Review – Bridge or Bust

Bridge or Bust is the newest release from Upper Story, makers of Turing Tumble and Spintronics. First, we learned about computer science, then about electronic engineering. Now, let’s learn about bridge construction!

Review

Upper Story has set the bar unbelievably high. I gave their first release, Turing Tumble, a perfect 10/10 score, and their second release, Spintronics, a 9.5. Years later, I stand by these ratings. These are some of the best toys ever made.

Bridge or Bust is Upper Story’s latest offering, and it’s all about bridge engineering.

One look at the box and you’ll know that this is an ambitious product. The thing is gargantuan. Here it is next to the already-enormous Turing Tumble:

Inside, the box is stuffed to the gills with plastic goodies — bridge supports, connectors, track pieces, even a sailboat and car! It’s jaw-dropping to look at.

But what actually is this game?

Bridge or Bust is a puzzle game in the vein of Upper Story’s other releases. Each puzzle involves building a bridge strong enough for a wind-up car to cross safely. If the car makes it across, players have solved the puzzle, but if the bridge collapses, they have to reset and try again. (Don’t worry, resetting is a breeze.)

A spiral-bound comic book guides the action, with 61 puzzles spread throughout the narrative. The puzzles start off easy, but get very challenging as time goes on. Players have to contend with variables like:

• Span length — Does the bridge stay strong across a large gap?
• Height — Is the bridge tall enough for a sailboat to pass under?
• Weight — If the car is carrying a heavy load, will the bridge collapse?

All bridges are built on an expandable base board. At the start of each puzzle, players construct a partially-completed bridge, and their goal is to finish it so the car can cross. To do this, they use bridge supports and beams of varying length. The support pieces are cool; they have a turnkey-style crank, with which players can extend or shorten them. This is useful both for setting them at a particular length, and also for fine-tuning them once they’re in place.

The pieces connect using plastic clips, which attach and detach easily. The structural components work well enough that when the bridge collapses, players can easily pull the whole thing back up to its starting position, and everything just kind of magically snaps back into place. (I can’t imagine the testing that must have gone into that…)

The storyline in the book is cute, centered around a dog society traversing an archipelago to reach Dog Park Island. As they hop from one island to the next, the dogs must build bridges, and that is of course where the puzzles come in. As an added touch, the book is Choose Your Own Adventure style, where players can choose their path, rather than playing a strictly linear narrative. The book includes a map page with pull-down tabs that mark progression in the story. It’s a minor detail, but a cool one.

As players progress, they will learn about the real-life physics and engineering that go into bridge building. They will create all kinds of funky structures and watch with excitement as the car does — or sometimes doesn’t — make it safely across. The whole thing is incredibly fun, and since a puzzle may take 30 minutes or more to set up and solve, there are hours and hours of activity in this humongous box.

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Bridge or Bust had big shoes to fill, and boy, did it deliver. What Turing Tumble did for computer science and Spintronics did for electronic engineering, Bridge or Bust does for bridge building. It takes a complex STEM concept and distills it down into a super engaging play experience.

When I started playing Turing Tumble, I got so hooked that I would dash home from work on my lunch break, scarf down a sandwich, and spend the rest of the time playing with the toy. My experience with Bridge or Bust has been similar. The day it arrived, I played into the wee hours, and when I woke up the next morning, I was right back at it building more bridges. Since then, I’ve poured many more hours into this game, and I’m still totally hooked.

I’ll note that this game feels more complex than Turing Tumble or Spintronics. As such, younger kids may struggle to play by themselves. However, even if they can’t quite solve the puzzles, if they’re playing with a parent or older sibling, little ones will have fun helping to put the pieces together, wind up the car, etc.

Given my ratings of the other two Upper Story games, I feel sheepish about rating this one. I realize I might look like a shill, ranting and raving about yet another product from this publisher. But if I’m being honest, this game is once again a slam dunk. In every way, Bridge or Bust nails what it sets out to do. It’s highly educational, expertly produced, and endlessly fun. I’ve seen app games that use this same idea of bridge building, but there is no comparison to the hands-on experience this game provides.

Bottom line, Bridge or Bust is remarkable, just like Spintronics and Turing Tumble are remarkable. These games are in a league of their own, and this one gets my utmost recommendation.

A review copy was provided by Upper Story.