GraviTrax Game Impact, Course & Flow – Solve Tricky Science Challenges | Review

Puzzling, solving tricky tasks and all that while building in 3D. The new GraviTrax Game in the variants Impact, Course and Flow from Ravensburger are stand-alone games and you don’t need a starter set to play. But do we really need another GraviTrax variant? Why we were surprised by the logic games, what distinguishes the three variants and for whom they are worthwhile can be found out here.

GraviTrax awakens your ambition and challenges you to deal with the laws of physics over and over again. Build higher, bigger, more, explore the possibilities of the expansions or, as I like to do, set yourself a challenge: try to build all the expansions in your possession (and there are quite a few :-D), build as high as possible, use the last cm² of available space on the table.

The new game variant The Game now challenges us marble run builders to 30 challenges in 4 different difficulty levels per game. Is this new game variant a worthwhile addition, an alternative to the previous GraviTrax universe or does it really not need it? This question really kept me busy and is clearly answered here.

Balls, components and logic puzzles for building on three different themes: that’s what’s in the game boxes of the new game variant The Game from the GraviTrax brand. The components are compatible with all available GraviTrax components of the many different starter sets, extensions that are now available. This means that anyone who is already a GraviTrax fan or who owns components can use the components of the games as additional components for free building after solving the puzzles! For all GraviTrax newcomers, a GraviTrax The Game game includes everything you need to start playing right away.

We have played through the three games available so far, the GraviTrax Game variants Impact, Course and Flow with kids and you can find a comparison here of what you can expect in which variant and how they differ.

But what is new in this new game variant? It’s tasks to solve and not about free building!

And for whom is the game worthwhile and how well did it turn out? What are the pros and cons? You can find out all about it in this review.

On Abenteuer Freundschaft you can find all the information about the GraviTrax marble run and GraviTrax Pro. This article is exclusively about the game variant GraviTrax The Game.

Note: The Publisher Ravensburger sent us the sets The Game Impact, Flow and Course as review copies. However, this review is unpaid and reflects our honest opinion.

What Is GraviTrax?

GraviTrax is a construction toy from the games manufacturer Ravensburger, which involves building ball tracks from various components. The ball obeys the laws of physics and when building expansions and components, children automatically learn about gravity, gravity and kinetics. In this way, children learn about the laws of nature in a playful way, understand them and use them to bring the ball to its destination. Everything you need to know about the GraviTrax basic game can be found here.

Not only children, but also adults have a lot of fun building a marble run, even if more components and expansions are needed. Because with just one starter set, the building options and possibilities are quickly exhausted – at least that’s how I felt. I now own several starter sets, the starter set Pro, which is a highly recommended addition – you can find out why in my review of the starter set Pro – as well as more expansions. So I’m not a newcomer but count myself among those who have already fallen for the fascination of building ever more sophisticated and creative marble runs.

GraviTrax The Game at a Glance

• Game type: Construction game, Logic game, Brainteaser
• Age: 8-99 years
• Players: from 1 player
• Duration: any
• Publisher: Ravensburger
• Publication year: 2022
• The aim of the game: To build ball tracks with given components and start and end points, on which the ball rolls into the target.

Gravitrax the Game: Everything You Need to Know for Fans and Newcomers

Until now, it was a case of building as you like – now it’s a case of tinkering and finding the solution! The great innovation in this addition to the GraviTrax universe is that the puzzle fun is in the foreground.

A big difference for us GraviTraxers, which really excites me, is that The Game can be unpacked for just 10 minutes and small play sessions. The marble tracks consist of no more than 3 base plates (sometimes less depending on the task) and take up little space. The enclosed parts are quickly unpacked and ready to go and set-up time is practically non-existent. It is a logic game for building, touching, tinkering with entertaining and, depending on the difficulty, quickly solvable tasks.

What’s New With Gravitrax the Game?

How do I get the ball to the finish? GraviTrax The Game is a logic game that focuses on fiddling and trying things out as well as on the effect of individual components on the path of the ball. GraviTrax The Game is available (as of 2022) in three variants: Impact, Flow and Course, whereby each variant contains different components and focuses on a different theme – the effect of thrust from the hammer (Impact), different curves (Course) and height differences (Flow).

This Is What Each of the Three Game Sets Contains

• The game box contains all the components needed to solve 30 tasks. These are on cards that are marked with colours according to difficulty and show on the front the position of the start and end pieces as well as the parts to be used for building.
• On the back of the task cards (except for the 2 expert cards), there is a tip on how to build to help you.
• There are 30 task cards, each with a puzzle task
• Logic puzzles in 4 difficulty levels + 2 expert puzzles
• Together with changing other components, a marble run is built in such a way that the marble travels from a given starting point to a given end point.
• Exactly the parts indicated on the task card must be installed and no stone may be left out. Due to this requirement and the limitation of the base plates, you sometimes have to fiddle quite a bit until the marble run stands up.
• The solutions to the exercises are enclosed in the solutions booklet
• There is an accompanying free app
• Tutorial and QR code leading to detailed instructions

What Can I Expect From Gravitrax the Game Impact?

In addition to curves, crossroads and tracks, GraviTrax Impact includes the expansion Hammer as its centrepiece. This gives the ball a powerful thrust and helps it to reach its destination if all the parts to be used are assembled correctly. So it’s all about using the hammer correctly and dealing with the thrust and the effects on building.

The components are therefore nothing new as a supplement to the starter set after playing, but rather basic components. Overall, we and our test kids (6 and 8 years) found most of the tasks very easy to solve. In our opinion, Impact is a good introduction to the fascination of GraviTrax for newcomers – for experienced players, this set will be fun, but almost all the tasks will not be a great challenge to fiddle with.

