Mus has been playing video games for more decades than he cares to admit. He likes writing about said video games and also tends to refer to himself in the third person.
A Sweet Challenge
Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory takes you on a solo journey of chocolatiering, snack-making and puzzling. Each of these areas on their own is, no doubt, a pleasant experience. However, when you combine all three areas, does it become a match made in chocolate heaven or are you left feeling bloated? Read on to find out!
A Symphony of Gears and Cocoa
Who would have thought that the world of chocolate production could be so… perplexing? Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory is a construction game that transforms the mundane into a delightful – yet devilishly difficult – puzzle-solving adventure.
You are required to design intricate machines in order to automate the production of chocolates and other delicious snacks.
There is no story to speak of but you are given some basic instructions at first as to what each mechanism or tool does. From there, the only requirement is to achieve par in terms of equipment cost. You can let your imagination run wild and it is entirely up to you how to achieve the required output.
There are several levels of varying difficulty spread across numerous areas. Each area introduces a new tool – or set of tools – and an increasingly difficult set of environments and requirements to work your way through.
Building Blocks of Brilliance
The core mechanism revolves around building contraptions using a variety of components. These components include conveyors, gears, sorting mechanisms and even portals (seriously). You must carefully combine these elements to create efficient and effective production lines.
The physics engine in Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory plays a crucial role in the gameplay. It accurately simulates the behaviour of real-world objects and gravity, ensuring that machines operate as expected each and every time. However, there are also options to attempt each level with modifiers, such as changing the strength of gravity, which results in entirely different solutions.
An Audiovisual Feast
Despite Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory being a 2D game with a static background, it features a very bright, colourful aesthetic that perfectly compliments the chocolate-making theme. The animations are smooth and well-crafted, bringing the contraptions to life.
The sound design features an upbeat and enjoyable soundtrack which further cements the authenticity in the atmosphere. The sound effects are well-designed and provide satisfying feedback when interacting with the game world and in-game objects. Everything sounds exactly as you would expect it to!
Endless Possibilities
Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory is a highly replayable title, based mostly on the fact that there is no single solution for any one puzzle. You can attempt numerous solutions, all in different ways, and still be left wondering if there are still better ways to reach the goal.
There is also a level editor which allows players to create and share their own custom levels, which essentially means that the possibilities are limitless!
Conclusion
Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory is a delightful and engaging puzzle game that offers a unique and satisfying experience. It is made even more impressive that it has been created by just two people, as it is a pleasant, polished experience each time. With it’s charming visuals, pleasant sound design, satisfying gameplay and high replay value, this construction game is a must-play for all puzzle fans. Whilst the somewhat simple aesthetic may not be for everyone, this shouldn’t detract from what is a solid game all-round.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Engaging gameplay.
- Charming visuals.
- Robust physics engine.
- Excellent level design.
- High replay value.
- Level editor.
Cons
- Can be challenging.
- Simple aesthetic may deter some players.
Grade: 8/10
Mus has been playing video games for more decades than he cares to admit. He likes writing about said video games and also tends to refer to himself in the third person.