Score: 5 out of 10
Poly Bridge a bridge building game from Dry Cactus. It is their first non mobile game, but it is not their first bridge builder. They released Paper Bridge for the iOS in April 2010. I wouldn’t call Poly Bridge a bridge building simulator because you some of the bridge that you make are pretty unrealistic.
In order to build your poly bridge, you start in the 2D side view with points to anchor your bridge to. Using multiple materials like road, wood, steel, cable, and hydraulics. Road is of course used in all bridges. Wood is your basic load bearing material used in your early bridges. Later on you start needing longer supports and needing to support more down force so steel and cable support are used. Hydraulics are needed when your bridge needs to be a drawbridge to allow a boat to pass/through your bridge.
Once you build the bridge and you are really to test it. Press the ‘Start Simulation’ button at the top of the screen and watch as a multitude of vehicles try and cross your bridge. The vehicles could be anything from a scooter to a monster truck. So bridge definitely needs to be build according to what is driving on it.
At the time of writing this review there are 36 levels. Some of the levels can be quite challenging. While you can turn on the stress of each sometimes you have no idea why a section of the bridge fails. This game is very much trial and error. I personally don’t like that too much while other people do. There is also a sandbox mode where you can create your own bridge scenarios and share them with the community.
The best thing about the game is the community and seeing what crazy bridges that other people come up with that somehow get the vehicles across the gap. Dry Cactus was aware of this and allows you watch replays of other people replays.
Poly Bridge is still in early access on Steam for $11.99.
*Code Supplied by Publisher*