''The Incredible Machine'' is a

puzzle A puzzle is a game, Problem solving, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together (Disentanglement puzzle, or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at th ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

released in 1993, and the first release in '' The Incredible Machine'' video game series. The objective of the game is to create Rube Goldberg machines by arranging collections of objects in a complex fashion, so as to perform some simple task (such as "put the ball into a box" or "start a mixer and turn on a fan"). ''The Even More Incredible Machine'' was an extended version of the original, also released in 1993; it had 160 levels, about twice the number of levels in the original game, and had more parts to use in the contraptions.

Development

''The Incredible Machine'', the first game in the series, was originally going to be developed by

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...

for the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...

in 1984, but Dynamix worked on ''

Arcticfox ''Arcticfox'' is a science fiction tank simulation video game developed by Dynamix and published by Electronic Arts in 1986. It was published in Europe by Ariolasoft. A sequel to Dynamix's ''Stellar 7'', ''Arcticfox'' was developed for the Amiga ...

'' for the

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...

instead and work did not start on ''The Incredible Machine'' until the spring of 1992. Kevin Ryan programmed ''The Incredible Machine'' in nine months, on a $36,000 budget. The Macintosh and Windows versions were developed by Presage Software.

Reception

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...

'' in 1993 praised ''The Incredible Machine'', stating that while the 80 puzzles "are a blast" the Free Form Mode was the game's best feature; "the curious, tinkering 10-year-old is re-awakened, given a digital toy box and set loose in the backyard of his or her mind". The magazine concluded that the game was "one of the most innovative and deceptively addicting products to pass this way in quite a while ... a well-oiled imagination machine with a very broad appeal". In 1993, ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...

'' gave the 3DO version a 7.25 out of 10, saying that its controls are too slow due to the lack of mouse support, but that it is nonetheless better than the PC version due to the dramatically improved graphics and sound. In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World'' named ''The Incredible Machine'' the 62nd best game ever. The editors summarized it as "fresh in concept and long on gameplay".

''The Even More Incredible Machine''

Scott A. May for '' Compute!'' said "''The Even More Incredible Machine'' is divine madness – a delightfully addicting, thoroughly intelligent arcade game that should not be missed". ''

PC Zone ''PC Zone'', founded in 1993, was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as ''PC Leisure'', ''PC Format'' and ''PC Plus'' had covered games but ...

'' said "''The Even More Incredible Machine'' is addictive and testing. Furthermore, it is flexible enough to last. The real puzzle, however, is reserved for the retailers, who must how out how to stack the weird-shaped box on their shelves". T. Liam McDonald for '' Game Players PC Entertainment'' said "if you're a puzzle fan who hasn't picked up the original, you'll definitely want to explore the zany world of ''The Even More Incredible Machine''". Stephen Kent for ''

CD-ROM Today ''CD-ROM Today'' was an American magazine targeted at computer users. Published from 1993 to 1996 by Imagine Publishing (now Future US), the magazine was initially issued once every other month, before becoming a monthly. Each issue included soft ...

'' said: "This game will not return you to the awe-struck discovery years of your childhood, but it's a fun-filled return to the machines that usually only function in a child’s mind". ''

'' Ed Dille in 1993 stated that "''The Even More Incredible Machine'' lives up to its billing, surpassing the original in terms of play value, if not presentation".

Awards

''The Incredible Machine'' was nominated for an award at the 1993 Game Developers Conference, and was the winner of several prizes due to its innovative style and simulation abilities. It was innovative enough that ''

Sid & Al's Incredible Toons ''Sid & Al's Incredible Toons'' is a puzzle video game developed by Dynamix and released by Sierra On-Line in 1993. Summary This video game is designed with the same style as that of '' The Incredible Machine'', except that the game takes place ...

'' earned Jeff Tunnell and Chris Cole a patent for the game concepts. ''The Incredible Machine'' for iPad/iPhone also won Best iPhone/iPad Game and was nominated for Best Puzzle Game at E3 by

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Incredible Machine, The 1993 video games 3DO Interactive Multiplayer games Cancelled Xbox 360 games Classic Mac OS games DOS games Dynamix games Educational video games FM Towns games Games commercially released with DOSBox NEC PC-9801 games Puzzle video games Sierra Entertainment games Single-player video games Video games developed in the United States Video games scored by Christopher Stevens Video games with expansion packs Windows games