Da Vinci Corde is a cute, yet complex puzzle game that asks you to piece together some of Leonardo Da Vinci’s fantastic creations. To solve each puzzle, you’ll need to find the right connections for each mechanical system by tying ropes around pulleys, wheels, and strategically placed hooks.
As you progress through Da Vinci Corde, you’ll be confronted with a variety of unique technological bits and bobs from the Renaissance. From rudimentary gym equipment to simple cranes, the puzzles run the gamut of what is possible with pulleys and rope. Likewise, the difficulty of each of these puzzles is all over the board; for instance, the first puzzle will have you scratching your noggin while the third puzzle is pretty much a cakewalk. The game’s art — which seems to draw some inspiration from Franco-Belgian Comic Strips — is sweet and simple, complementing the game’s mechanics while providing some comedic moments.
Unfortunately for this charming title, a significant amount of the difficulty in the puzzles comes from the game’s lack of clarity about what each aspect of the machine is meant to do. It can be really hard to parse how the levers and pulleys are meant to interact, especially in more complex puzzles like the catapult. An easy (and highly amusing) way to solve this would be to introduce a “replay function” to the game, whereby the machine would attempt to operate based on the connections you put in place. This would allow players to see where in the puzzle they were making mistakes while occasionally providing some hilarity as the machines malfunction and break.
Da Vinci Corde was made for the Ludum Dare 36 game jam in only a few short days and regardless of its small issues, it’s still great fun working out the intricacies of each contraption. So it’s time to put your brain to the test! Can you out-think one of the greatest minds of all time?
Stuck? Check Out a Playthrough Here
Play Da Vinci Corde Here (Browser)