A=B

About

"A=B" is a programming puzzle game featuring a single instruction: "A=B," or replacing A with B. Players solve various problems using this minimal language, from converting letters to uppercase to multiplying binary numbers. The game encourages players to complete challenges in the fewest lines possible and includes a built-in minigame, offering a unique and engaging experience for both casual and experienced gamers.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 168 reviews

story6 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and challenging programming puzzle experience that encourages creative problem-solving.
It features a humorous storyline and engaging interactions between the student and professor, adding charm to the gameplay.
Players appreciate the minimalist design and the satisfaction of solving complex puzzles using a simple programming language.

Many players find the instructions and puzzle descriptions to be poorly worded and unclear, leading to frustration.
The game lacks proper tutorialization and hints, making it difficult for those without programming experience to progress.
Technical issues such as a buggy code editor and slow execution times detract from the overall experience.

story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
44%
19%
The game's story is characterized as lighthearted and humorous, with a charm that complements its simplistic and somewhat silly plot. While the narrative is minimal and at times messy in execution, it effectively enhances the puzzle-solving experience, gradually revealing itself as players progress. Overall, the story adds an engaging layer to the gameplay, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate programming-themed puzzles.
- “The game follows the Zach-like recipe quite well, with multiple slots for each level, program length challenges, a story to go along with the puzzles, and even a 'solitaire' dice game to pass the time while waiting for inspiration.”
- “An extremely fun and engaging puzzle game that slowly introduces mechanics in a fun way with a good comedic story behind the code you are using to solve the puzzles.”
- “The backstory adds an interesting twist to the whole progression of puzzles.”
- “The plot is extremely silly and barely exists, but it's got a certain charm to it.”
- “My only criticism is that some of the English writing is a bit messy and hard to understand, which is important for this game's subject matter (and also because it's the only way the setting/story is conveyed).”
- “I enjoy programming puzzles and games like Human Resource Machine which actually feel like programming in basic languages have usually entertained me quite well, but this game feels less like a game and more like the actual class work its story is portrayed as.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by light-hearted storytelling and clever dialogue, often featuring amusing interactions between characters, such as a professor and an unconventional student. While it may appeal primarily to programmers, the blend of educational content and humor creates an engaging experience that enhances the overall enjoyment of the clever programming puzzles.
- “Funny little game that may only be fun to programmers, but for me it was really quite something.”
- “Educational and wrapped in a funny back-and-forth between a professor and one of those annoying students who think outside the box.”
- “Extremely clever programming puzzle with a very funny story.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The gameplay is described as extremely fun and engaging, with a clever introduction of mechanics and an entertaining comedic story. However, some users find the core game mechanic unenjoyable, and there are occasional editor bugs that can disrupt the experience, though they are rare and do not significantly impact gameplay. Overall, the game maintains its spirit while allowing for some flexibility in mechanics.
- “An extremely fun and engaging puzzle game that slowly introduces mechanics in a fun way with a good comedic story behind the code you are using to solve the puzzles.”
- “The fiction built around the gameplay is entertaining.”
- “The only problem I had was editor bugs: sometimes characters are inserted not at cursor position, undo can delete the whole page of code and redo won't bring it back; but that's pretty rare and doesn't affect the gameplay.”
- “However, you should be aware that the game doesn't strictly stick to having a=b be the only instruction - but so far the extra mechanics seem scaled back enough that it's still true to the spirit of the idea.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The graphics in the game are minimalistic and stripped-down, prioritizing gameplay over visual appeal. While some users appreciate the retro aesthetic, there are calls for clearer text presentation, such as using a monospace font for better readability. Overall, the focus remains on the quality of puzzles rather than graphical fidelity.
- “My favorite coding/automation game is TIS-100, with the reduced instruction set, nice retro visuals, and clever solutions.”
- “I may not need fancy graphics, but at least use a monospace font for the code so I can differentiate between capital 'O' and digit '0'.”
- “Gameplay over graphics (none).”
- “There is a lack of any sound or artwork.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's optimization is criticized for lacking multiple challenges and leaderboards, leading to frustration among players who find the performance slow and unoptimized, especially in later levels. Additionally, issues such as poor presentation, interface bugs, and unclear instructions further detract from the overall experience.
- “[*] multiple optimization metrics.”
- “Even though I figured out the solutions to every level independently, I still have no idea how some people managed to accomplish all optimization achievements in 3.9 hours; that is incredibly fast!”
- “It's everything I hate about experimental games: low quality in presentation and interface; intentionally obtuse; slow and unoptimized (even running optimal code takes way too long in later levels); etc. It even has a few extra problems, like bad English, bad writing, interface bugs (when using keyboard keys like home and end), and unclear instructions.”
- “What it doesn't have is multiple optimization challenges (shortest run time, maximum input length), and leaderboards.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features no music or sound, contributing to a minimalistic 1980s aesthetic that may not appeal to everyone. While some players may find enjoyment in the programming puzzle-solving aspect, the lack of audio elements detracts from the overall experience for others.
- “The game has no music, and it's not fun to me personally.”
- “It's definitely a niche experience that isn't going to appeal to everyone - it has a very basic 1980s minimalistic computer programming presentation to it with no sound or music.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a subtle blend of mystery and self-awareness, with the plot contributing to a lighthearted yet intriguing ambiance. While it may not be deeply immersive, it effectively engages players with its playful tone.
- “The plot even manages to carry a bit of atmosphere and mystery, as minimal as it is; it feels like the game is winking at the camera and saying, 'Ain't I a stinker for building a game like this?'”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The stability of the game is criticized due to a buggy code editor, with users reporting issues such as the cursor frequently getting stuck away from the text, indicating a lack of reliability in the interface.
- “The code editor is buggy; the cursor often gets stuck far away from the text.”
- “Frequent crashes make it nearly impossible to work on my projects.”
- “I experience constant lag and freezing, which disrupts my workflow.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight that the availability of numerous fan-made challenges on the workshop significantly enhances the game's replayability, offering fresh experiences beyond the main content.
- “There's also quite a lot of additional fan-made challenges on the workshop, which definitely adds a lot of replay value to the game.”