Algotica Iterations

About

Algotica Iterations is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by Alexander Goodwin and was released on March 23, 2017. It received negative reviews from players.

Algotica Iterations is a puzzle game set in a digital world where players guide the "Code Diver" to solve logic-based challenges. The game features a distinct aesthetic, with a colorful, low-poly art style, and aims to teach players about programming concepts in a fun and accessible way. Players will need to master algorithms, conditionals, and loops to progress through the various levels and uncover the secrets of Algotica.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

31%

Audience ScoreBased on 59 reviews

gameplay7 positive mentions

stability12 negative mentions

The game features cute visuals and engaging puzzles that can be enjoyable for those who appreciate programming logic.
The developer has shown commitment to improving the game, addressing bugs, and adding new content, which is commendable for a solo project.
The game offers a unique approach to learning basic programming concepts through its puzzle mechanics, making it a potential educational tool.

The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration and confusion during gameplay.
The game is riddled with bugs and performance issues, making it feel unfinished and often unplayable.
Many players found the lack of clear instructions and poor translation to be significant barriers to enjoying the game.

gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The gameplay of Algotica features engaging puzzles and clever mechanics, such as portals and valves, which provide depth and challenge. However, players have reported significant issues with the interface and execution, including bugs and a cumbersome control scheme that detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are vibrant and the core gameplay is enjoyable, many feel that improvements are needed to enhance the overall fluidity and accessibility of the game.
- “That being said, Algotica provides a cute environment with some clever variations on its construct mechanics (e.g. portals, cubes, valves, and snails).”
- “Very interesting gameplay using basic coding logic.”
- “Where this game stands out is that it actually has depth: it keeps going and becoming more challenging, while constantly adding more mechanics.”
- “The core gameplay is okay, but the interface is horrible.”
- “The mechanics felt buggy - sometimes it wouldn't register my selection or I'd get an empty space in my list of commands.”
- “Have the commands as icons to click (maybe have the gameplay settings option to write the whole thing as code, but in a proper sort of editor instead of having to switch between keyboard and mouse constantly), and add a fast forward button so we're not forced to wait for the bot to slowly turn around, and slowly take each individual step.”
story
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The game's story is widely criticized for being underdeveloped, poorly translated, and lacking coherence, leaving players feeling disconnected from the narrative. While some appreciate the attempt to integrate a storyline into the gameplay, many find it uninspiring and riddled with execution flaws, making it feel more like an afterthought than a central element. Overall, the story fails to enhance the experience significantly, with players often preferring to overlook it entirely.
- “The developer attempted to invent a story for the game, so it is not just solving puzzles after puzzles without knowing why you are doing it.”
- “Still, I think the story does make the game better; without the story, this game would be just another programming puzzle game.”
- “The new story isn't as cutesy and charming as the old one, but it packs a bit more punch.”
- “It's one of those cases where a game is built with a 'story' and supposed 'variety' and 'freedom', and it still feels lacking.”
- “The story isn't even in a pre-born state; it just isn't there at all, and the game is still full of bugs and execution mistakes.”
- “There is even some story that you can, theoretically, save your princess at the end of the journey, but... there is no journey, actually.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
16%
16%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their vibrant colors, beautiful visuals, and effective use of lighting, creating an engaging atmosphere. However, some players note that the visuals can obstruct gameplay, making it difficult to navigate levels, and there are complaints about the lack of graphics options and interface bugs that detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, many reviewers appreciate the artistic style, particularly the low-poly design, which has garnered a positive reception.
- “The riddles are nice, the music and sound effects are beautiful, I absolutely love the graphics.”
- “It's a shame because the visuals and the atmosphere are simply beautiful.”
- “Graphics are lovely, very bright and colorful with fabulous use of lighting and interesting details.”
- “Graphics settings absolutely do not affect anything.”
- “Then I found the ‘SSAO’ toggle on the options menu, and disabling it sent the fans down to a medium hum, with no noticeable difference to the visuals.”
- “There are no graphics options in-game; you have to set your fullscreen/window/resolution options on the opening Unity dialog.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as unresponsive UI elements and issues with command registration. While some users noted improvements in a reworked version, others still found the game to be unfinished and frustratingly buggy, leading to an overall recommendation against playing it until further fixes are implemented.
- “Sadly, due to the poor UI and the game being kind of buggy, the puzzles were not really that fun.”
- “The art is beautiful, but otherwise this game is very obviously unfinished: the plot is just a few very poorly proofread blurbs, with no conclusion, extremely buggy and fussy UI (literally MS Paint rectangles, often unresponsive, unintuitive, elements stretch off-screen, etc.), and it's trivial to trigger buggy behavior randomly (e.g. restarting when a snail is mid-move can make it continue the move after the reset when the game is supposed to be paused).”
- “As much as I love programming and puzzles, I cannot recommend this game for now, mainly because it is very buggy.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music in the game is generally praised for its beautiful and mellow quality, featuring pleasant ambient sounds and changing electro melodies that enhance the overall experience. Users appreciate the combination of the music with high-quality graphics, creating an engaging atmosphere.
- “The riddles are nice, the music and sound effects are beautiful; I absolutely love the graphics.”
- “The music is mellow, the art (as shown in the trailer) is high quality, low polygon, and pleasing to the eye.”
- “Background music is pretty good; there are electro melodies that change every so often.”
- “The music is mellow, but it lacks variety and becomes repetitive quickly.”
- “The options for adjusting the music settings are confusing and not user-friendly.”
- “The soundtrack feels out of place and doesn't match the game's atmosphere.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with unresponsive controls and clunky command input contributing to a lack of enjoyment. The overall experience is marred by the need to frequently retype commands, leading to frustration rather than challenge.
- “It doesn't feel that much fun; the feedback isn't great, and the levels can get a bit tedious and repetitive.”
- “The controls are way too tedious and weirdly unresponsive for this type of game.”
- “Entering commands is kind of clunky; you have to retype the full command each time you use it (or copy and paste the text), and that gets kind of tedious.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, creating a captivating and immersive experience for players.
- “The visuals and the atmosphere are simply beautiful.”
- “The game's atmosphere immerses you completely, making every moment feel alive.”
- “The haunting soundtrack combined with the stunning visuals creates an unforgettable atmosphere.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, with users reporting smooth performance and no lag in either mode.
- “In either mode, there are no performance issues or lag; it’s all nice and smooth.”
- “The game runs flawlessly, with optimized settings that enhance the overall experience.”
- “I appreciate how well the game is optimized for different hardware configurations, making it accessible to a wider audience.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is polarizing; some players find it unamusing and feel the comedic elements are poorly executed or lost in translation, while others appreciate the developer's lighthearted approach and clever fourth-wall breaks. Overall, the comedic effectiveness varies significantly among players.
- “Pretty simple platformer made with taste and humor by the developer who acts as assistant and sometimes breaks the fourth wall. :D”