Neon Noodles

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Neon Noodles is a cyberpunk kitchen automation game where you build and design robots to make food. It's an open-ended puzzle game in the genre of zach-likes where you travel the world and become a master chef of the local cuisine.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 116 reviews

story10 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

Fun and addictive gameplay that combines programming and automation in a unique cyberpunk setting.
Challenging puzzles that encourage optimization and strategic thinking, with a motivating leaderboard system.
Visually appealing with a clean UI and a captivating story that enhances the overall experience.

Clunky controls and UI issues that can hinder the gameplay experience, especially when programming bots.
Pacing and difficulty spikes can lead to frustration, particularly in later levels where mechanics become convoluted.
Lacks depth compared to other 'zach-like' games, often feeling more like linear programming rather than creative automation.

story
26 mentions
38 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The game's story presents an intriguing cyberpunk premise that critiques societal control by corporations, but it lacks depth and significant narrative development compared to other titles in the genre. While players appreciate the engaging plot and its integration with gameplay, many feel that the storytelling is somewhat superficial, with interchangeable plot points that do not enhance the overall experience. Overall, the story is seen as a pleasant surprise that complements the gameplay, though it could benefit from more substantial narrative elements.
- “I'm just getting into the thick of the story and am quite curious what's going to happen.”
- “Really enjoying this fun puzzler and has an intriguing story to boot!”
- “I never expected this game to have such a good story; I was just expecting the plain old lazy story that is in most automation games, but wow, this story really complements the amazing gameplay.”
- “But compare it to something like Opus Magnum or Alan's Automaton Workshop, where just about every level in the main story had some dialogue leading in, and sometimes there were pretty major developments between chapters!”
- “There's a very good premise, but there's just not that much to the actual storytelling.”
- “The only way the story ties into the food is [spoiler]someone snuck a (computer) virus into the food somehow[/spoiler], or [spoiler]someone poisoned the food[/spoiler], or you're just making the food for someone important.”
gameplay
16 mentions
25 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of opinions, with some players finding the mechanics clever and rewarding, particularly in puzzle-solving contexts. However, pacing issues and a lack of engaging mechanics have led to frustration and loss of interest for others. Overall, while the game features a strong narrative that enhances the experience, mastering its mechanics may require significant investment.
- “I never expected this game to have such a good story; I was just expecting the plain old lazy story that is in most automation games, but wow, this story really complements the amazing gameplay.”
- “The mechanics are clever, and it does such a good job of rewarding you when you figure out a solution.”
- “Unfortunately, the pacing made me lose interest long before many key mechanics (loops and links) are introduced.”
- “The presentation is nice, but the mechanics are pretty lackluster and frustrating.”
- “You will want to invest some time into mastering the game mechanics.”
graphics
16 mentions
50 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their vibrant cyberpunk aesthetic, featuring clean visuals and a neon-inspired art style that effectively complements the game's themes. While some players feel the visuals may undermine the darker societal commentary, the overall design is considered intuitive and engaging, enhancing the gameplay experience. Many reviewers recommend the game for its impressive graphics alongside its challenging puzzle mechanics.
- “Great and fun game, the sound, the graphics, and the gameplay are all amazing. I would definitely recommend it if you love puzzle games or even cyberpunk games in general.”
- “Great neon, cyberpunk-inspired art style.”
- “Like any good cyberpunk story, this makes a point about society, about corporations at the top controlling everyone down to the food we eat... but this is undermined by how clean the game's visuals are.”
- “Its not my particular style, but the aesthetic works.”
- “The cyberpunk aesthetic fits really well with the theme of the game.”
optimization
12 mentions
50 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its engaging optimization mechanics, particularly in programming robots for efficient assembly lines. However, players note that the user interface, pacing, and instructional design require improvement to enhance the overall optimization experience and reduce common player frustrations.
- “Awesome optimization game.”
- “Work to program a fleet of robots to create the perfectly optimized cooking assembly line.”
- “Fun take on the 'zack-like' genre of programming/optimization games.”
- “To make up for that, they give you the programmable robot, which is just ridiculous overkill and loops straight back to 'oh, well this is literally just programming now, not automation or optimization.'”
- “I think it's a great idea, but the pacing, UI, fonts, etc. need some work and more intermediate lessons to stop common player problems and help with optimization.”
music
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its calming quality and the artistic presentation that resembles music sheets, enhancing the immersive environment. However, some users noted an issue with tracks abruptly stopping and restarting, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite this, the combination of great art and music contributes positively to the game's community atmosphere.
- “Loved how the programs kind of look like music sheets, and the effort put into the environments for each room was amazing!”
- “Probably odd to focus on, but my favorite part is the calming music.”
- “Great art, music, and community!”
- “The music occasionally just stops in the middle of a track, with a loud click, and then restarts from the beginning of a track.”
grinding
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the frustrating programming of bots and the lack of quality-of-life features that could alleviate the repetitive tasks. The design choices, including a controller interface, contribute to the overall sense of frustration and make the experience feel less polished compared to other titles in the genre.
- “But just about everything it does well, Opus Magnum does better, and it's missing some very large quality-of-life features that made the second half of the game tedious in a way most Zachtronics aren't.”
- “Programming these bots is tedious and this game seems weirdly designed for a controller.”
- “For me, this led to a lot of frustration and fixing up alignment between multiple bots was very tedious, definitely not as polished as some of the other games out there.”
stability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is reported to be stable with a user-friendly interface for both keyboard and mouse as well as controller support. However, some users have noted issues with the leaderboards, indicating they may be buggy.
- “The leaderboards seem buggy.”
replayability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability through its puzzle mechanics, allowing players to revisit levels to improve their scores and efficiency. This feature appeals particularly to those who enjoy optimizing their strategies and layouts.
- “Great puzzle game to pass the time, and you can repeat levels to try and beat your highest score, which adds to the replayability for people who want to be as efficient as possible with the layouts.”