Uploaded August 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is a pretty pointless video by itself, but let it serve as an opportunity for me to gush about Zachtronics in this video description. Inspired my Matthewmatosis, I bought the Zachtronics puzzle game bundle from the last summer sale and since then tried out 5 of the 7 included games. I've liked all of them, more or less. They're very solid puzzle games that have quite an unique angle on things. I really appreciate the freeform problem solving and creativity that they present.
Opus Magnum is most likely the most accessible game of theirs. It comes with a tutorial, has a pleasant presentation and falls into the category of "easy to learn, hard to master".
TIS-100 demands fear and respect. The difficulty is brutal - even after 25 hours of gameplay it still feels like I need to constantly step up my game or get crushed by the puzzles. It's not something one can really play to relax, but it's without a doubt one of the best games I've played in the recent while.
Molek-Syntez is a bit of a missed opportunity, in my opinion. I like the game's dark vibe, but the lack of tutorial really hurts the experience. One of the key mechanics (atom bonding) is quite convoluted and sometimes seems unpredictable. Even besides that, the gameplay is a bit more monotonous than average. I really wanted to like this one more, but so far I'd rank it the worst Zachtronics-title (maybe 6/10?).
SpaceChem and Shenzhen I/O I've only played a few hours. So far, they seem fun/horrifyingly difficult, so that's something to look forward to.
In general, I find the design very elegant in these games. The focus is strictly on gameplay without anything unnecessary bogging down the experience. They usually have a good (if high) difficulty curve. The whole "programming puzzle" gameplay style is a bit specialized and may not be for everyone, but if you can get into it, there's a nearly endless amount of joy to be found here.
At least personally, good indie games like this are a refreshing change from triple-A games with their pretentious cinematic aspirations, unfocused marked tested designs and patronizing attitude towards the player in general.
*cough* On a completely unrelated note, I'm not looking forward to God of War: Ragnarok...
But yeah, in regards to what actually happens in this miniscule video, I crash the game by pressing Enter + Esc simultanously over a puzzle solution. The game gets confused on what screen to display, or something akin to that, ensuing in a crash. The same thing can happen with some other simultaneous inputs too. Yeah...
This is a pretty pointless video by itself, but let it serve as an opportunity for me to gush about Zachtronics in this video description. Inspired my Matthewmatosis, I bought the Zachtronics puzzle game bundle from the last summer sale and since then tried out 5 of the 7 included games. I've liked all of them, more or less. They're very solid puzzle games that have quite an unique angle on things. I really appreciate the freeform problem solving and creativity that they present.
Opus Magnum is most likely the most accessible game of theirs. It comes with a tutorial, has a pleasant presentation and falls into the category of "easy to learn, hard to master".
TIS-100 demands fear and respect. The difficulty is brutal - even after 25 hours of gameplay it still feels like I need to constantly step up my game or get crushed by the puzzles. It's not something one can really play to relax, but it's without a doubt one of the best games I've played in the recent while.
Molek-Syntez is a bit of a missed opportunity, in my opinion. I like the game's dark vibe, but the lack of tutorial really hurts the experience. One of the key mechanics (atom bonding) is quite convoluted and sometimes seems unpredictable. Even besides that, the gameplay is a bit more monotonous than average. I really wanted to like this one more, but so far I'd rank it the worst Zachtronics-title (maybe 6/10?).
SpaceChem and Shenzhen I/O I've only played a few hours. So far, they seem fun/horrifyingly difficult, so that's something to look forward to.
In general, I find the design very elegant in these games. The focus is strictly on gameplay without anything unnecessary bogging down the experience. They usually have a good (if high) difficulty curve. The whole "programming puzzle" gameplay style is a bit specialized and may not be for everyone, but if you can get into it, there's a nearly endless amount of joy to be found here.
At least personally, good indie games like this are a refreshing change from triple-A games with their pretentious cinematic aspirations, unfocused marked tested designs and patronizing attitude towards the player in general.
*cough* On a completely unrelated note, I'm not looking forward to God of War: Ragnarok...
But yeah, in regards to what actually happens in this miniscule video, I crash the game by pressing Enter + Esc simultanously over a puzzle solution. The game gets confused on what screen to display, or something akin to that, ensuing in a crash. The same thing can happen with some other simultaneous inputs too. Yeah...
