Professor Heinz Wolff is an accomplished scientist who was one the head of the European unmanned Space Commission and inventor of the term Bioengineering. And now he’s got his own puzzle game named after him. I’m not sure why his name is tacked onto this physics based puzzler (plus I’ve never heard of the guy before), but at least his game is pretty entertaining.

In Gravity, players must simply hit a switch in one of 100 levels. You have a set number of blocks and balls of all different sizes, and once you set them on the playing field, press the Play button and a marble will come out of a hole and roll around. You must strategically place the blocks so the rolling marble, or blocks it hits along the way, activate the switch. As the name of the game implies, gravity and physics are a big part of the puzzles. There’s no one way to solve the brain teasers, but you can buy hints along the way if you get stuck.

It’s a lot like other puzzlers like The Incredible Machine or those programs you can find on the Internet that let you stack blocks and play with the physics of them (kind of like a 2-D Garry’s Mod). I’ve seen my little brothers mess around with programs like that on their computer for hours.  In fact, you can even unlock sandbox levels that you can do the same thing in Gravity as well. Rounding out the package are a few arcade style party games where you build towers fastest or knock them down.

Both the Wii and DS versions are the same exact game, you just control them differently. On the Wii, point the Wii remote at the TV and click to move objects like a mouse. On the DS, use the stylus and touch screen to drag items. Rotate them using the D-pad (or nunchuck on the Wii version). Play controls on the DS is a little better than on the Wii as it feels more tactile (plus the DS game is cheaper). While Gravity would’ve probably worked better as a WiiWare or DSiWare title, it’s a pretty entertaining puzzle diversion for what it is.

Kid Factor:
Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity is rated E for Everyone. Nothing objectionable here. Reading skill is helpful for the hints and instructions. Some very young gamers may get stumped at the later puzzlers, but players of any age can have fun messing around with stacking and knocking down blocks. Maybe Prof. Heinz Wolff can teach them a thing or two about the laws of physics as well.

Tags: Game Reviews