Elefunk (PlayStation 3)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Carolyn Petit
• Reviewed on: 07/28/2008
• Released on: 07/17/2008
• Originally published on GameSpot: Elefunk (PlayStation 3) Review

Heavy elephants encounter flimsy bridges time and time again in 8bit Games' new puzzler, Elefunk. This combination poses quite a predicament, and in tasking you with designing a solution to the problem, Elefunk provides an unusual, challenging experience that will try your patience but is also very rewarding.

A series of illustrations sets the stage for the game's main single-player mode, called Puzzle mode. As a young elephant sleeps, the rest of his herd is captured by a villainous circus ringleader. When he awakes and discovers what's happened, the elephant begins his long journey to the big top to rescue his family. Unfortunately, the bridges he must cross along the way just can't hold his weight. That's where you come in. Using the limited pieces available to you on each level, you've got to figure out how to support the bridges the elephant and his friends must cross as they make their way through the game's 20 levels. Although the concept is simple, Elefunk is anything but easy.

Elefunk is a game that relies heavily on trial and error. Because it gives you as much time as you need (and you'll probably need a lot, at least at first), it typically moves at a pretty slow pace. You'll build a support structure for a bridge from an assortment of pieces, trying to make smart use of the anchor points provided on each level. The number and variety of pieces at your disposal varies from level to level. Typically, you'll have some right triangles and some cross braces to work with, each of which you can rotate and place as you see fit. Placing and removing pieces is a snap. The game lets you zoom in to get a close look at certain parts of the structure and zoom out to take in the whole level. When you think you might have a workable solution, you cross your fingers and push the start button to release the elephants. If you've failed (and you will), the bridge will break under the weight of the elephants, sending them plummeting and sending you back to the drawing board. You then have the option of modifying your existing design or scrapping the whole thing and starting from scratch.

Undoubtedly, some players will find this process frustrating, but those who enjoy grappling with this type of problem will find coming up with a design that works very satisfying. Don't expect much help from the game, though. The first level is a tutorial of sorts, but it's entirely inadequate, not touching at all on the concepts you'll need to keep in mind as you design the supports for the bridges and other structures that make up the game's challenges. When it comes to figuring out these puzzles, you're on your own.

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