Toca Builders is a sandbox creativity toy created by the team at Toca Boca. Instead of giving you boring drawing tools or other cold, removed contraptions, this adorable game hands you half a dozen robots who each have different abilities. By driving them around, switching between them and using their skills to place and remove blocks, you can construct just about anything you can dream up!
To start building your playground, choose or create a world from the level select screen. Once there you'll see an icon that brings up the robot selection menu. All of the 'bots are placed in the playground already, you just have to tap their picture to start controlling one. Each has slightly different controls thanks to their unique abilities, but everything is displayed using big, friendly buttons and switches, so you'll never feel lost or confused. Toca Builders is an extremely friendly game.
Robots have different abilities in Toca Builders, making each one better suited for specific tasks. Cooper the Ball, for example, paints the ground wherever he rolls, allowing you to make broad color changes with a few simple movements. Blox the Hammer lays cubes as he walks, turning him into a quick horizontal path creator. Connie the Crane is a precise instrument that can pick up and place just about any block she sees. The whole cast is creative and likeable, and once you get to know their abilities, switching between them to build some fun playgrounds is easy.
It may seem surprising, but Toca Builders will capture your imagination from the get-go. The interface is simple but fun to use, with no real gaps between robot abilities and structures you might want to build. Want a giant happy face? Do it. Then paint it a bunch of crazy colors by driving around spitting paint balls with Jum-Jum. Toca Builders is safe and accessible to kids, but it's one of those toys everybody's going to have fun playing with for hours on end.
NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on the iPad 3. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.
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