Global Player Reloaded is the sequel to Global Player, a sorting advergame we reviewed back in 2004 and sponsored by the global logistics wizards at Dachser. The game involves directing colored crates to their correct destinations by clicking on arrows and other gizmos. Reloaded comes back at you with new content and gameplay that'll keep your eyes darting and your brain sizzling. Because logistics makes brains sizzle.
Reloaded's first level reintroduces you to the basic mechanics. You have a few destinations: an airplane, a ship, a truck, and a few arrows that can be rotated by clicking. Without delay, the first boxes roll out onto the conveyor. You must make sure the color of the box matches the color of the cube next to each destination. As you eliminate the boxes, the colors of the destinations change, until eventually the respective vehicles are full up and take off for Shanghai or New York. The difference this time is they'll lay some spray paint gates on you, where you have to click to change what color the paint sprays, or you'll deal with moving platforms that delay your boxes. You must get all the crates to their proper destination before the time runs out.
Analysis: Global Player Reloaded is quite polished and delivers logistical management gameplay that is literal, minimal and taut. Forget the candied smiles of happy restaurant goers or the furling life of a garden, this is management gameplay in sharp, efficient form. This sequel tries to take the original to further depths with the addition of new elements to click on, however these efforts do not produce significant depth and if you're not expecting them, can throw you off significantly. For example, I tried to puzzle my way around the spray gate several times, losing repeatedly, until I tried clicking on it and realized it's interactive. The lack of any level check-points, where failure means completely restarting, creates an unnecessarily high difficulty curve — imagine if Sisyphus got into the exporting business.
The cheapest way to travel is to get some duct tape and cardboard and mail yourself, and this is a free way to mail yourself to Funistan. Caution: Fragile. Handle With Care. Play Global Player Reloaded.
Love the look of this game! Isometric conveyor belts.
Strategies:
- Fill the furthest ones first (at the end, the units come one at a time, and the long wait kills you).
- Don't worry about mismatches (you lose points, but only die for taking too long).
Codes up to level 8, magic mountain (wish it auto-saved):
level 1 - [no code]
level 2 - DGHB
level 3 - FHJJ
level 4 - SDFG
level 5 - FHJH
level 6 - EFHG
level 7 - QHZZ
level 8 - YXSJ
level 9 - WDGK
level 10 - NHZU
There are only 10 levels and the last one is really crazy with thunderstorm.
Wow. Some of the elements here are neat, but most of the additions serve to make the game more hectic than cerebral. I much prefer the original game as it was more about planning and learning the layouts than getting your sprayer right after going into a randomizer.
Does this remind anyone else of.. erm.. Buzzy Goes to the Airport? It had a similar minigame.
Now I feel silly.
I really really enjoyed the first game and am very glad they made another one. That being said, I do like this one... mostly. The randomizer wasn't so bad once you figured out the right way to "deal" with it, but the thunderstorm one I don't like one bit.
Dachser Reloaded Level Codes
Level 2 Code = "DGHB"
Level 3 Code = "FHJJ"
Level 4 Code[= "SDFG"
Level 5 Code = "FHJH"
Level 6 Code = "EFHG"
Level 7 Code = "QHZZ"
Level 8 Code = "YXSJ"
Level 9 Code = "WDGK"
Level 10 Code = "NHZU"
maybe they can afford to buy a automatic sorter
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