"Wrench Boy," the latest release by indie game developer jusjustin, is a puzzle-platformer which looks simple on the surface, but subconsciously guides the player to explore some of life's most uncomfortable, yet necessary questions.
A cheeky nod to his previous release, "Burning Monk," in "Wrench Boy," the player assumes the role of a nameless character. One may be quick to assume that this character is the Wrench Boy, but knowing jusjustin, that would be too simple.
So who is Wrench Boy, and why is the wrench -- a symbol often associated with construction and engineering -- the focus of this game?
The conclusion I've come to is that "Wrench Boy" is anything but your run-of-the-mill game.
Sure, it's a challenging and entertaining puzzle-platformer that could entertain just about anyone, but when one looks deeper, what they find is unique commentary about life itself.
For instance, in "Wrench Boy," the levels are not numbered, and upon completing what we would traditionally assume is the last level, the game starts over from the beginning, granting us the choice of continuing through another existence, or deciding to end it all by walking away.
Through "Wrench Boy," jusjustin has managed to accomplish what teams of game developers have failed at for decades: He captured the cyclical nature of life and the subsequent pursuit of seemingly aimless goals to ultimately uncover that, in the end, everything goes back to where it started.
I can't encourage enough people to try this game and to look beyond its surface. You may discover something about yourself that you weren't prepared to witness.
FINAL SCORE: 5/5