Bob Came in Pieces

Bob Came in Pieces is a physics-based puzzle game. It stars Bob, a call center employee, who follows the supposedly safe intergalaxy route to travel to work, when his ship is suddenly hit by a meteor. The impact ruins his Hyperdrive 2000 and he plummets towards the nearest planet. He hopes for a Space Depot to get it fixed quickly, but as there are no inhabitants, he will need to pick up the lost parts himself.

In 14 chapters Bob needs to navigate his ship through different environments to locate portals that transfer him to a new part of the planet. Along the way he can pick up a number of parts, but some of these are optional. There are no hazards or enemies that provide a threat. Instead Bob needs to solve puzzles based on physics to progress or to open up entrances. The ship is shaped as a ball with eight ports for extensions. In the basic setup it consists of four thrusters that allow the ship to travel in any direction. After picking up some parts Bob can enter the Ship Builder at specific locations to customize the ship. There are different tube-like modules with different shapes that can be fitted to any of the eight ports, even on top of each other to form complex constructions. This is needed to solve the puzzles. Modules can also be rotated and after fitting them, one or more can be assigned to specific keys. In the beginning the ship can just crash through walls or use thrust power to set mechanisms in motions, but in later parts specific small entrances need to be accessed, or thrusting needs to be redirected to a specific side. Different ship layouts can be saved and restored for later use.

There are thrusters of different strength and these affect the handling and power of the ship. Special tools include push and pull beams. Puzzles require Bob to shift weights, push objects around, or carry them to a specific location. Levels have different themes, and the rocket thrusters can for instance be used to burn through bushes or planks. Next to lush jungle sections there are ice levels where the ship needs to reach a high speed to break through ice, or gets directed by the flow of wind. The Ship Builder spots act as checkpoints and because of the customization options, there are different approaches to solving puzzles.