SHENZHEN I/O
10/10
I had a lot of spare time over a 4 day period and 40+ hours of that time went into this game alone, nothing can describe enough how amazing this game is. The core of this game can be summed up with the phrase ‘fun embedded electronics programming’, it’s not overly complicated but will also pose a challenge to those out there who love solving puzzles or optimising code.
The game is simple to start playing, you are placed onto a dashboard with 2 main buttons ‘conceptMAIL’ and ‘Datasheets’. Your first email will ask you to read through the ‘Datasheets’ which is a printable PDF ( you don’t have to print it, but it does make referencing easier ), it’s a fairly short read and is something you can come back to if you’ve any queries or is required for your project. Once you’re finished, you can start your first lot of puzzles, which eases you into the UI and teaches you the basic principles of I/O control.
– Real player with 80.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Programming Logic Games.
You may be wondering why I’m thumbing down a game I’ve spent over 70 hours playing. I did enjoy the game, but I simply cannot recommend it to anyone except the most hardcore fans of Zachtronics' other games. And Shenzhen I/O is the only Zachtronics game which I’ve had no desire to replay.
My biggest complaint is the size of the boards. They are unfairly small.
In Zach’s other games, constantly adding and testing parts is how I would work my way through the logic of the puzzle, step by step. You could make a big messy solution at first, and then worry about optimizing it later. But Shenzhen I/O actively discourages you from playing this way, especially after the first campaign is over. There is simply not enough room on the later boards to reasonably work with.
– Real player with 77.9 hrs in game
ComPressure
One of the best zach-like games to exist thus far; A perfect rendition of simple rules leading to complex interactions. The retro pixel art and story featuring historically accurate rock star scientists lends itself well to a fun and engaging game about building the worlds first analog computer. The developer is active and responsive, adding more content fairly frequently, and the community is already both friendly and competitive.
10/10, would request lewd etchings again
– Real player with 395.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Programming Building Games.
First and foremost: This is a positive review.
I’m unable to beat this game however (PEBKAC) though, so I’m going to caution prospective players:
This game is HARD, and the tests in each level are NOT comprehensive, nor will they give the same results when run individually versus the ‘run all tests’ results. It’s VERY possible to make solutions which pass in test-all but fail on every single test when run individually. Chasing the test scores can easily box you into a dead-end solution path.
The test score results are NOT an actual metric for how usable parts you design are, and almost every part is meant to be used later after it’s made, without any clear description of errors compounding or what to watch out for.
– Real player with 16.5 hrs in game
Code World
Greatly recommended if you are learning Python and already know the basic stuff. You inspect code and look for dependencies to figure out the puzzle - just like in real life. Music is relaxing and I like the concept a lot.
If you don’t know any programming language it is pretty hard, though.
Unfortunately, the game doesn’t support the German keyboard layout, so entering special characters like [] () = or : is a bit cumbersome.
– Real player with 29.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Programming Hacking Games.
This game does not touch upon object-oriented programming, nor does it implement try/except blocks. And that’s perfectly acceptable, since I can only imagine the hassle of trying to add those. But once I found out that things like:
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string slicing
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concatenation via multiplication (str * int)
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the ‘break’ keyword
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elif
are not supported, my eyebrow finally raised. Then there are the things that are partially implemented (ie. maimed) - tuples and dynamic typing. The Python in here is extremely barebones and so is the interpreter. It provides zero feedback on what went wrong, only that it did. And if you’re not careful and don’t use the Ctrl+C clipboard to store the latest version of your script, a syntax error will wipe all of your progress (by automatically restarting the level).
– Real player with 26.8 hrs in game
Monster Logic
One of the best programming games I’ve played. Lots of levels and a variety of interesting ways to solve each one.. Competitive leaderboards, the top score in some of these puzzle are already pretty crazy. You are going to have to be super creative in order to match them. There are three categories for the leaderboards and your best score in each category for the puzzle is automatically saved. (Zachtrnoics take note please)
I have played almost every programming game on steam and this is probably my second favorite. With my favorite being EXAPUNKS
– Real player with 86.9 hrs in game
First off, I was a beta tester and received the game for free.
It might be scary for those who are not particularly into programming to look at the store page and see stuff like “Based on esoteric programming languages Befunge and Trefunge”. It could make you think this game is “too niche” and not for you.
