PC game review: Cogs

May 2, 7:02 PMPC Game ExaminerBryan Edge-Salois

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Cogs-- by Lazy 8 Studios -- is a challenging and fun slider-puzzle game. Like any good 'casual' game, Cogs is very easy to learn and play -- but it can be highly addicting and very challenging. And with more than 100 increasingly difficult levels, you get a lot of bang for the ten bucks it costs to download.

Each level in Cogs presents you with a machine composed of pipes, gears, and other gizmos. Your objective is to successfully connect the parts by sliding around the tiles until everything is connected properly and activates the machine. 

You get a higher score by completing the puzzles as quickly and in as few moves as possible, but you can take as much time as you like and replay the puzzles as often as you want. Odds are after you figure out how you need to do the puzzle the first time through, you'll want to re-play it again for a faster time and higher score.

The levels get increasingly challenging, starting with simple 2D-slider puzzles and progressing to more complex 3D-puzzles. Some puzzles have sliders that affect two different pieces simultaneously.

[On a personal note, although I enjoy my time with Cogs, I don't think I'm smart enough for this type of game. My degree is in Liberal "would you like fries with that?" Arts, hence my math and mechanical skills aren't among my strongest skills.]

I initially purchased Cogs hoping my 5-year old son -- who has a fascination with gears and machines -- would enjoy it. Overall we both liked it -- and the game is virtually perfect in its marriage of simple mechanics and compelling, addictive game play.

The difficulty ramps up a bit after the first 5-10 puzzles and is a bit beyond your typical 5-year old, but my son still finds it fascinating to play with -- and I can't help but think there's some educational quality to the game.

And even if I am too dumb for the game, it still manages to suck away some of my time when I fire it up. It doesn't require a major time investment to enjoy the game -- although don't be surprised if it unexpectedly leeches more time than you'd planned on giving it.

If you're a fan of puzzlers, Cogs is an easy recommendation -- and well worth the ten bucks it will cost you. 

Visit the Cogs Steam page for more info

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