Levers
Levers gallery
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Levers is a sandbox-style puzzle game from the developers of Metamorphabet and Windosill. Kids work to arrange a series of objects on hangers so they'll balance each other and stay out of the water. It's a simple concept with no instructions: Items drop from the sky one by one and kids work to pick which objects should hang where. Though challenging, there are no penalties or time limits.What kids can learn
In spite of those meddlesome birds, you'll always feel this close to balancing the objects, and it's rewarding to keep trying.
Kids won't learn any explicit physics knowledge, but there's potential for discussing some of the basic principles at work in balancing objects like volume and density.
There are no instructions, but gameplay is forgiving enough to keep things fun and encouraging throughout.
What's it about?
In LEVERS, players work to balance a series of objects by hanging them from two hooks hanging from a circular object at the top of the screen. You start out with two objects, which you have to hang correctly and balance to get new objects. A timer ticks down on the central circle: If the objects stay balanced for one full revolution of the clock, another object drops from the sky. A few other obstacles -- like unruly birds who land and take off at will -- add an extra layer of complication. Eventually, once all the objects are on screen and balanced, the circle's display will change and all the objects will spin wildly to let you know you've won the game.
Is it any good?
Levers is remarkably addicting. It's not easy, but it's not easy to give up either; there's clearly a way to balance all the hangers and objects to get to the right answer, and it's fun to keep trying until you get it right. Since there are no instructions (users can toggle the app's title on and off, but that's the only written content), pre-readers and older kids will be equally well equipped to start experimenting with the best way to arrange the objects and reach the solution. Once you've won the game, it's also worth giving it another try: each additional object requires another round of balancing, and each intermediate step offers its own challenge that stays fresh and compelling. A few extensions and more variations would extend the shelf life even more. While simple in concept and execution, this is a fun, addicting game to challenge kids and adults alike.
Families can talk about...
-
Families can talk about some of the basic physics principles involved in the game. Some objects have similar sizes but different weights. Why might that be? Talk about density and how things can be the same size but have different weights.
-
Talk to your kids about problem solving. This game doesn't have any instructions; what hints are there to tell you what to do? How do you approach a game that doesn't have instructions? What do you do to figure out how to play?
App details
| Devices: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | $0.99 |
| Pricing structure: | Paid |
| Release date: | December 7, 2012 |
| Category: | Kids Games |
| Size: | 6.50 MB |
| Publisher: | Vectorpark.com |
| Version: | 1.6 |
| Minimum software requirements: | Requires iOS 5.0 or later. |
