TIS-100

Extremely clever and well done puzzle game, but one with a pretty brutal learning curve. You don't need to know programming languages, but need to be able to think with computer logic (breaking down a problem into steps and implementing those steps with the game's stripped-down programming language.) Once you get the hang of it, the puzzles are tricky enough to give you some satisfaction for beating them, without being so hard that you can't make headway against them. TIS-100 draws a lot of comparisons to the other recent programming puzzle game, Human Resource Machine. HRM's easier to learn and prettier, but I found it much more frustrating at times - it had easier puzzles that were only hard because the commands you had to work with were very limited. TIS gives you a lot more flexibility but requires more flexible, clever thinking to beat some of its challenges.

TIS-100 would be one of those games that would merit 4 stars, if it weren't for Shenzhen IO. Both TIS-100 and Shenzhen IO (also by Zach Barth) are assembly language programming games, where you have to solve a given problem with the available resources. These games are not for everyone, but are highly regarded by their intended audience. Don't try them if you're not engineering minded. The only blemish TIS-100 has is that none of the metrics seem to be oriented to parallel programming. This is unusual for a game which simulates a grid architecture, and solutions that would be considered elegant are penalized. The deal breaker is Shenzhen IO. Being a later game it is much more polished, with some improvements in gameplay and story as well. If you're considering choosing between both, or want to try a game in this genre, go get a copy of Shenzhen IO. Get TIS-100 only if you're specifically interested in this game.

Spacechem is a great game. Infinifactory is one of the greatest games I've ever played. TIS-100, by comparison, is a shambling mess. All the Zachtronics games share the same mechanic: using iterative commands to translate a certain input(s) into a certain output(s). What makes the other games great, however, is the fact that you have all your tools handy at your disposal, and you can *see* your solution in process so that you can get some idea of what to fix, what to take out, and what to optimize. TIS-100 has essentially zero graphical representation of your steps, and the "instruction manual" that contains your tools is deliberately incomplete, obtuse, and misleading - as an intentional in-game mechanic. Working on the puzzles therefore becomes an exercise in pure frustration, as you can't understand why your code doesn't work, since the game deliberately withholds instructions from you and gives you no reward for success. I finished the first eight puzzles. Each one was less fun than the one that came before it. It's like endless homework that gets progressively more difficult and progressively less rewarding at the same time. There's no story, no real progress, no point to what you're doing. I recommend Infinifactory with all my heart and soul, but I just can't wrap my head around a game that seems to be nothing but pointless, frustrating busywork. Play all the other Zachtronics games first, and if you absolutely must have more, TIS-100 will be there for you.

I have a professional programmer friend and he was quite fond of this game. I, on the other hand, do not have such experience and was pretty much stopped cold by level 3. Keeping all that in mind and several conversations with my friend, I would suggest this game if: - You are a programmer and are interested in some brain training, particurally on a minimalistic instruction set. - You are interested in becoming a programmer, have a lot of patience, and want a serious brain teaser game. - You generally find puzzles of any type easy and want something "hard". Otherwise, I strongly suggest you say far, far away.

This is brilliant little game with nice background story to it making it a real gem. Made me feel a bit like almost programming Atari Transputer but in late 70's or early 80's using 8 bit cpus. A great challenge for real hackers/cracker. However if you are not a programmer you will never like it so it is definitively not for every gamer. But if you love coding, you will love this one instantly.