This article is written by StarGaz connoisseur beard
Because of the need to transcend the self, the ultimate choice of human beings is to create or destroy, to love or to hate.
- Fromm
preface
Looking back at the primary school classroom, when I was bored, I would always take a variety of stationery to kill time, ballpoint pens can be put together after disassembly, but the original intact eraser can only be "fragmented" under my torture; back to a smaller time, I also like to push the built blocks down, and then take great pains to put them up again, and the cycle is endless.
I think there must be quite a few people like me who have never used up a single eraser completely.
Perhaps it is human nature to like to destroy? As the famous psychologist Fromm said, "The ultimate choice of mankind is to create or destroy, love or hate."
Image description: In fact, dominoes also have the same magic
On Steam, there is also such a game with "create and destroy" as the main gameplay.
In fact, as early as February' new game festival, this game called "Touch and Go" has firmly attracted my attention; until the early version was launched on April 14, I was finally able to experience it as I wished.
After completing the level as quickly as possible and unlocking most of the achievements, here is a simple review of "Touch-up"
Game Description
Touch and Go is an immersive simulation of building and destroying.
The gameplay is simple, you only need to make reasonable use of the provided props and materials to destroy the red core of the target area, on this basis, you can further challenge the goal of destroying more white blocks and spending less action.
Image description: There will be a corresponding statistic after each level is completed
Realistic physics engine, excellent picture performance
The first time I experienced it, the most intuitive feeling brought to me was the grand and spectacular, but without losing the delicate and realistic scenes and pictures.
Most of the buildings in the game are placed in a vast expanse of solid color backgrounds, which is necessary for a game that is mainly destructive--small spaces can feel limited, and in such an empty scene as "Hair-trigger", players can completely put aside all their worries and do whatever they want.
Picture description: The background of the solid color gradient is reminiscent of words such as the deep sea, the universe, and chaos, and also gives the player full freedom
As for the details, whether it is the shimmering luster on the surface of the metal block, or the fireworks and smoke generated after the explosion, it is hard to believe that this is a game of only about 2G.
The realistic physics engine is an indispensable part of a simulation of construction/destruction games.
Leaving aside the crumbling high-rise buildings after the force, the debris splashed around after the collision, etc., with the advancement of the game process, the emergence of concepts such as "weightlessness" and "thruster" in the later stage, the requirements for "balance" in "Hair-trigger" have also reached the point of almost pickiness.
Many levels may seem simple, but even a slight deviation in the placement of a heavy block can have completely different consequences; even for the same mechanism, it is very challenging to grasp the timing and sequence of triggers; time quietly disappears in the repeated attempts and modifications; and this sense of precision of "missing a millimeter, a thousand miles away" can make many people addicted.
Brain-opening levels, detailed and patient guidance
Of course, you don't have to label the game as "hardcore" and "brain-burning" because of the above description, and stay away.
In fact, you'll be hard-pressed to find a game that's more approachable than Touch-and-Roll.
Not only does the beginning of each level show how the new items are used, but many of the seemingly unrelated objects in many levels are also hidden.
For example, the building in the red box in the picture below is a hint that you can use a structure similar to the "seesaw" to throw explosives over and destroy the target.
Such a design often makes the player suddenly dark when he is cornered, and the satisfaction brought by it is undoubtedly very huge.
But if you have really racked your brains and still have no clue, then don't worry, as long as you open the menu and select "Show Prompts", you can see the crafter's carefully prepared pass tutorial for you in the form of GIFs, you just need to build props according to the gourd.
Image description: Even skipping the level is not impossible
Behind such a caring service attitude is a strange and strange level.
In terms of imagination, I can give "Touch and Touch" a high score: at a time when I repeatedly thought that their tricks were exhausted, it was the appearance of new props that surprised me again and again: magnets, lasers, thrusters, cannons... Friction between each other to create a new spark at the same time, but also let the people feast their eyes.
