Software:Souptoys

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Souptoys
Souptoys logo.png
Developer(s)Souptoys Pty Ltd
Publisher(s)Oberon Media
Platform(s)Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Release
  • WW: 2006
Genre(s)Sandbox game
Mode(s)Single player

Souptoys Toybox, also known simply as Souptoys, is a physics-based sandbox video game and "desktop toy" program for the Microsoft Windows systems. It was developed by a group of friends known as the Soupboys, based in Western Australia.[1] The game was initially made available for purchase sometime in early 2006, however was released as freeware on July 14 the same year.[2] A number of updates have been released that add new toys to the game, although the game's official website is no longer accessible.

Gameplay

Souptoys includes a variety of physics-based objects which can be dragged from the "toybox" window onto the desktop, with the ability to be thrown and moved around with a computer mouse. Some objects, such as balls, cannons, gears, titling platforms, and colored wooden blocks, allow for level-building and the construction of Rube Goldberg-like contraptions, which could then be saved as a "playset" file and uploaded to the Souptoys website for others to download.[3] Several pre-made playsets are also included with the base game. While Souptoys overlays itself directly on to the player's screen, there is also an option to turn on a background which hides the desktop and any open programs with a blue checkerboard pattern.

Toys are divided into themed categories; Sports, Make & Break, Ted's Castle, Souper Six, Bumble Party, Pirates, Astrobots, Soup Labs, and Christmas Toys.

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
CNET (Download.com)4.5/5 stars[4]

The game was received positively, with PC World describing the game as "amusing", although noting that the game can "eat up a lot of time if you're not careful."[3] Lifehacker praised the game as a "nice stress reliever for adults", but similarly mentioned "the potential to be the biggest productivity killer of all time."[5] Download.com editors' review compliments the number of pre-included playsets and verdicts that "the whole point of the game is experimentation".[4]

External links

References