The Incredible Machine

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

The Incredible Machine stands as one of the most innovative puzzle games of the 1990s, challenging players to “arrange a given collection of objects in a needlessly complex fashion so as to perform some simple task”¹. Created by Jeff Tunnell and programmed by Kevin Ryan at Dynamix, this physics-based puzzle game tasks players with building elaborate Rube Goldberg-style contraptions to accomplish simple objectives like putting a baseball into a basket or turning on a fan². The game was groundbreaking for its realistic physics simulation, with each object behaving according to real-world physics principles, adding an extra layer of complexity to the puzzle-solving experience³.

What made The Incredible Machine truly remarkable was its deterministic physics engine that “does not use a random number generator in its simulation of physics, assuring that the results for any given ‘machine’ are reproducible”¹. This technical achievement, combined with the game’s creative premise, earned it widespread critical acclaim and established it as what many consider “one of the most original puzzle games ever created for personal computers”⁴. The game’s influence extends far beyond its initial release, inspiring countless physics-based puzzle games and earning recognition from Computer Gaming World, which ranked it #62 in their Hall of Fame⁵.

Game Info

Developer: Dynamix⁶ Designer: Jeff Tunnell, Kevin Ryan⁷ Publisher: Sierra On-Line⁶ Platforms: DOS, Windows, Mac, FM Towns, 3DO, iPad, iPhone⁸ Release Year: 1993 Series: The Incredible Machine Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

Unlike traditional adventure games, The Incredible Machine features no overarching narrative or plot elements. As one reviewer noted, “There’s absolutely no plot to get in the way – there are puzzles to solve, 87, to be exact”⁹. Instead, the game presents players with a series of increasingly complex physics puzzles hosted by the cheerful Professor Tim, who welcomes players to his “subterranean machine-making lab” filled with “gazzilions of gadgets”¹⁰. The absence of story elements allows the game to focus entirely on its core mechanics of creative problem-solving and mechanical ingenuity.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

The Incredible Machine features a point-and-click interface where players select objects from a “Parts Bin” and place them on the puzzle screen¹¹. The game offers keyboard shortcuts for changing music in Freeform Mode, with keys 1-9 and a-g controlling the soundtrack¹². Players can test their contraptions by pressing a play button and watching the physics simulation unfold in real-time. The interface was designed before modern gaming conveniences, requiring players to adapt to the technical limitations of early 1990s computing¹³.

Structure and Progression

The original game contains 87 puzzles of increasing difficulty, starting with simple tutorials and progressing to complex multi-step challenges¹⁴. Players must use provided components to achieve specific objectives, with many puzzles offering multiple valid solutions. The game includes an “Easy Start” tutorial mode for beginners¹¹ and a Freeform Mode where players can experiment with unlimited parts and create their own contraptions¹⁵. Password protection allows players to skip to specific levels, with passwords like “GULF” providing access to level 87¹⁰.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The core gameplay revolves around constructing Rube Goldberg devices using everyday objects and mechanical components including “bike-riding monkeys, treadmill mice and a few bowling balls”¹⁶. Players work with pulleys, conveyor belts, motors, balloons, trampolines, basketballs, and various animals to create chain reactions¹⁷. The physics simulation accounts for real-world properties like gravity, momentum, and collision detection, making precise timing and positioning crucial for success. As one developer explained, the challenge lies in chaos theory: “Move a tennis ball over by just 0.0001 units and it may bounce off a teeter-totter a fraction of a second later and then make something else bounce left instead of right”¹⁸.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

The Incredible Machine received overwhelmingly positive critical reception upon release. Computer Gaming World praised it as awakening “the curious, tinkering 10-year-old” and described it as “fresh in concept and long on gameplay”⁶. The game earned consistently high scores across major publications:

Publication	Score	Notes
Computer Gaming World	Positive	”Fresh in concept and long on gameplay”6
Dragon Magazine	4/5 stars	1993 review6
Electronic Gaming Monthly	7.25/10	1994 review6
PC Gamer	90%	“How often can you say you really got what you paid for?”19
IGN (Return version)	8.4/10	”Vintage blend of educational and entertainment software”20

Modern Assessment

The game’s legacy has only grown stronger over time. Modern reviewers consistently rank it among the greatest puzzle games ever created, with MobyGames users rating it 84%²¹ and MyAbandonware users giving it 4.42/5 stars²². Steam users maintain a 92% positive rating for the modern re-release²³. Contemporary gaming critics recognize its lasting influence, with one reviewer noting that “One can say this series is the precursor to all the puzzle solving video games existing today”²². The game’s educational value has been consistently praised, with reviewers highlighting how “it is so delightfully entertaining that gamers of all ages won’t realize the depth of learning involved”²⁴.

Development

Origins

The Incredible Machine emerged from Jeff Tunnell’s desire to create innovative, smaller-scale games after leaving Dynamix in 1990²⁵. Tunnell founded Jeff Tunnell Productions in early 1992 as a subsidiary focused on experimental and creative gameplay concepts²⁶. The game’s concept was inspired by Rube Goldberg machines and was originally conceived as an educational tool to teach physics concepts in an entertaining way²⁷. Tunnell’s vision was to create something that would allow players to experiment with different approaches to problem-solving, breaking away from the traditional adventure game formulas that dominated Sierra’s catalog at the time²⁸.

Production

Kevin Ryan programmed The Incredible Machine in nine months on a remarkably modest budget of US$36,000(equivalenttoabout$78,361 in 2024)²⁵. Ryan brought significant technical expertise to the project, utilizing coding knowledge and actual code from vehicular simulators he had previously developed at Dynamix²⁹. The basic physics engine was operational within a handful of months, demonstrating the efficiency of the small development team approach. The game’s music was composed by multiple contributors including Brian Hahn, Christopher Stevens, Jan Paul Moorhead, Ken Rogers, and Randy Dersham³⁰.

