Review by Jon Donnis
BoomBit's 2025 puzzle game Build a Bridge is a celebration of creativity, problem-solving, and the occasional spectacular failure. From the very first level, it makes clear that this is a sandbox where players can be meticulous engineers or wild inventors, experimenting with ideas and learning through trial and error. Every level offers a chance to craft a bridge that works perfectly or watch it collapse in a brilliantly entertaining way. The satisfaction of seeing a blueprint turn into a functioning structure is immense, and the game does a fantastic job of making both success and failure equally rewarding.
Players face a variety of environments and vehicles, from standard cars and buses to trucks and monster trucks, all testing the strength and ingenuity of your designs. The game's 2D planning phase allows for precise design using wood, metal, and cables, each with its own physical properties, before watching your construction come alive in a stylised 3D mode. The physics engine is remarkably reliable, making each collapse feel natural rather than forced, and the game's visual clarity ensures every bridge, every vehicle, and every fall is easy to follow and enjoy. The 86 levels offer a smooth progression in difficulty, and optional extra challenges push players to revisit previous levels, adding an extra layer of depth for those chasing full completion. Challenges might involve building within a budget, testing how much of a bridge can fail while still succeeding, or other clever twists that keep players thinking creatively.
What truly sets Build a Bridge apart is its accessibility. Unlike some puzzle games that punish experimentation, this one encourages it. Players can approach levels with a careful, analytical mindset or dive in with reckless enthusiasm, knowing that each failure is a lesson rather than a setback. The game balances fun and challenge well, offering a relaxed mode for casual experimentation alongside the more demanding standard puzzles. The design encourages creativity while maintaining a sense of structure, ensuring that even the more complex levels remain approachable and satisfying.
However, Build a Bridge is not without its limitations. The bridge-building genre is crowded, with a long list of competing titles, many of which follow similar principles. This makes true originality a challenge, and while the game executes its concept exceptionally well, it does not reinvent the wheel. Players seeking something radically new might find themselves longing for a fresh mechanic or narrative element beyond the established formula. Despite this, the game's polish, level design, and balance of creativity and challenge make it one of the stronger entries in the genre.
Build a Bridge is a thoroughly enjoyable puzzle experience that rewards ingenuity, patience, and a sense of fun. Its combination of precise engineering challenges, playful experimentation, and satisfying physics-based results creates a game that is easy to pick up but endlessly engaging. The graphics, physics, and level design are all top-notch, and the optional challenges provide plenty of replayability. While it lacks a truly original twist to distinguish it from its competitors, it more than makes up for this with sheer enjoyment and accessibility. For anyone who loves puzzles, design, or watching glorious collapses, Build a Bridge is hard to beat. I would give it a solid 8.5 out of 10, with only the crowded market and lack of true originality holding it back from a higher score.
Out Now on Steam
