Physicus (Jewel Case)

by Viva Media

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 0.2 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000ZJ8N0
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 14, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,111 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #32 in Software > Education & Reference > Science

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Educational fun if there be such a thing, June 2, 2004

By 

L. Vasilevskiy "dr_md" (Brooklyn) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Physicus (Jewel Case) (Video Game)

This is a fantastic Myst clone that, on top of everything, is "gladdened" with a load of physical minutiae which, naturally, lends the game its name. Now I find all matter of educational things to be a compelling incentive to wanting to solve the puzzle. This does not move me to finish the game, however. This, perhaps, is the greatest shortcoming for an adventure game. There is no plot as you know it. Yes, you need to achieve a goal and save the world from a global cataclysm. We've saved the world before, and it has been none too grateful getting into some sticky predicament time and time again. But WHO are you saving? Is it the disembodied voice in the introductory video? This is where the plot begins and ends. There are some marginal hints at a story involving a telescope lens thief, but these are clearly there to facilitate the puzzles. Yet, for a game that makes clear its ambition to create a giant puzzle, Physicus superbly succeeds to render the puzzles built on physical laws maximally enjoyable.

The physics information, like in all the games of this series, is presented in a kind of a very pretty virtual textbook which offers extensive interpretation of the physical concepts in optics, mechanics, electricity, fluid dynamics and several others. The textbook, if you choose not to strain your eyes, is read aloud by a throaty Englishman with a little interaction. There are interesting animations and illustrations on most pages; there are even some formulas which you would use in the game. Despite my enthusiasm, reading even one topic in a sitting is tiresome. On the other hand, if you follow the game's suggestions to read the topic in key scenes, you will miss on much of the textbook's info and that is annoying if you do like that sort of thing. In some cases the formulas come short in an attempt to make the game less mathematical. I had to intuit one puzzle because of the lack of one formula variable. Toward the end of the game there is perhaps too much simple-equation math regarding electricity generator transformers that needs to be muddled through to see the closing credits. Despite of how daunting it sounds here, all of this gruntwork was very enjoyable to me.

The graphics are faultless, but nothing inspired after seeing Myst. The music is equally insipid: good for a while, but nothing to write home about. I had to engage in a little bit of pixel-hunting in the beginning of the game. The game was on the short side unless you got stuck on a puzzle. It took me about 10 hours to finish it, and I did get stuck.

Overall, a great educational title; a good puzzle; an average adventure game. "A" for the effort.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works fine on XP, July 29, 2005

By 

marvelous mom (St James, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Physicus (Jewel Case) (Video Game)

This is an enjoyable game, & educational as well. For the price, it's worth buying. The puzzles aren't difficult, but challenging enough to keep it interesting. The game reminded me of an easier version of Myst. You don't need to have prior knowledge of physics - a handy reference guide is available as part of the gameplay. The only drawback was that the screen was small. Maybe that could have been fixed, but I didn't want to mess with the setup since some games can be finicky on XP.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It was very interesting., December 11, 2006

By 

Andromeda "Andie" (Georgia) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Physicus (Jewel Case) (Video Game)

The story is kind of out of reality, but the puzzles are very good. I am bad in the subject so I had to get help from the game brain all the time. It's really easy to go around, because it's not a free moving game. And the screen resolution, even after you change it, it's still very small, but I enjoyed. Something the whole family can play. No violence, no bad ideas behind the peaceful scenario. And a lot of information. It feels like a nice classroom with better view. Be patience and if you get tired, better stop and play another time.