Can't Live Without Electricity

About

"Can't Live Without Electricity" is a 3D puzzle game where you supply electricity to houses by connecting them to power plants. With randomly generated levels, five different house and power plant colors, and the choice between square and hexagonal grids, players must find the best route to connect the growing number of houses before they fill the map. The game features over 50 official stages and allows for camera movement to see the world from different perspectives.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Can't Live Without Electricity screenshot

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 262 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and engaging puzzle experience with a charming art style and creative level designs.
It provides a satisfying balance of challenge and relaxation, allowing players to strategize without the pressure of a timer.
The inclusion of a level editor and workshop support adds significant replayability and variety to the gameplay.

The random house spawning can lead to frustrating situations where achieving a perfect score feels nearly impossible.
Some levels can become repetitive, and the lack of evolving mechanics may lead to boredom over time.
The scoring system and difficulty spikes can be punishing, especially for players aiming for three-star completions.

gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
53%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by a wealth of levels and engaging puzzles that blend simplicity with depth, particularly through its unique mechanics and well-designed hexagon maps. While some players note a lack of escalating complexity in new mechanics, the game remains addictive and enjoyable, offering a relaxing experience with lovely visuals and music. Overall, it stands out among line puzzlers on Steam for its functionality and attention to detail, making it a worthwhile investment for puzzle enthusiasts.
- “Addictive gameplay.”
- “There's great art and level flow, and it's a good deal at $5 for 40+ hours of gameplay (if you're like me and want to get three stars on every level).”
- “Super fun puzzles, lots of them, interesting mechanics and challenges.”
- “Plenty of levels, although maybe for those looking to find a game that keeps escalating and introducing new mechanics every couple of levels... this isn't it.”
- “Mostly because they don't allow the aforementioned pipe mechanic to shine very much (other than the circular levels with pieces missing in the middle, of course).”
- “I hope the devs explain more mechanics, maybe in a progressive manner?”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
62%
15%
The music in the game is generally described as chill and calming, with a jazzy and lofi vibe that enhances the relaxing experience. However, some players find the limited selection of tracks repetitive and mention that one particular song can be stressful when played on repeat. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its soothing qualities, many users express a desire for more variety and updates.
- “Seriously though, super satisfying when you complete a puzzle and the music is chill af.”
- “Also the soundtrack slaps.”
- “Visuals are lovely, music is relaxing and the game is easy to understand with nice mechanics.”
- “The background music is only one stressful song on repeat.”
- “I had to change that for my own relaxing music.”
- “The music could use some updating (there are only two tracks that play during the levels, and you have to switch between them yourself), it doesn't feel very rewarding.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
44%
6%
The graphics are praised for their colorful and fun 8-bit style, which aligns well with the game's concept and provides a clean aesthetic that works well on handheld devices. Players appreciate the refined visuals and precise controls, although some express discomfort with the orthographic projection. Overall, the game offers a variety of graphical options and maintains a pleasant visual experience.
- “The graphics, while 8-bit, fit the game's concept splendidly and are colorful, fun, and varied.”
- “Visuals are lovely, music is relaxing and the game is easy to understand with nice mechanics.”
- “Only got a short time into this but it's really good, lovely clean aesthetic which works on the handheld screen perfectly and the camera and controls are really precise, which so many of these games fall down on.”
- “Also, I don't want to be nitpicking about this, but the orthographic projection kind of makes me sick.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding required to achieve a 3-star rating to be a tedious chore, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game. Additionally, the level selection process is considered cumbersome due to its linear layout and excessive scrolling, although the wheel sensitivity is appreciated.
- “What I don't like is grinding to get the 3-star rating.”
- “Just a tedious chore.”
- “Level select is a bit tedious, everything in a single line, lots of scrolling, but wheel sensitivity is good enough.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
50%
33%
The game is praised for its optimization, particularly in its puzzle mechanics reminiscent of Mini Motorways. However, some users have experienced issues with the game freezing, requiring restarts, indicating that further optimization may be needed.
- “Ultimate optimization puzzle game, with mechanics similar to mini motorways.”
- “And it should be a bit optimized; twice it just stopped responding and I had to restart the game and the level.”
- “Ultimate optimization puzzle game, with mechanics similar to Mini Motorways.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players express mixed feelings about the game's replayability, noting that while the random elements could lead to addictive gameplay, the lack of quality control in custom levels significantly detracts from the experience. Many hope for improvements from the developers to enhance both playability and enjoyment, suggesting that the potential for replayability exists if these issues are addressed.
- “Replayability given the RNG elements (I can see myself being addicted).”
- “The game has a lot of potential for replayability, especially with the random elements that keep each playthrough fresh and engaging.”
- “I find myself coming back to this game repeatedly because each session feels unique and offers new challenges.”
- “Since the game doesn't have any fail-safe checks to ensure that those custom levels are playable at all.”
- “But the quality of those levels is so poor to the point of being digital garbage, since the game doesn't have any fail-safe checks to ensure that those custom levels are playable at all.”
- “Replayability is hindered by the RNG elements, which makes it feel like a gamble rather than a consistent experience.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game demonstrates excellent stability, with users consistently reporting smooth performance on the Steam Deck.
- “Runs great on deck.”