News of Contraption Maker’s existence came to me via a message tied around a rock fired through my window from a spoon tied to a mousetrap acting as a catapult triggered by a cat running past the firing mechanism while escaping a set of balloons released by an old cuckoo clock striking 11.45. While appropriate to the content of the game, I’d have prefered an email.
Yes, it’s been years in the coming but a full-fledged reimagining of 1993’s The Incredible Machine is finally in development.
The Incredible Machine nailed the task of getting a thing from one place to another in the most elaborate manner possible. You’d run levers to pulleys to switches to balloons to weights to doors to cats all in an effort to transport a basketball to a hoop. Contraption Maker sees original developers Kevin Ryan and Brian Hahn team up with Spotkin to build a new Incredible Machine-style game with all the trappings of modern computer.
In a bullet point list stolen from the announcement post, those modern trappings are:
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Delicious Graphics: A reimagined yet familiar look made for high definition displays.
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Improved Engine: Modern physics and a new C++ codebase removes old limitations, allowing you to make the contraptions of your dreams.
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Devious Puzzles: Puzzles so good, your brain will explode.
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Build all the Things: Let your imagination run wild in the Maker Lab. Create your own devious puzzles, or just make a fun contraption to show off how brilliant you are.
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So Many Parts: Build your contraptions with parts ranging from seesaws to the Cat-o-Matic 4000™. Over 100 parts both old and new are waiting for you to put them to use.
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Robust Community: Integration inside of the game allows for sharing of puzzles, backgrounds, mods, and more!
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Whimsical Cast of Characters: Not just mechanical parts, Toolman Tim and his animal buddies turn your contraptions into more than boring engineering projects.
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And More! Look out for more features like sub-assemblies, cooperative play, and Arduino integration.
There’s currently no footage of the game in action, only a few screenshots, but we’ve got in touch with the team to try and find out a little more about what’s going on.