Technical Achievements

The game’s most significant technical innovation was its deterministic physics simulation. Due to 1990s hardware limitations, the team converted the engine from floating-point to integer-based calculations to ensure consistent simulation results across different platforms¹. This decision proved crucial for the game’s reproducibility, as Ryan explained: “The engine does not use a random number generator in its simulation of physics, assuring that the results for any given ‘machine’ are reproducible”¹. The audio system featured complex MIDI implementation using all 16 channels with pitch bend sensitivity of 12, significantly more sophisticated than the General MIDI standard of 2³¹.

Legacy

The Incredible Machine’s influence on gaming cannot be overstated. Jeff Tunnell himself acknowledges that “TIM was a genre defining franchise”³², and its impact continues to resonate in modern gaming. The game spawned numerous sequels including The Even More Incredible Machine (1993)³³, The Incredible Machine 2 (1994)³⁴, and spin-offs like Sid & Al’s Incredible Toons³⁵. The series’ concepts were so innovative that they earned Tunnell and his team patents for their game design approaches³⁶.

The game’s educational value has made it a lasting presence in classrooms worldwide. Modern educators continue to use The Incredible Machine to teach STEM concepts, with initiatives like Cassandra Ivie’s 4-H program demonstrating that “STEM is accessible to everyone and that it is also a lot of fun”³⁷. The game’s influence on modern indie developers is evident in titles that continue to copy “this age old formule”³⁸, proving the enduring appeal of physics-based puzzle solving.

In 2014, original creators Jeff Tunnell and Kevin Ryan reunited to create Contraption Maker, a spiritual successor that represents “a true second-generation game”³⁹. This modern interpretation maintains the original’s core appeal while leveraging contemporary technology, as Tunnell noted: “Working on Contraption Maker with modern processors and GPU’s, huge memory, connectivity, and high definition monitors is like being in a dream world”⁴⁰.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG.com - The Incredible Machine Mega Pack³⁸
• Steam - Contraption Maker (Spiritual Successor)²³

Download / Preservation

• MyAbandonware - The Incredible Machine²²
• Internet Archive - The Incredible Machine²
• Classic Reload - Browser Playable Version³

References

Footnotes

1. Academic Kids Encyclopedia – - Game concept and physics engine description ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Internet Archive - The Incredible Machine 1992 – - Game description and puzzle objectives ↩ ↩²

3. Classic Reload – - Physics mechanics and gameplay overview ↩ ↩²

4. Games Nostalgia – - Critical assessment and originality ↩

5. Grokipedia – - Computer Gaming World Hall of Fame ranking ↩

6. [Wikipedia - The Incredible Machine 1993](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Machine_(1993_video_game) – ) - Contemporary reviews and critical reception ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

7. MobyGames - The Incredible Machine – - Developer credits and technical specifications ↩

8. TV Tropes – - Platform information and gameplay elements ↩

9. Hardcore Gaming 101 – - Gameplay structure and puzzle count ↩

10. Sierra Chest – - In-game character quotes and password information ↩ ↩²

11. Archive.org Manual – - Interface elements and tutorial features ↩ ↩²

12. Archive.org Controls – - Keyboard controls and music options ↩

13. Hardcore Gaming 101 Old Version – - Interface design and technical limitations ↩

14. Archive.org Walkthrough – - Puzzle count and progression structure ↩

15. Sierra Help – - Freeform mode and puzzle flexibility ↩

16. Archive.org 3.0 – - Game components and mechanical elements ↩

17. Archive.org Description – - Pulleys, conveyor belts, and construction mechanics ↩

18. ModDB Developer Blog – - Physics simulation challenges and butterfly effect ↩

19. Web Archive PC Gamer Review – - Contemporary PC Gamer review score and assessment ↩

20. IGN Return Review – - IGN review score and educational value assessment ↩

21. MobyGames Ratings – - User and critic rating compilation ↩

22. MyAbandonware – - User ratings and historical significance assessment ↩ ↩² ↩³

23. Steam Contraption Maker – - Modern user ratings and spiritual successor information ↩ ↩²

24. Metacritic Reviews – - Educational value and entertainment assessment ↩

25. Filfre.net Development History – - Development budget, timeline, and Jeff Tunnell’s background ↩ ↩²

26. Sierra Fandom Jeff Tunnell Productions – - Company founding and focus on experimental games ↩

27. Best Old Games – - Educational concept and Rube Goldberg inspiration ↩

28. Choicest Games Jeff Tunnell Interview – - Creative vision and departure from traditional adventure games ↩

29. Steemit Kevin Ryan Interview – - Programming background and simulator code reuse ↩

30. [VGMPF Music Credits](https://vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/The_Incredible_Machine_3_(W32) – ) - Comprehensive composer credits and soundtrack information ↩

31. Vogons Forum MIDI Discussion – - MIDI audio technical specifications and implementation details ↩

32. Games Industry IP Acquisition – - Jeff Tunnell quote on genre-defining status ↩

33. Archive.org Even More Incredible – - Sequel information and release details ↩

34. MobyGames TIM 2 – - Series progression and sequel development ↩

35. MobyGames Sid & Al’s – - Spin-off game information and cartoon adaptation ↩

36. Sierra Fandom Dynamix – - Patent information and corporate development ↩

37. The Chieftain STEM Education – - Educational impact and modern STEM applications ↩

38. GOG User Reviews – - Modern influence on indie gaming ↩ ↩²

39. PC GamesN Contraption Maker – - Spiritual successor development and family connection ↩

40. Web Archive Developer Blog – - Jeff Tunnell quote on modern development capabilities ↩