You can always count on the Japanese to come up with some weird ideas of a gaming concept. Yet despite the degree of oddness, there still fun to be had. That seems to be the intention behind G-Style’s latest Nintendo 3DS game called Crazy Construction. You get quite a silly and wacky going on where a group of builders are determined to reach their dreams of constructing the craziest monuments. However, the Crash Construction Company is resolute in hindering their progress.  Will gamers go crazy over this type of gameplay?
Each level will have you stacking a bunch of random materials on top of each other on a platform. Specifically, objects will fall from the top screen to the bottom. You’ll use either the shoulder or face buttons on your Nintendo 3DS to rotate such items. And if you want them to fall at a faster rate, it’s just a simple press of the downward direction on your d-pad. One thing to note is that rotating such objects doesn’t seem as precise as you may want it to. Nonetheless, the game controls are pretty solid for the most part.
Once you reach the specified elevation with enough material, you move on to the next level. While the objective is easy to figure out, there are challenges that keep things interesting. You got gaps within the platforms in which your objects could fall into. Each time that happens, your nuisance meter increases which can eventually spell trouble. Other challenges that add to the difficulty are dangerous natural disasters such as storm clouds that can a cause your funky-looking monument from being knocked over.
Essentially, it’s all about figuring out which of the falling materials would best serve as a solid foundation. Your gameplay behind Crazy Construction is initially based on trial and error. Hard and heavy objects such as bricks serve as the best materials for a good foundation while light, rubbery items like traffic cones don’t hold out too long structurally speaking. You will also need to factor in the size and shape of the objects. For instance, placing a larger object underneath a tower of small and thin materials could risk the chance of the whole thing toppling over. Additionally, materials that are round in shape may not necessarily be stable unless there are other surround objects to keep it from rolling off.
Crazy Construction is made up of ten chapters. Within each, you’ll have four stages to run through as well as a boss to face. As you progress further in the game, the materials that fall from the sky are more diversified and pretty much strange and unexpected. It’s quite a bit of humor that will give you a smile to your face. But even so, the game may not necessarily be able to retain your attention span. In fact, the gameplay may seem monotonous in time when you play constantly.  Luckily, the boss battles help to spice things up when special attacks are being executed against you. But even so, this type of game is best played in casual moments.
Crazy Construction is littered with vibrant and lively colors and cutely deformed characters. However, the degree of detail in this graphics department is not the most state of the art. And it’s unfortunate that the game does not take advantage of the 3D. But I guess it’s for the best since you’ll be using both screens during the whole monument-building process. The music playing in the background keeps the atmosphere happy and enjoyable. It may exactly be as groovy or hip, but it does the job well.
At the end of the day, Crazy Construction offers some interesting puzzle gameplay with moments of humor that pokes fun at itself. While the concept may seem unorthodox, the resulting product is acceptable. If you’re open to such craziness, don’t miss this title within the Nintendo eShop for $4.99.
