Science is all about experimentation. Testing theories, tinkering with equipment - it's the bedrock of the scientific method. Finger Physics experiments with its own theory of fun, having you engage in a series of trial-and-error physics tests. The conclusion: fun = touchscreen2.
A big slate of 81 levels tests your ability to skirt the laws of physics across a range of scenarios. The typical tower building challenges are here, though embellishments ensure the game distinguishes itself from the likes of Topple and other competitors.
Inventive underwater levels toy with buoyancy. Instead of requiring you to build a tower, they give you a combination of light and heavy blocks that must be situated in the water. Blue blocks float, while purple ones sink - it's your job to arrange them in such a way that they remain on the screen.
Magnetic blocks introduced in later levels complicate the straightforward task of building a tower. Blocks with the same magnetic polarity repulse each other, so you're unable to stack two red blocks; conversely, a red and a blue block lock together.
Going beyond tame baking powder and vinegar eruptions, explosive orange blocks add an active element to levels. These fragile blocks cannot touch each other, meaning placement is a precarious task to ensure your structure doesn't blow itself apart.
These inventive ideas ensure fresh, challenging levels. Yet Finger Physics doesn't operate in a completely controlled environment.
Just as in a real experiment, things are unpredictable and inconsistent. Trial-and-error reigns supreme and even easy levels have to be played multiple times to overcome silly, unexpected errors. It's not uncommon for an assemblage of blocks to fall apart despite pieces appearing to have been set firmly in place.
You learn to accept its finicky nature, seeing how it's not nearly enough to detract from the fun. Improvements to the hodge-podge presentation would be welcome, but the so-so style is merely a conductor through which flows a fun little physics game.
Finger Physics
Though lacking an energetic personality, new elements make this physics gaming compound fresh and fun to play
Tracy Erickson
Manning our editorial outpost in America, Tracy comes with years of expertise at mashing a keyboard. When he's not out painting the town red, he jets across the home of the brave, covering press events under the Pocket Gamer banner.