Neon Noodles

Starting at €19.50Buy now

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.

Play Modes

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

Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 58 reviews

story5 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Fun and addictive gameplay that combines cooking and programming in a dystopian setting.
Challenging puzzles with a satisfying progression system and competitive leaderboards.
Visually appealing with a unique neon and cyberpunk aesthetic, enhancing the overall experience.

Clunky UI and controls that can be frustrating, especially when programming and editing long sequences.
Pacing issues and a lack of depth in mechanics compared to other 'zach-like' games, leading to repetitive gameplay.
Quality-of-life features are lacking, making it difficult to optimize solutions and manage production lines effectively.

story
13 mentions
38 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The game's story presents a compelling cyberpunk premise that critiques societal control by corporations, but it lacks depth and significant narrative development compared to other titles in the genre. While some players appreciate the intriguing plot and its integration with gameplay, others feel that the storytelling is minimal and the levels are too interchangeable, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, many find the story surprisingly engaging for an automation game, enhancing the enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “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 that someone snuck a (computer) virus into the food somehow, or someone poisoned the food, or you're just making the food for someone important.”
gameplay
8 mentions
25 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mixed experience; while some players appreciate the clever mechanics and rewarding problem-solving aspects, others find the pacing slow and the mechanics frustrating. The game's story is noted as a surprising complement to the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience for many.
- “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
8 mentions
50 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their vibrant cyberpunk aesthetic, which effectively complements its themes and gameplay. While some players find the visuals too clean for a cyberpunk narrative, the overall art style is considered intuitive and engaging, enhancing the gaming experience. The neon-inspired visuals are particularly appreciated by fans of the genre.
- “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.”
- “The cyberpunk aesthetic fits really well with the theme of the game.”
- “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.”
optimization
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The optimization aspect of the game is generally well-received, with players enjoying the challenge of programming robots for efficient assembly lines. However, there are concerns about the game's pacing, user interface, and the need for more intermediate lessons to enhance the optimization experience. Overall, while the core concept is engaging, improvements in usability could significantly enhance player satisfaction.
- “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
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its calming quality and the artistic presentation resembling music sheets, enhancing the overall atmosphere. However, some users noted an issue with tracks abruptly stopping and restarting, which detracts from the experience. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's art and community.
- “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
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is marked by tediousness, particularly in programming bots and aligning them, which detracts from the overall experience. Many players find the lack of quality-of-life features exacerbates this frustration, making the latter part of the game 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 games 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
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game feels stable and user-friendly, particularly with keyboard and mouse controls, while also being playable with a controller. However, there are some issues noted with the leaderboards, which appear to be buggy.
- “The leaderboards seem buggy.”
replayability
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-300 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability through its puzzle mechanics, allowing players to revisit levels to improve their scores and efficiency, making it an engaging experience for those who enjoy optimizing their strategies.
- “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.”
- “The game lacks variety, making it hard to find motivation to replay once you've completed it.”
- “After finishing the main story, there isn't much left to explore, which significantly reduces its replayability.”
- “While the mechanics are fun, the limited content means I don't feel inclined to play through it again.”