Physicus Review

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Physicus

Review by Orb

I fondly remember, when I was a child, one of the highlights of our family Christmas season was a trip to the famous FAO Schwarz toy store in San Francisco. Wandering through the wide, well-lit aisles, I would be overwhelmed by the unusual colors and sounds.  One of the things most consistently striking about these trips was the omission of run-of-the mill American toys we watched advertisements for on TV every Saturday morning. Here there were no Barbies.  No Slip and Slides or Milton Bradley board games, no Tonka trucks or Slinkys. Instead, the building was bursting at the seams with strange, intricately designed wonders from Europe, hand-carved wooden puzzles, stuffed Steiff lions and bears, beautiful Madame Alexander dolls with big eyes, luxurious hair, and crisp pinafores, and instructional toys that were at the same time intriguing.  It was really just like visiting another planet.

Physicus, an edutainment title from Tivola, evokes these images in my mind’s eye. It has the same sort of craftsmanship that is reminiscent of the quality and care evident even to a child in those toys and really makes one feel that the creators understand that a learning tool for children can be beautiful and fun as well as instructional.

Physicus is designed to teach the subject of physics in a fun and easy-to-understand manner. One of the most appealing aspects to the game is the overall look of the game environments.  It is a charming, lighthearted version of the Myst style of game-making, which is a pleasant combination as it makes Physicus as enjoyable for an adult as any other adventure game he or she might play.

The story is a simple one. Earth has been hit by a meteorite, which has caused it to stop dead in its tracks, one side in perpetual sunlight, the other in perpetual darkness. By studying and using science materials contained in the game’s encyclopedic interface, the player must solve puzzles and progress toward the ultimate goal of getting the rotation of the Earth to begin again.

The game is a first-person adventure, and the player explores every nook and cranny of what seems to be a small village and its surrounding buildings in a hilly, picturesque countryside.  There are houses to explore, and municipal structures, and a town square packed with things such as stores, a town jail, and offices, among other things.

The graphics in this game are irresistible, with a sort of old-world European charm reflective of the home of the game’s creators, Germany. The environments are very elaborately drawn, and the 3D rendering is as good and well put-together as any adult adventure game—better than quite a few, actually. The endgame is a brief but amusing animated sequence that is also well-executed.

The game screen is simple and well-designed. Inventory is stowed in a machine at the bottom of the screen, and the player scrolls through to choose an item to be used. One nice aspect to the inventory system in this game is that the inventory is usually pretty sparse, and at any one given time throughout the game will only contain a small handful of items.

Physicus teaches the subjects of electricity, aggregation states of different materials, mechanics, optics, and acoustics.  The player is given an electronic interface, accessed within the game, that allows the player to research these subjects to solve the problems encountered during the game. The interface itself is well-done, and all subjects have visual explanations, in many instances with animations, and interactive components that are helpful in guiding understanding.

But don’t be put off by the subject matter included to help solve the puzzles. In many instances, at least for an adult, they involve common sense and things about physics that most people do have a basic understanding and grasp of. The puzzles, based on the subject matter, are obviously mechanical puzzles, which increases the Myst-like atmosphere of the game.

This is not to say that the puzzles are simple. This is definitely a thinking man’s (or boy or girl’s) game, so if you are accustomed to solving puzzles through trying everything, or sheer dumb luck, this is not the thing for you. If you enjoy a little note-taking and some research into how things work, you will find the puzzles a fun intellectual change from the usual panorama of slider puzzles and mazes.

Tivola sells this game as something for people from ages 10 to 102, and this is certainly truth in advertising. I had just as much fun with it as any adventure game played just for fun, without the added bonus of learning something. As a home-school parent, I recommend this highly as a supplement to regular science materials. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Tivola Publisher: Tivola Release Date: 1999

Available for: MacintoshWindows

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

Mac:PowerPC 166 MHz 16 MB RAM System 7.5 Thousands of colors 8X CD-ROM drive Sound card

PC: Windows 95/98/NT Pentium PC 133 MHz 32 MB RAM SVGA graphics card Sound card 8X CD-ROM drive

Where to Find It

Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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