Funklift

Playing video games with friends is a lot less stressful than when you do it alone, at least if you are usually a relaxed gamer. Party games are also quite simple, at least from a conceptual point of view. Obviously, there’s still a lot of skill involved in titles like Guitar Hero or Mario Kart, but there are no deep storylines to distract you from the fun.

Funklift is a multiplayer physics-based game in which your goal is to carry all sorts of weird objects around using forklifts. The game is designed to be enjoyed in local multiplayer, but you can also go at it alone if you want to see what’s it’s all about. In short, you score points by dropping the objects into a pit, which opens up regularly in the middle of the room.

Your primary concern is getting the objects to the hole, because some come in stacks that scatter if you take too many sharp turns. Obviously, you must also avoid falling into the pit yourself, because it can very well happen if you stick around for too long. Granted, you respawn like new a couple of seconds later, but you lose precious time and points.

Up to four players can play the game at the same time, and it’s up to you to decide whether you cooperate with the others, or try to undermine their efforts. While there are no actual weapons or offensive actions at your disposal, you can push people around, or just bump into them to destabilize their load. The scores seem to be kept separately, on the other hand.

As far as the graphics are concerned, the game certainly doesn’t look bad, but it won’t leave you gasping for air either. The color themes are nice, and the isometric point of view allows you to see everything without having to worry about moving the camera or anything like that. The soundtrack is pretty engaging as well, and it actually contributes a lot to the atmosphere.

In the end, Funklift is not the type of game you would find enjoyable for longer than five minutes if you play it alone, but it becomes a lot better when you try it with friends. Hence, it’s certainly worth a place in your game night rotation.