Now, I don’t know whether you’ll actually like it or not, but let me tell you this: I had never even heard of Befunge or Trefunge before playing this, and I’m not a programming enthusiast or anything. I just looked at it as a fun puzzle game with cute monsters and animations and tried to solve the levels as best I could using good old logic.
– Real player with 54.5 hrs in game
Move Code Lines
Only partially through the second level but OMFG this “game” is actually incredible and I’m learning so much already I can’t imagine what I’ll learn by playing all the way through. DEFINITELY recommend if you’re interested in programming or learning about programming. The interface is really relaxing, one of the color themes is the old QBASIC editor theme xD and the music is super chill.
– Real player with 15.1 hrs in game
Stylishly executed game, with pleasant musical accompaniment. From the main screen greets you with its core mechanic, namely the ability to move the lines of the name of the game.
Programming language is a little bit similar to Python and to C++, but… in reality you do not need to program, just read a code lines and sort it to the right position for solving the puzzle.
At the initial stages, everything looks very simple, the solution of the issues can be found faster than you reading, intuitively bugs hunting. But the further you move through the list of levels, the more difficult it gets.
– Real player with 7.2 hrs in game
![the Sequence [2]](https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1560450/header.jpg)
the Sequence [2]
While I’m just starting this game, I can with 100% confidence say that it’s worth its price.
The puzzle design is brilliant! All tools are very simple, All puzzles fit in a couple of hex cells AND YET they all have very interesting and unique solutions.
And the game is CHALLENGING! It looks like a simple mobile game, but don’t let it decieve you. The solution to a puzzle is almost always not obvious and often requires you to do things differently then you did before.
This game gives me brain juice :з
– Real player with 14.0 hrs in game
Good game
I spent a lot of time to play this.
– Real player with 14.0 hrs in game
Charge!
There is a lot of game here for a very low price. 5 hours in and I have barely managed half the levels. The mechanics are good. Charges move consistently, so often a solution is to create a lucky path rather than using control elements. The challenges are quite varied tasking you in different ways. At times it is frustrating and at times rewarding. The graphics are rather crude and simple, music is meh and the interface is acceptable. No bugs or crashes. Runs fine on Linux. My main problem with these types of games, is I find them too short, but this isn’t an issue here. The developers put in a lot of content. The sub-circuits are well made and fit naturally in the game. Overall, it’s a challenging game that should keep you entertained for quite some time for a pittance.
– Real player with 50.8 hrs in game
Cyborg Earthworm
Cyborg Earthworm is a “Snake” automation game. The worm follows the rules of the famous Snake game, and you can program it. Develop a strategy and let the worm follow it without your involvement.
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Solve and optimize 20+ areas, each of which contains a virtually unlimited number of procedurally generated levels.
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Watch the worm dominate the levels automatically without having to pilot it.
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Reach the maximum possible length, filling all free space.
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Use a variety of tools like paint spray for leaving marks in the soil and internal worm memory for tracking things.
Loopindex
good game, fun boss
– Real player with 41.4 hrs in game
Fun little puzzle game with good music, mechanics and levels
– Real player with 1.7 hrs in game
Rebots
Experience a galactic adventure with your crew of robots
You are working as a middle manager for the Rebots Corporation who specialise in climaforming inhospitable asteroids for aliens. Your character’s aspiration is to become “The Best Employee Ever” but there is a long journey from the bottom to the top. Climb the ranks of the Rebots Corporation, making friends and rivals along the way, as you follow in the footsteps of your mother to become employee #1.
Program robots
To make your robots work, you need to program them. Or rather, you need to instruct your robot managers (supervisors) to instruct your robot workers. Hence, you learn how to program by creating your code and instructions directly in the world and seeing your robot operation automatically carrying out your carefully designed program in real-time.
Build and balance delicate ecosystems
Each alien race has specific requirements for habitats, meaning you need to transform and design ecosystems while dealing with the local fauna and flora that might condone your lease on the land. You are changing the climate of existing ecosystems (climaforming) so you experience first-hand the effects of climate change and migration.
Build relationships with the alien factions you meet
Some aliens enjoy sweltering hot, some live in a swamp, while others like chilly weather. Get to know multiple factions throughout your adventure and learn their preferences to become the best employee of the Rebots Corporation.
Solve challenges in unique ways
Use your ever-growing programming skills with your robots to solve challenges in a variety of ways. Use the available resources to your advantage and leverage the local fauna, flora and resources to assist you in completing your job.