The Mayans became a household name last year of 2012 because of, y’know, people’s misinterpretation of the “New Age” in their Mesoamerican long count calendar. Since some people love indulging so much into pseudoscience mixed with small fry gratification, they incorporated the Mayan’s tradition of World Ages into an impending doom. Well, what do we know? People just really love drama.

Actually, the civilization that achingly seemed like a period joke to many holds more value in culture and history than most countries. Mayans weren’t only famous last year and definitely not just for their unique system of calendars. They are best known for their impressive creation of mask panels, temple facade and other structural engine that might forever be gold even in the world of skillful masonry. Their detailed creations of edifice imprinted with numerical grid come out doozy even to the masters of arts and sciences. Fascinating sons of bugbear, aren’t they?

If you’re having trouble comprehending the Mayan’s ancient marbles, then keep calm and just play this game that’s still derived from their impressive old-hat style sans the astrological symbols and implications. is a Physics-based (there’s that word again: Physics!) game that uses the old Mayan engine of interlocking wheels or gears that when they rotate against each other, forms a circular motion and triggers the engine. Don’t let me explain further because this game is more frustrating than the Mayan studies. Just read more of this Android app review before you try the game and throw your devices in frustration.

Ancient Engine is a free Android game “puzzler” developed by NewRain. If you look at the game, you will instantly think that it holds no corresponding challenge whatsoever because the first few levels are pretty easy. Even the gameplay is easy. But once you get past the first 10 levels of Pack 1 (Pack 1 only!), you’ll start feeling insanely thwarted because of the game simply being difficult.

Gameplay

Drag the gear clockwise or counterclockwise to navigate the ball into the whole. The main objective of the game is to shoot the ball into the wholes to get to the next level. The first few levels are easy as not many obstacles are present. There are also stars that you can collect in every level.

Other levels possess obstacles like a wall or barrier that close immediately. You are not allowed to go back once the barriers close. As the game progresses, you’ll find the ball wheeling into other more challenging obstacles like the spikes or the water.

Hitting the spikes or the water means game over. Players need to carefully navigate the gear to avoid the obstacles. There are levels in the game which requires the ball to hit the green light so the barriers will be opened. You can repeat the level by tapping on the restart button on the bottom right corner of the screen as many times as you want.

There are 20 levels in Pack 1 alone but going through the whole Pack requires serious patience. The challenge in the game lies solely in Physics and in how well you rotate the gear. The game, fortunately, is not timed so players can have a whole day figuring out how to get past the most difficult levels.

Mayan-Style Is So Not Ancient History

No way that this game is ancient. I am still reeling from the hurdle of this game! Ancient Engine, dare I say, is quite hard. It goes up there with the Mayan’s hardship of structuring temples and monument decked out in various carved figures of gargoyle and the likes.

The simple graphics are enough since with a gameplay this hard, you want your screen as neat as possible. The sound is fine as well, though it helps to turn off the sounds for lesser distraction. Weird that in this app, as simple as the gameplay looks, your full concentration is still needed.

The game is absorbing. Ancient Engine probably is as absorbing as the many studies starring the Mayans and world thereafter!

Watch Ancient Engine’s demo below!