The bridge simulator you didn't know you needed
Poly Bridge is a bridge construction simulator that can be downloaded for Mac via Steam. The game is currently at the Early Access stage; that is, you can play it while the developers finish its completion. It's sort of like a demo, only you cannot try it for free. Too bad!
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Put a bridge in your life
I must admit that classifying Poly Bridge as a bridge construction simulator can make a lot of users go away from this review to search for apparently more exciting games, such as Minecraft. Those who stay will discover a small jewel.
Every level in Poly Bridge challenges you to build a bridge to help vehicles cross to the other side. It's more difficult than it seems, believe me; the Campaign is full of crazy challenges, from creating a trampoline-bridge for a motorcycle going at great speed to creating a two-story bridge in such a way that the top vehicle does not end up smashing up the lower one.
But the best thing about Poly Bridge is the Free Mode. In this mode, you don't have the movement limitations of the Campaign and you have all the materials at your disposal. Here are some insane things created by its users:
A bridge that transforms after each vehicle that crosses it
A bridge in the shape of a roller coaster
Again, as with other games like Besiege, the user's creativity is the only protagonist. And... do you know what's the best thing about the Free Mode? You can turn these crazy things into puzzles that the other users must solve.
Who would have said that building a bridge would be so easy?
The charm of Poly Bridge lies partly in its controls. Building a bridge is easy: all you need to do is decide where to place the basic pressure points by clicking on the scenery, and then mold the bridge to your heart's desire by dragging the materials. There's nothing else to it. With these controls, you can recreate your complex design in a matter of minutes.
The physics in Poly Bridge are realistic to a certain degree. The bridges will behave in a logical way to the passage of vehicles or the structure you have built. But I find it difficult to see the differences among the multiple available materials. I hope this detail is refined in future game updates.
The bridge era
Poly Bridge takes a concept as serious as building a bridge and turns it into an activity that's more entertaining than you expect. Create the type of bridge you want: suspension bridge, drawbridge, mobile bridge... and unleash the crazy engineer in you. Downloading the game is worth it, even if it's still in Early Access format.
