You are an astronaut in outer space trying to repair a satellite in [b]SATELLITE ENGINEER[/b], a puzzle-platformer game by [b]Home Works[/b].
Puzzle games are not known for their replayability; Once you know how to solve them, the game is over. Rare is it for someone to build the same jigsaw puzzle twice or, for that matter, to fill out the same crossword puzzle again. Exceptions abound; For instance, the sheer joy of walking through walls and experiencing the portal mechanism in [b]PORTAL 1[/b] has had players of that game going back and replaying some of its iconic levels. A serviceable enough story line within that game certainly hasn't hurt repeat playthroughs, either.
SATELLITE ENGINEER (SE) has neither a compelling story nor a really unique gameplay mechanic to rely upon for repeat playthroughs but is it good enough for at least one?
In SE, you play as an astronaut (or, if you'd prefer, cosmonaut or taikonaut) trying to repair a satellite. The satellite has lost it's solar panels and you must brave outer space to collect all of those panels by completing puzzles. You may walk normally on plain square tiles but only jump on tiles marked by numbers. The number denotes the number of spaces that you may jump across and all movement is restricted to up, down, left or right (no diagonal). The player also has access to extendable bridges, which can extend either one or two spaces depending upon the bridge. A bridge either extends all of the way or not at all. In each of the puzzles, the player must collect the solar panel and go back to their starting tile.
The player can solve any particular puzzle in as many moves as they so choose. However, each puzzle gives the player a challenge to complete it in only so many moves.
There are 49 puzzles in the game. A few of those puzzles are very simplistic and serve as tutorials, either for new gameplay mechanics or just to introduce the game itself to the player. The puzzles ramp up in difficulty and soon the player can expect to find themselves spending quite a bit of time trying to figure out how to complete the puzzle in the least number of moves.
SE is a competent puzzle game for what it has to offer. The graphics, sound effects and music are perfectly acceptable for what the game needs for them to convey. A game such as this one doesn't need a story although the one that it does have (collecting solar panels to install onto a satellite) is perfectly fine. This is a family-friendly game that can be used to placate the kids (at least, for the earlier levels that won't frustrate them). The game is currently free to play.
SE is not without its drawbacks, though. Puzzle games such as this one practically begs for a level editor so aspiring fans of the game can try their skills at creating their own levels. SE, however, does not have one so after you play those 49 puzzles... You're out of luck. The game also seemed to be unoptimized and took a lot of computing power for something that should have run perfectly fine on a low-end computer. The game also has a lot of "size bloat" to it for something that is so straight forward and seemingly simple. Even accounting for modern day graphics and sound, the game still clocks in at a puzzling 337 megs; That's roughly 7 megs per puzzle. And, finally, the game ramps up it's difficulty significantly towards the end. With no new gameplay mechanics to keep players interested after the first 28 levels, it's doubtful that anyone other than puzzle enthusiasts are going to want to keep going for the final 21.
Yet, despite these minor misgivings, [b]I'm recommending this game.[/b] The game is free and it's competent in what it wants to accomplish. While I'm not enthusiastic about it not having a level editor and being a bit large for what it ultimately does, that shouldn't discourage others from playing it. Also, simply because I struggled with the later levels doesn't mean puzzle game enthusiasts won't be and I'm sure that a good percentage of them will make short work of even the most challenging of levels.
SATELLITE ENGINEER is a simple, straight-forward puzzle game. I encourage the game designer to include a level editor so that the game finds a greater following for those who find the game entertaining and want to continue being entertained by it.
