Ragdoll Break

Some games ask you to protect the hero. Ragdoll Break asks you to do the opposite. The star of the show is a jointed wooden mannequin, the kind artists use to sketch poses, and each level gives you a handful of objects and one clear goal: cause as much damage to him as you possibly can. It is a 3D physics sandbox with ragdoll bodies, made by Eccentric Games, and you may also see it under its other name, Playground Man! Ragdoll Show!

Press, Hold and Let It Fly

The whole game runs on one control. Press and hold an object (or the character himself) to pick it up and move it, drag to aim, then let go to launch it. On a mouse you hold the left button; on a phone or tablet you press with your finger. The very first level teaches it in seconds: a pink bowling ball floats beside the mannequin, a big green arrow points at it, and a speech bubble tells you to press and hold to take control. Fling the ball, watch the wooden limbs fold in every direction, and you instantly understand what the rest of the game is about.

Two small buttons in the top-right corner toggle the sound and restart the level, which you will use constantly while experimenting.

Every Level Is a Little Physics Puzzle

Ragdoll Break gets more interesting the further you go. Instead of a single ball, later levels hand you whole set-pieces to work with, and the trick is figuring out the most destructive way to combine them. A few ideas the game invites you to try:

• Lift a car high into the air and drop it straight onto the mannequin.
• Carry the dummy to the top of a staircase and let gravity do the work.
• Park him in the middle of traffic and wait.
• Position him under a barbell before it falls, or hurl him at a wall as hard as you can.
• Handle levels with several mannequins at once and try to take them all out in one chain reaction.

Because the ragdoll physics are fully simulated, no two throws land the same way. A ball that barely grazes his shoulder spins him into a heap; the same ball a few centimetres lower can send him tumbling across the whole stage. That unpredictability is what makes it so easy to say "just one more try".

How to Get the Most Out of Ragdoll Break

• Use height. Almost everything hits harder when it falls from further up. Lifting an object before you release it is the simplest way to boost damage.
• Move the mannequin, not just the props. You can grab the character too. Placing him somewhere dangerous is often more effective than throwing things at him where he stands.
• Think in combos. In busy levels, set things up so one impact knocks him into the next hazard.
• Restart freely. There is no penalty for experimenting, so try silly ideas - they are often the best ones.

Who Will Enjoy Ragdoll Break?

The short levels make Ragdoll Break perfect for quick breaks: a stage takes seconds to load and can be finished in under a minute, yet you will often replay it just to see whether a different throw sends the mannequin flying further. Younger players love the slapstick of the wooden figure bouncing off walls, while puzzle fans enjoy hunting for the single setup that does the most damage. Because the only control is pressing, dragging and releasing, it plays just as well with a touchpad on a laptop as it does with a mouse or a finger on a tablet.

A Stress Reliever With a Puzzle Brain

At first glance Ragdoll Break looks like pure button-mashing fun, and it certainly works as a way to blow off steam after a long day. But each stage quietly asks you to think about weight, angle and timing, which gives it a satisfying puzzle side as well. The soft pastel visuals and the calm, empty stages make the slapstick even funnier: there is nothing to distract from the sight of a wooden dummy cartwheeling down a flight of stairs.

If you like this style of game, the site has plenty more. Kick the Buddy is the classic stress-relief ragdoll with a huge box of tools, Ragdoll Chaos brings floppy bodies to fast-paced fights, and Ragdoll Drop is all about making the most painful fall possible. For destruction on a much bigger scale, try TNT Sandbox.

Pick up the bowling ball, take aim at the mannequin and see how creative your demolition can get.