Android Axis

Bithack has developed a game that brings back the days of “The Incredible Machine”, or “Tim” as it was called.

Apparatus, is an addictive, brainteasing game for your phone or tablet device. The only thing stopping you from getting the marble to it’s goal are the laws of physics and limits to your creativity.

You’ll begin the game with a few objects and a single goal: to deliver a marble to a blue, bucket-like container. You’re free to build any kind of machine you want with the materials you’re given, and creativity is essential.

You can also use the hammer or wrench tools to connect wooden planks, wheels, and other objects. Cables can be used to link up batteries to motors. You’ll need to build bridges, set up see-saws, swing with ropes, build rolling vehicles, or just give the marble a complex, Rube Goldberg-style roller-coaster ride.

You’ll sometimes need to create a fabulously complex mechanism for moving the marble a few centimetres and other times construct a sleek, efficient structure that’ll allow the marble to travel a for what seems like kilometres (okay, maybe just a few meters) in as few steps as possible. Whereas there’s no fixed way to complete all the levels, there’s usually one much easier way. But where’s the fun in that?

Once you’ve got your pieces in place, hit the “play” button at the top of the screen. This will kick start gravity and get the ball rolling, and then you’ll see how your creation stands up to the test of physics: if it falls apart, or the marble gets obstructed at some point instead of being delivered to the blue basket, you’ll know immediately that your machine will need more work.

Play Challenge Levels or Go Freestyle

There are two ways to play Apparatus: Either you can progress from level to level, as in a standard video game, or you can do your own thing and go straight to the Sandbox for free-build mode.

In conventional play, the early levels teach you how to play the game and go through some basic concepts, so you should probably do this first. The more you progress, the more freedom the challenge levels provide; many levels can be solved in many different ways. Of course, they also get more difficult as you go along.

If you don’t have the inclination (or patience) to face the challenge levels, why not just play around in the Sandbox and build whatever comes to mind? After touching the Sandbox prompt in the main menu, you’ll be presented with an empty level. All possible materials and tools will be at your disposal, and the only rule will be gravity. Here’s where you can really set your creativity loose.

Unfortunately the free-build mode is only available in the Pro version which costs around R13.84 (at current exchange rate).

Building the Community One Machine at a Time

If you’re really proud of one of your creations, share it with other Apparatus players. Every time you complete a level, you can go into free-build mode and modify the level however you like. If you make the level better, or just harder, you can upload it to the Community section and let other people play the modified level.

Same goes for your Sandbox. After you’ve created something amazing, log in to your free account and share the machine with anyone else out there. You can download and comment on other players’ creations, too.

And the nod from Amazon? Amazon are currently giving away the Pro version for free in their US-only Android market.

Apparatus has been verified to work on the following devices:
• Nexus One
• Samsung Galaxy S
• HTC Desire HD
• HTC Desire
• Samsung Galaxy Tab
• ZTE Blade

But they should work on any that have met the minimum requirements:
• A minimum processor speed of 600MHz
• A screen resolution of 800 x 480
• Android 1.6 (Donut)

Size: 11.6MB
Version: 0.9853
Developed By: Bithack

Lite Version:

Pro Version: