OCTOPTICOM
- September 21, 2018
- UP Development
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Get on itch.io Store"Octoptocom" is an open-ended puzzle programming game that challenges players to design and optimize optical computing devices using lasers, mirrors, filters, and other components. Players must read, transform, and write sequences of colored squares to solve over 40 levels of light puzzles, with a focus on finding compact and efficient solutions. The game requires no knowledge of assembly code, making it accessible to a wide range of players.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Engaging and satisfying puzzle mechanics that challenge players to think creatively about light manipulation and logic.
- Offers a unique blend of educational content and fun, making it suitable for both casual players and those interested in optics and programming.
- The optimization challenges add depth and replayability, encouraging players to refine their solutions and explore different approaches.
- The user interface and controls are clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs and crashes, which can disrupt the experience.
- Level instructions and puzzle mechanics can be poorly explained, making it difficult for players to understand the objectives and solutions.
- optimization10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's optimization aspect is a mixed bag; while it offers challenging optional optimization puzzles that can significantly enhance gameplay, players report poor performance issues, including frequent freezes during object placement. Additionally, the lack of clear indicators for completed optimization challenges can lead to frustration, although some puzzles are noted to have easily achievable goals. Overall, the optimization features provide a stimulating experience but are hampered by technical shortcomings.
“Optional optimization challenges are more demanding and account for more than half of my playtime.”
“It's an open-ended logic/programming/optimization puzzle game that will really give your brain a workout.”
“On top of that, most levels come with an optimization challenge.”
“Optimization challenges are only shown on the final screen of a level, and there is also no indicator whether you've completed them outside of said final screen.”
“There is no easy way to tell which levels have optimization challenges and whether they are completed or not.”
“Pretty awful performance; it freezes every time I want to place an object or move it from place.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay is centered around additive color mixing, encouraging players to experiment with mechanics that may initially seem counter-intuitive. While the basic mechanics are well-designed and promote exploration and creativity, the game's introduction of these concepts can be poorly conveyed, leading to initial confusion. Overall, it successfully captures the essence of iterative design and offers a compelling experience akin to other notable puzzle games.
“The basic mechanics of the game are very well designed; it gives you a set of simple tools and asks you to explore how they work, how they work together, and how they can be used to make complex things.”
“While not as thoroughly polished or intricate as other open-ended puzzle games, Octopticom absolutely nails the concept and gameplay on a fundamental level.”
“The mechanics of the colored components might be somewhat counter-intuitive at their introduction; however, you'll be able to manipulate them with great fluency and proficiency if you're willing to adopt a more vivacious and experimental mindset as you tinker with them and observe how they function individually and how their inputs and outputs affect each other while arranged and interconnected in a multitude of permutational or combinatorial configurations.”
“Their mechanics were very poorly conveyed to the player, and I struggled to understand them for a long time.”
“But when it forced me to really think about mechanics and to find new and simpler approaches, it added some of the spice and enjoyable magic of iterative design I had been missing so far.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's background music features eight royalty-free tracks, but many players found it distracting and difficult to concentrate on gameplay, leading some to turn it off early. While the ability to adjust sound effects and music volume is appreciated, the varying genres and tonal clashes in the music were noted as jarring, contributing to an overall unpolished audio experience.
“The background music consists of 8 royalty-free tracks.”
“You can separately lower the volumes of sound effects and music.”
“The music is fine, with a variety of genres that add to the overall experience.”
“I turned off the music maybe 2 minutes into the game because I couldn't think straight.”
“What I didn't like: the 'infinite loop' concept was a bit unintuitive at first; the music is fine, but the different genres and tonations clash and it feels kind of wrong.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is severely criticized, with users reporting frequent freezes that hinder gameplay, particularly when placing or moving objects, rendering it nearly unplayable.
“Pretty awful performance; it freezes every time I want to place an object or move it from place.”
“To my regret, the game freezes so frequently that it's barely functional.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are described as minimalistic, which some players appreciate for allowing a focus on gameplay rather than distracting visual elements. While the simplicity is not seen as a flaw, there are concerns about the ease of use in navigating the design.
“However, aesthetically speaking, this game appears to be more minimalistic, which by no means is a blemish as it emphasizes its core purposes. Superfluously vivid and rococo visual designs only serve as a distraction to committed and seasoned programming puzzle veterans.”
“I don't mind the minimalistic graphics, but I do care about ease of use.”
“However, aesthetically speaking, this game appears to be more minimalistic, which by no means is a blemish as it emphasizes its core purposes. However, superfluously vivid and rococo visual designs only serve as a distraction to committed and seasoned programming puzzle veterans.”
“I don't mind the 'minimalistic' undesigned graphics, but I do care about ease of use.”
- story1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional narrative, focusing instead on puzzles, which some players appreciate as a positive feature.
“The story feels disjointed and lacks coherence, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“Character development is shallow, leaving me with little emotional investment in their journeys.”
“The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game rewarding, as solving delays and navigating logic gates not only evokes a sense of cleverness but also enhances their understanding of real-life computing principles.
“The delays had solutions that made me feel clever, and the logic gates were rewarding and taught me about their real-life principles in computing.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, often making the testing process feel laborious and monotonous.
“It makes testing very tedious.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive.”
“I find myself doing the same tasks over and over just to progress.”
