Product Description

Professor Heinz Wolff's Gravity is a game of 100 set-'em-up and knock-'em-down puzzles, all based on the laws of physics. Players construct devices from building blocks, levers, conduits, and other parts. True to the title, most puzzles are solved by harnessing the force of gravity, through a rolling ball, a falling block, or other such event. Some puzzles have players creating contraptions of Rube Goldberg-like complexity, although many have more than one solution, and often the simplest works as well as any. The Wii edition of the game also includes 20 "sandbox" levels, for player experimentation, as well as four multiplayer mini-games.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4449 in Video Games
• Brand: Deep Silver
• Model: 895678002056
• Released on: 2009-04-01
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: Nintendo DS

Features

• Quirky puzzle game based on real, accurate physics demands critical and creative thinking
• 100 levels provide a variety of challenges for players with differing abilities
• Five unique sandboxes allow for experimental play and let you hone your skills
• Three mini-games let you stage matches against friends and take on new challenges
• Colorful, hand-painted background art and atmospheric music for a rich all-around experience

Amazon.com Product Description
A quirky, detailed puzzle game, Professor Heinz Wolff's Gravity for Nintendo DS packs all the fun of real, scientific experimentation without requiring you to sit through any boring intro-class lectures. You'll arrange objects, take advantage of common gravitational effects, and learn from the unexpected as you tackle a new endeavor on each level.

100 levels with hand-painted backdrops present a variety of challenges. View larger.

Professor Heinz Wolff is a charismatic scientist and a popular star from the BBC's Great Egg Race.

100 Thought-Provoking Levels of Real Physics
Featuring the renowned German-British scientist often associated with the BBC's Great Egg Race, Professor Heinz Wolff's Gravity offers 100 increasingly difficult levels capable of providing challenges for puzzlers of all ages. Your big objective? Put chain reactions and simple structures to work for you as you try to press the button on each level. You'll find yourself rolling balls, stacking bricks, and trying to transport glassy eyeballs across the screen on funky wheeled carts. Of course, the biggest factor is gauging the effects of the real, accurate physics behind every movement.

Designed to Keep Puzzlers of All Abilities Busy
The fact that players can test and retest different configurations makes this game a great introduction to problem-solving for young scientists. But seasoned experimenters are likely to enjoy it too, since they'll quickly get caught up in trying to solve each problem in record time or with the quirkiest series of events.

Whatever level player you are, if you get stuck, the game offers you access to a bank of points that can be used to "buy" in-game hints from the professor and jump-start your thought process. And, just like real-world problems, the challenges in this game can often be overcome in a variety of ways, allowing for creative solutions to all kinds of conundrums.

Unique Backdrops, Experimental Sandboxes, and Head-to-Head Intellectual Combat
This game also offers five unique sandboxes that allow for experimental play and let you hone your deductive skills while creating crazy reactions. And it includes three mini-games that provide an arena for staging matches against friends, parents, siblings, and classroom rivals for bragging rights and real-time tests of your reasoning ability. Additionally, hand-painted background art in bright colors adds a fun, slightly whimsical feel to each screen, while atmospheric music helps ensure that you stay immersed in the professor's physics-rich puzzle-solving world.

Customer Reviews

Nice Surprise
I bought this game for Nintendo DS Lite knowing nothing about it, but I'm glad I took a chance on it.

The basic objective is to place certain tools or obstacles in such a way that with the help of a rolling ball, a button is pushed at the end of a maze or obstacle course. It's a bit of a cross between the old "Mousetrap" game that a lot of Gen-X'ers had as kids, and Tetris in my opinion.

It's not that hard to learn how to manipulate the tools- very short learning curve, but once you learn the basic tools and actions, it's sort of a challenge to figure out. If you get stuck you can buy a hint, which really helped me out at first.

Anyone of any age can play this game. I'm 39 years old and think it's pretty fun. Younger players will most like enjoy it as well, but if it's a kid into FPS or driving games it might not be their first pick. I'd say that if you like "Brain Age" and "Tetris" you will probably like "Gravity" as well if not better than those two.

A natural direction for DS titles to go, but with flaws in the first attempt.
I went to GameStop looking to buy a different game, found this one, and decided I've give it a try. I'm on level 94 of 100 after several hours of almost straight gameplay (it's very addictive), and this is what I've noticed.

The game takes its cues from an independent game by the name of Crayon Physics, and Sierra's Contraptions. The main objective of every level is to trigger a button by using a selection of predetermined objects, such as various beams of different shapes and sizes, round widgets much smaller in size, balls, rover-type vehicles that move in one constant direction, etc. either by guiding a ball or rover to that button, or by transferring the kinetic force of that ball or rover using your objects. The difficulty lies in designing your solution through the various levels and the stationary objects and barricades they present.

For example, one level may require that you build a bridge over a gap in the level so that the ball may roll over this bridge and reach its intended goal. Another example would be using the ball's inertia as it falls to catapult a small widget across the level into an otherwise inaccessible area so that it may hit the trigger.

As far as gameplay is concerned, the main gripes I have with this game were in its lack of variety of objects you can manipulate, the monotony of having the same goal for every single level, and the actual ease of the game. In these faults, I would say to the developers to look more closely to contraptions for inspiration. Further than that, there were a number of annoyances I came across.

Firstly, if you decide that an object you currently have out in the level is no longer needed in your design, you double tap it and it conveniently disappears. As great as this seems at face value, the convenience is gravely negated by the frustration you experience when your magnificent structure crumbles before your eyes because the beam you were adjusting at the bottom suddenly disappears because you unknowingly "double-tapped". This happens far more frequently that it seems it would, and greatly detracts from having a positive experience.

Secondly, you access your menu of items by tapping the screen. This becomes a problem when you're trying to move an object, and this menu pops up because you missed the object with your stylus, and you cannot immediately close that menu which disables you from interacting with the object you intended to move unless you wait a couple seconds, tap the screen outside of the menu, and continue playing. This will happen very often and will test your patience. On a somewhat related note, to move the screen when you're carrying an object, you have to move the object itself self around while you navigate. This will more than likely cause you to destroy a structure you've been working on by inadvertently smashing the object you're carrying to into it.

Finally, I would have enjoyed a greater variety of music (there are about 4-5 different 20 or so second loops that recur throughout the game), far more sound effects (there are few to speak of), and the game can lag quite noticeably when there's a lot of movement in the level. A multiplayer component would have been a nice addition, adding some replay value. Also, the "Tower Topple" mode that's advertised on the rear of the game box in a screen shot does not at all appear to be included in the actual game (nor does the booklet make mention of it). I think that was a scrapped product shot and somewhat misleading in its inclusion, because it does look fun. In all this game is decent, with a wonderful premise, has a great deal of appeal and potential, but suffers from generally poor execution. I am eagerly awaiting the second incarnation in hopes that these issues will be resolved.

A Definite Keeper!!!
Just got this delivered yesterday, and at first I was worried that this was going to be one that would be too complicated. Once I got used to it, it was fun and addicting. With each level, you are given certain pieces of shapes, to form a connection for the ball to roll on to complete the path to its' final destination. I was hooked for hours! I'm glad I took a chance and bought this one.