So katydid, you seek the true path to enlightenment? You wish to become one with the universe, to pulse with pure energy as you gaze fondly upon all creation?

Hmmm, tricky. But come. I see great desire aflame in your heart. The path seeks the seeker as the seeker seeks the path in this simple, unique puzzle game. I will teach you what I can. But first, see those orbs? They are called connectors, and they were put in place by the great guru, Veewen of Malaysia, as part of something called Max Connect. As you can see, they have been rendered unto disharmony by the ever-present chaos that permeates this world. If you could be so kind as to realign them for me, I would be so grateful! Yes, simply click and drag your mouse to rotate the connectors, and try to get them all pointed in loops so that the beams all point back to the beginning. Don't leave any connectors out of the circle! If you need to do some fine-tuning, I think you'll find the [left] and [right] arrow keys serve quite nicely. Click the yellow orb to unbind the beam. Yes, just like that! You keep working on those while this old man rambles on:

Analysis: As puzzlers go, Max Connect is a nice break from the recent glut of physics puzzles we've had. The only physics at play here is angles and reflections. Starting from this very simple concept, Veewen extracts a surprisingly varied set of solid levels. There are a few twists, such as rock connectors, but no goofy mechanisms simply for the sake of complicating the game. Each of the elements feels quite natural and reinforces the simplicity of the game rather than detracting from it.

Now, please don't mistake simplicity for lack of difficulty. After the first few levels, the difficulty ramps up rather quickly and stays high until the end. The difficultly can arise from one of two sources: deducing the right connections or fiddling about to get the angles just right. The latter type can be pretty frustrating for those who don't care for trial-and-error, especially since the beam can take a while to run its course. Fortunately, there's not too many of these, and since you can play any of three levels at a time, you're not held back from enjoying the rest of the game simply because you can't find just the right combination of angles. The soothing zen music also helps to mitigate frustration.

Ah, so you've completed all 25 levels? Delightful! I think you'll find your trials and experiences with Max Connections are all the training you'll ever need in your search for divinity. Always remember, the end is just the beginning.

Play Max Connect