Demolition City 2 Review

Demolition City 2 is a free Flash game composed by Joey Betz, produced by Armor Games and released on the Newgrounds Portal. It's yet another icon of Flash gaming simplicity and addiction, and a brilliant work of art at that.

DC2 is a physics-based demolition game. The player's role is that of a demolition expert set out to complete missions for various contractors. In the game, there are five different "worlds" of buildings to demolish, each new world more challenging than the last. After each building demolition, the player earns money to purchase more equipment to facilitate easier destruction of new obstacles.

The "buildings" in each level are composed of straight beams of various substances (wood, stone, metal, etc.) set up into a two-dimensional standing pattern. In each demolition, the player has a limited number of "Dynamite Points" that they need to use strategically in order to demolish the building. The number of points allotted per demolition varies from building to building depending on its size and difficulty. Upon demolition, the resulting pile of beams and stones needs to rest beneath a certain height in order to pass the level. Even if one stray beam or girder touches past the maximum height, the level needs to be replayed.

As progress is made in the game and more money is earned, new explosive devices can be purchased that are sometimes required to pass future levels. Each new device uses up more Dynamite Points per application; for example, a three-pack of dynamite uses three points, and an RDX Steel Cutter uses ten points. The strategy lies in determining what devices to use where in the building to bring it down the most efficiently.

The system that determines how much money is earned from each demolition is pretty straightfoward. Every building demolition starts off with a contract price. That is, if you reduce it to below the maximum height, you get the contract money. Bonuses are awarded for the distance you go below the max height; the lower it goes, the bigger the bonus. Extra cash can also be aquired by using less than the maximum number of Dynamite Points to bring down the building. However, on many demolitions there are extraneous objects placed near or within the buildings. If any part of the building touches that object, it will be destroyed, and a large portion of your earnings will be lost.

The graphics of the game are stellar for a Flash game- typical of the high-quality games and movies released by Armor Games. As is required for this type of game, the physics are very accurate and this added realism adds some very real challenge in bringing the buildings down. The overall nature of the game is comical and cartoonish; for example, the first world is a Wild West-type scenario where the cowboys want you to blow up the banks and houses to make room for more gunfighting. Game sound is interesting and equally animated- instead of explosion sounds, a cymbal crash occurs for every dynamite blast. The background music can get a bit repetitive and annoying, but it was a good choice for the overall feel of the game.

DC2 can be extremely challenging for such a simple premise, especially when it comes to avoiding the money-draining extraneous objects placed around some of the buildings. There are numerous ways to complete each demolition puzzle, which lends to the game's replayability and challenge. Because of the game's accurate physics, there can be a few interesting gameplay features. Placing the explosives is only half the challenge; the other half is coordinating the falling action of the bulding components so they have the "domino effect" on other beams. There are a number of both right and wrong answers to the demolitions, so no two people will play through the game the same way. One interesting glitch of the physics engine is that often times the exact explosives placement will have a slightly different effect each time- sometimes it will bring the building down, and sometimes it won't. To me, this only adds to the realism of the physics and contributes to the gameplay experience, but for others it may be viewed as a source of vexation when trying to topple the structures.

While triple-A titles may have the largest sales figures and fanbase, the backbone of the gaming world is composed of simple, addicting, widely-available games that can keep people glued to a screen for hours. Some of the most interesting in this field are the freely-available indie games created by the scores of Flash artists at Newgrounds.com, and Demolition City 2 is no exception. The premise and feel of the game is friendly and simple, but the gameplay is challenging and highly addicting. Having an excellent physics simulation and high replayability value certainly elevate the game above the rest. Ultimately, DC2 suits its niche perfectly as an engaging and simple puzzle game that's free for anyone who has access to the Internet and an hour or two to spare.

9/10