have a good deal, here in a physics puzzle; you're springing them out of the room for them, and they don't even need to touch a single screwdriver.
level 12? Help?
The curse of level 12 strikes again. First Copy Cat, now this. Ok game I guess up till then, but not quite good enough to make me want to try harder.
same here.. lvl 12 any1?!!
I've passed level 12!! (pop)
Just aim to the left wall under the blue forcefield thingy, so that it bounces to the bottom blue forcefield thingy, hits the right wall and lands on the hoop.
[edit: spoiler tags added. -eileen]
You should really start taging these games as phuzzles.
For those having problems with level 12 here's a screenshot of where to aim.
Ok no real problems until level 16. I cant even think what you are supposed to do. Any hints?
Man o man
power of posting. Got 16
I just didn't get what antigravity really meant
I found some bugs and other issues, which I'll wrap in a spoiler tag for those who don't want to read my rant.
Rant:
1) If you complete a level (and press Continue), but click "Menu" instead of "Next" (so you can turn off the repetitive music), you have to replay the last level.
2) If you turn off sounds (because, there's no way to turn off just the music), it doesn't actually turn off all sounds, just some of them. The chime of making it onto the black ring is still audible.
3) You have to beat every level to play the next one. Yes, this is a bug. It's a major flaw that too many developers think is "necessary" to make the game enjoyable. It's not enjoyable. See bug #1 for an example of why. If you are going to reset my score every time I go to the main menu, then why bother even making the game linear??
4) The black-outlined white text on a candy-striped background is extremely hard to read.
5) No buttons for reset, quitting, or anything else. Yes, it tells you (if you can read it) that you can press keyboard keys, but this is a primarily mouse-based game.
I'm sorry to say, I just don't think this is a very good game. It doesn't have much finesse to the game design, interface, or the graphic design. There have been a lot of good physics puzzle games, in a wide variety of shapes and sizes; this one feels a little "me too".
I love this game!!! 8D
I don't understand everyone complaining level 12 is difficult. It's actually pretty easy, all you have to do is shoot at the wall on the left.
Anyway, awesome game kept me playing for too long HAHA
I am completely stuck on Level 27.
some help perhaps?
For level 12 use screen shot provided by Grinnyp
For level 27 launch 1 ball at the x no gravity
then launch 1 ball slowly to your left and another same direction but a bit faster so they hit wall on right at same time then with last ball hit up gravity and both balls will go up and hit the black circle
For level 28 there are 2 portals ( too hard) ignore em and aim for the wall on the left till you get a sweet spot where the balls will travel all the way 2 black circle ( Hint: sweet spot is on a pink strip on the wall)
I found this game pretty easy just a bit of perseverance =) have fun hope the tips help
Update