But in terms of logic, "Hair-trigger" doesn't satisfy me yet. If you use one sentence to describe it, it is "thunder is loud, rain is small"
Some levels, with their complex structure and grand scenes, are very easy to scare the player who sees it for the first time, giving people a feeling of not being able to start.
But when you hesitate for a long time and find that the answer is only like this, the disappointment will overflow.
Image description: The tips for "Peeking into a Dream in a Cage" are also very detailed and in place
Perhaps this is why the prompt is so intimate:
Just like "Peeking into the Cage", there are also many players who think that some puzzle designs are slightly far-fetched, purely "creative for the sake of creativity", in such a situation, it is very necessary to present the way to pass the level in its entirety.
The best in its class
In fact, if the number of detailed games for the purpose of destruction, it is not uncommon.
For example, the first thing that came to my mind was Tear Down, which I played some time ago, which is a voxel-style sandbox destruction game.
Compared with "Touch-up", "TearDown" actually has a higher degree of freedom and richer scenes; however, if we discuss it from the theme and core aspects, I think "Hair-trigger" is more focused and in-depth:
Sophisticated structures, spectacular scenes, imaginative mechanisms and props... Various factors make "destruction" also have a unique "artistic beauty", and even give players a heavy sense of mission.
Picture description: It seems to be a flower with buds waiting to bloom
In some ways, "Hair-trigger" actually has many similarities with "Poly Bridge".
The main gameplay of Poly Bridge is to build a bridge that can be passed through with the least possible cost through repeated attempts.
While intuitively, poly Bridge's core is "build" and "hair-trigger" is "destruction," which seems to be two extremes that are completely opposite.
But from a deep level of exploration, in fact, the complexity and precision of structural construction are the common and important sources of fun in these two games, and the success of hundreds of attempts can make people feel great satisfaction.
Even the same levels in Poly Bridge that can be skipped, the same ghost physics engine, and even the moment when the failed bridge collapses, why doesn't it bring players similar pleasure?
As a complement to some of the pros and cons
In addition to the regular campaign mode, "Touch and Go" also sets up a sandbox mode for players to play freely, under the blessing of unlimited props, I believe that "only can't think of it can't be done" The sentence will be interpreted by various gods to the fullest.
As a game in the early access stage, the problems of "Touch and Go" in terms of optimization are also visible to the naked eye.
On Steam's store page, the game's current minimum configuration and recommended configurations are I5-4430\GTX970ti and I7-7700HQ\GTX1060, respectively
Because destruction and explosion require a lot of real-time calculations, the configuration requirements of "Touch and Go" are not low even if they are placed in many masterpieces (after all, the minimum configuration of the old ring is only 1063, and many players have said that their 1050ti can still fight again)
It is recommended that the game be placed in an SSD, otherwise it is recommended that the game be placed in an SSD, otherwise it is very easy to cause the loading to be too slow when switching buildings and scenes.
Image description: During the nearly ten-hour play, I also encountered a bug
The good news is that the game was updated on April 19th, and after the update, I compared it in sandbox mode (campaign mode is not as demanding on configuration) and found that there was a more noticeable improvement in loading speed compared to before.
Image description: It's hard to imagine this is a game made by three college students
summary
As a game in the early access stage, "Touch and Go" focuses on the theme of "creation and destruction", and the "destructive aesthetic" is quite a bit of "art is explosion".
Although the design of some levels is still slightly weak, and the overall process is slightly shorter (it takes about 6-7 hours to complete with independent thinking and proper viewing tips), the pricing of the game seems a bit expensive.
But I have to admit that the overall play is still a very unique and enjoyable experience. And even after completing the level, you can still get a longer game life by constantly challenging higher destruction and fewer actions.
Including the author's commitment to the players at the end (looking forward to the opening of the follow-up workshop), "Touch and Go" is full of potential and fully worth the players to look forward to.