Zachtronics games are at their best when they are abstracted enough to expose some interesting aspect of programming without just being assembly coding. Opus Magnum is the best example of this -- its ballet of alchemic operations represented in physical space allows you to experiment with timing, parallel processing, and register management without muddying things with syntax and op codes.
Exapunks unfortunately leans more towards the TIS-100 and Shenzhen I/O side of things, with a thin layer of story and mechanics over top of direct assembly coding. As someone who writes code professionally, this never appeals to me. It is too fiddly and clunky to really expose the fun parts of programming and I find myself challenged more by the syntax and idiosyncrasies than the actual problems the game is presenting.
I wanted Exapunks to explore hacking in the same abstracted way as Opus Magnum does alchemy, with mechanics that let you explore the world of network security, data manipulation, and crime, but it isn't really interested in that.
The narrative and world building over top of this game are well done and sort of present a cool window into this world. It didn't seem to be doing anything super unique, but it is telling a hacker story clearly inspired by Neuromancer and doing a competent job of it.
If you like Zachtronics games that hew closer to the metal, this one definitely scratches that itch. I wish it clicked with me more than it does, but I just can't get behind this implementation of programming for fun.
Exapunks unfortunately leans more towards the TIS-100 and Shenzhen I/O side of things, with a thin layer of story and mechanics over top of direct assembly coding. As someone who writes code professionally, this never appeals to me. It is too fiddly and clunky to really expose the fun parts of programming and I find myself challenged more by the syntax and idiosyncrasies than the actual problems the game is presenting.
I wanted Exapunks to explore hacking in the same abstracted way as Opus Magnum does alchemy, with mechanics that let you explore the world of network security, data manipulation, and crime, but it isn't really interested in that.
The narrative and world building over top of this game are well done and sort of present a cool window into this world. It didn't seem to be doing anything super unique, but it is telling a hacker story clearly inspired by Neuromancer and doing a competent job of it.
If you like Zachtronics games that hew closer to the metal, this one definitely scratches that itch. I wish it clicked with me more than it does, but I just can't get behind this implementation of programming for fun.