Components and Special Features at a Glance

• 27 building blocks + 30 task cards + 3 base plates
• Expansion Hammer

What Can I Expect From Gravitrax the Game Course?

In addition to tracks, height blocks and base plates, GraviTrax Course contains 9 new curve blocks and a second ball. This set is all about how to build the different curves without slowing down the ball too much – tight curves take away momentum from the ball, especially if you build them one after the other. Another special feature of this set is that 2 balls have to be brought into the target and not just one as in the other two game sets.

The new curve stones are new components for me and so unfamiliar at first. I found The Game variant Course to be the most demanding of the three The Game variants due to the new curves and the additional challenge of getting two balls to the finish. However, I was able to solve all the puzzles, including the tricky expert puzzles. For me, these new curved stones are a plus and a great addition to my GraviTrax sets for free building.

Components and Special Features at a Glance

• 32 building blocks + 30 task cards + 4 base plates
• 9 new curve stones
• 1 turnout

What Can I Expect With Gravitrax the Game Flow?

A special feature of GraviTrax Flow is the so-called FlexTubes, which flexibly connect different heights. You can turn them into different shapes – for example, a U-shape or an S-shape. The FlexTubes are valuable as components for controlling speeds and bridging heights. This is exactly what the game variant Flow is all about.

I found the tasks very varied due to the very flexible FlexTubes and the confrontation with the height due to the additional height level. In a comparison of the three games, I would classify The Game Flow in the middle, as medium difficulty, so to speak. FlexTubes are not included in my starter sets and in the starter set Pro and can only be purchased separately. As they are a very good addition for all GraviTrax players who own other sets, the two FlexTubes included in the game are therefore a very welcome addition after successfully solving all the tasks.

Components and Special Features at a Glance

• 38 building blocks + 30 task cards + 2 base plates
• 2 FlexTubes and 1 transparent layer
• 11 large cairns + 1 small cairn
• 1 swivel and 1 catcher

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Can Gravitrax the Game Be Combined With Other Graxitrax Sets?

In short: Yes! The components in GraviTrax The Game are compatible with all other available GraviTrax starter sets, expansions and expansions. GraviTrax fans will also be familiar with the components – with Impact you play through the possibilities offered by the hammer, with Flow it’s all about speed control and height and with Course it’s all about dealing with the behaviour of the ball in special curves.

Evaluation and Conclusion

Entertaining, quick to set up and start puzzling: GraviTrax The Game is an independent game variant that is also suitable for travelling or even an entertaining game in the park. Unlike previous GraviTrax sets, the focus is on puzzling and brainteasers and not on free building: the aim is to find the one right solution.

Each of the three game variants contains different components that have to be assembled in 4 different difficulty levels, depending on the requirements of the 30 different tasks. All components are compatible with previous GraviTrax components and do not gather dust in the cupboard after playing once, as is the case with many puzzle games.

The new GraviTrax variant is aimed at all fans of logic games, regardless of whether you already know the marble run game or not. It is an entertaining logic game in 3D in which you build solutions with your hands and don’t just search mentally, which develops a real pull. An all-round successful game variant with a guaranteed sense of achievement.

Rating

Pros and Cons

GraviTrax The Game is a game in its own right and an absolutely worthwhile addition for all those who have already fallen under the spell of the construction toy anyway. After playing, all the components contained in these three game sets can be used with all GraviTrax parts available so far. The Course and Flow sets are particularly worthwhile for owners of a starter set, as they contain special components that are not included in the basic + Pro starter set.

Most of the 30 tasks that each game contains are quickly solved. The trickier ones require more fiddling – especially if you do not yet own the components such as the FlexTube and have gained experience in free building, which possibilities and effects it has on the ball and the marble run.

The biggest advantage of the logic games, however, is that the game is not about building epic large marble runs but about entertaining puzzling. The construction is quick, and depending on the difficulty of the task, the challenges can also be built quickly. We have also unpacked the game for a quick half hour of fun when the kids were in bed.

What’s really great is that at the end of each challenge there is a sense of achievement: all eyes follow the ball with rapt attention and it is not unusual to pat oneself on the back when the ball rolls into the target and the solution is found for the more difficult tasks. The “Ahas!” and “Ohs” have always been part of GraviTrax for us, just like the good feeling when a great track leads the ball on a winding course to the finish or into the loop. With GraviTrax The Game, you get a lot of positive experiences of success in a short time and that also went down very well with the children.

The quality of the components is as high as usual. They are made of sturdy plastic, the balls of metal.

Ravensburger offers a set for 17.99 Euros – a reasonable price considering that the components are compatible with all GraviTrax accessories and that you get the challenges on top.

Is the New Logic Game Worth It and How Do the Variants Differ?

All 3 games contain different components and deal with a different topic: the effects of the push by the hammer, curves and building at height. Here, the simplest game Impact is best suited for newcomers to GraviTrax, Flow and Course are more challenging and contain special components. this makes them especially attractive for multi-players or owners of more GraviTrax components.

For all puzzle lovers and logic game enthusiasts, I give a very clear recommendation to pick it up. GraviTrax The Game is entertaining, offers real building in 3D, is fully compatible with previous building blocks for free building and offers puzzles in various difficulty levels with guaranteed success (except for the most difficult challenges). And the whole thing is compact to take along and suitable for short time slots and with or without children.

Conclusion

Short logic game in 3 different variants with addictive potential. When solving the 30 tasks in different difficulty levels, there is always a moment of success at the end and children deal with the laws of physics in a playful way. The new GraviTrax variant The Game is worthwhile for newcomers and can be played independently, but at the same time is fully compatible with all previous GraviTrax components. Absolutely recommendable for all those who are looking for an entertaining puzzle game!

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