It’s time for more Time Wasters, dear readers! And this week I realized that I never did a review for the sequel of a bridge building game that many may recognize. So here I go with my take on Cargo Bridge II.
Just like in the original Cargo Bridge, your job is to transport bits and pieces of cargo from where they are to a home. The cargo in question is unfortunately stuck on the other side of a canyon or two, and the only way for your men to get to it and haul it back safely is for you to build a bridge to get them there. Easier said than done of course, because the physics in the game take into account stability and weight, so not just any slapdash bridge from here to there will do.
If you’ve played the first game then I’m sure you know all of that already. So what’s new with this game? For one, the controls. Compared to Cargo Bridge one, the sequel is much smoother to operate and navigate. They’ve even added in keyboard shortcuts in order to speed things along with less clicking on your part. They also let your start in your blueprint mode rather than starting in the bridge testing screen; useful since you can’t do anything until you get into the blueprint and build your bridge in the first place.
Also new to the mix you’ve got new tools to work with almost right from the start: like rope, and an eraser tool that makes it easier to get rid of those beams you don’t need. There are also power-ups available a few levels in that allow you to go over budget in your funds if you need to, or extend your maximum building lengths of wood.
Oh, and one last new thing before I forget it, you have to click on your workers in order to get them to move, so no more automatic walking. Not that big a change, and it lets you limit how much weight is on your bridge at once, which is handy when you’re hauling heavy elephants over gorges and only want to go one at a time.
As for everything else, it’s just a polished version of everything that was good in the first game along with a nice, mood setting soundtrack to boot. Even the tutorials are finely done with animations to help explain everything to you. The only thing I can complain about is the eraser item being placed on zero instead of a closer number key. In the end though, that’s not much of a complaint.
Cargo Bridge II bridges its way over to 4.5 GiN Gems out of 5!
