Cuckoo Time!

Cuckoo Time is an action platform game where players chase a Cuckoo Bird about a Cuckoo Clock, manipulating simple machines to get the Cuckoo Bird. From a Newtonian Physics perspective, players are exploring the dynamics of working – playing with the transfer of Energy through Motion from the frenetic gnomes, in the case of Cuckoo Time!, to the parts of the clock.

The key to succeeding in Cuckoo Time is making split-second decisions about which is the best path to get the Cuckoo Bird. For example, players are forced to quickly evaluate if they will have sufficient mass to lift another gnome up to a higher level using a lever / fulcrum contraption. Cuckoo Time! features both collaborative and competitive levels, as well as a fully functioning level editing tool so that players can design their own levels for the game.

A level editor allows players to create their own levels as complex as the levels shipped with the game. Creating a playable level should require players to employ a deep understanding of physics principles as they position machines in places that make for balanced gameplay. Drastic adjustments to the physics of the game that severely change gameplay, such as the loss of gravity, should only be available via cheat codes.

Copyright 2002, MIT.