Opus Magnum

Opus Magnum encourages creativity without ever telling you you’re wrong, making it an endlessly replayable puzzler.

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Opus Magnum is a puzzle game by Zachtronics where you step into the role of an alchemist, tasked with designing and building machines to transmute various materials. With a variety of components at your disposal, you'll create remedies, gemstones, weapons, and more in this open-ended challenge. Your alchemical prowess will be put to the test as you interact with the rich and powerful House Van Tassen.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,561 reviews

story286 positive mentions

grinding50 negative mentions

Opus Magnum offers a unique and satisfying puzzle experience with open-ended solutions, allowing players to approach challenges creatively.
The game features a beautiful aesthetic and engaging story, enhancing the overall experience while solving puzzles.
The ability to optimize solutions for cost, speed, and area provides significant replayability and encourages players to refine their designs.

The user interface can be clunky, making it difficult to manage complex solutions, especially in later levels.
Some players may find the story and dialogue tedious or uninteresting, preferring to focus solely on the puzzles.
The lack of zoom functionality and limited control options can hinder the gameplay experience, particularly for larger machines.

story
758 mentions
38 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The story in this puzzle game is generally well-received, with many players finding it surprisingly engaging and well-written, especially for a genre often focused on gameplay mechanics. While some reviews note that the narrative serves primarily as a backdrop to the puzzles, it adds a layer of charm and context that enhances the overall experience. However, a few players feel the story can be tedious or unimportant, suggesting it could be easily skipped without impacting gameplay enjoyment.
- “The storyline turned out to be deep and well-written, which is way more than I expected from a casual puzzle game.”
- “The story works to introduce the puzzles, and the puzzles continue the story.”
- “This is a wonderful game with a nice story line as well.”
- “The story was very boring and got dumb very quickly, and it is completely unnecessary; don't even bother next time.”
- “The story is minimal but that is a positive; it's entertaining without being distracting or overbearing.”
- “The story is thin and pasted on.”
gameplay
410 mentions
34 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Opus Magnum" is characterized by its straightforward mechanics that allow for creative problem-solving and optimization, making it accessible yet challenging. Players engage in intricate puzzles that involve programming mechanical arms to manipulate alchemical elements, with a gradual introduction of new mechanics that keeps the experience fresh. While the game offers a visually captivating aesthetic and a satisfying sense of accomplishment, some players find the interface and certain mechanics frustrating, though the overall design encourages experimentation and replayability.
- “The mechanics are straightforward and grant a lot of freedom to get your creativity going.”
- “A relatively simple puzzle idea, but enough variety in the mechanics and design to keep the puzzles interesting and engaging, and certainly challenging.”
- “The gameplay revolves around designing intricate machines using a variety of mechanical components, precision timing, and creative problem-solving.”
- “Repetitive and tedious gameplay, poor UI, primitive and dull plot.”
- “Unfortunately, the systems surrounding the core gameplay don't reflect on Opus' different (presumed) design goals, and so the process of actually solving each puzzle usually feels like a formality, especially in comparison to other Zachtronics titles where both solving and optimization are consistently engaging.”
- “I really enjoyed it and the theme ties in well with the mechanics and puzzles, but the gameplay isn't superior to either of these titles and the price as of this writing is much higher.”
graphics
224 mentions
57 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning and aesthetically pleasing design, featuring a charming steampunk aesthetic that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the clean, vibrant visuals and intricate animations that bring the puzzle mechanics to life, making the gameplay not only engaging but also visually captivating. While some reviews mention that the graphics are simplistic, the overall consensus is that they effectively complement the gameplay and contribute to a satisfying and immersive atmosphere.
- “The graphics are amazing and the gameplay is genius.”
- “The game boasts stunning graphics, with intricately designed machines and mesmerizing animations that bring your creations to life.”
- “The visuals are gorgeous; watching your perfectly-designed clockwork finally getting alive with dozen-or-so rotating and sliding arms in steampunk-styled machine tops off the Zachtronics experience.”
- “The graphics are quite simplistic, and your visual cortex will be very idle when you play this game.”
- “I did not like this one as much as the others, possibly because the story was a bit strange and also the graphics were a bit weird.”
- “I expected more :( it's like someone said to them, hey spacechem was good n'all but if you make the graphics shinier and add in a shite, thinly disguised wizard academy story, you can charge twice as much money for it.”
optimization
161 mentions
24 % positive mentions
74 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The optimization aspect of the game is highly praised, offering players multiple metrics to improve upon, such as cost, cycles, and area. While the puzzles can be completed without focusing on optimization, the game encourages players to revisit levels for more efficient solutions, fostering a competitive environment through leaderboards and community comparisons. Overall, it provides a satisfying blend of casual play and deep optimization challenges, appealing to both casual gamers and optimization enthusiasts alike.
- “Solutions can be optimized based on different parameters - there are graphs to compare your solution to the best results of other players and a leaderboard to compete with friends.”
- “The real game is about how good you are with optimization, but you gotta ask yourself, why spend time on a video game when you could use your optimization skills on industry/corporate jobs?”
- “This game takes the core 'optimization' game mechanic that I enjoy so much in modded Minecraft with tech mods or Factorio and lets you get straight into the optimization right away instead of making you go through other gameplay mechanics like survival and manual resource generation.”
- “What should be a game about relatively high-level logical optimization becomes a chore whenever you try to do anything even slightly complex.”
- “The cost and footprint optimization are nearly the same in every level and the cycle optimization is mostly about figuring out some positions for the arms where they don't block each other and then enter a hundred or so repetitive commands to complete the level.”
- “While keeping optimizations and achievements out at the periphery should help minimize frustration for many players, it's still not a casual experience, and it's not for everyone: there's ultimately no way of getting around the grind of 'programming' complex timing patterns for different elements of your alchemical engine.”
music
118 mentions
56 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its relaxing and immersive qualities. While some players found the soundtrack to become repetitive over time, the majority appreciated its fitting nature and how it complements the gameplay and visuals. Overall, the music is considered a significant strength of the game, contributing to a charming and engaging experience.
- “Combined with a mesmerizing soundtrack that complements the gameplay perfectly, Opus Magnum creates an immersive and enchanting atmosphere that pulls you deeper into its alchemical world.”
- “The music is perfect for chilling and thinking.”
- “To accompany the masterfully crafted puzzle mechanics and the nice storyline, there is an excellent soundtrack that manages to evoke a certain magical feeling without getting in the way of concentration, and satisfying sound effects that are triggered by the transmutation engine's many mechanisms.”
- “The game only has 1 music track and it plays over and over, and even though it's long, it does eventually become annoying, so I muted it allowing me to appreciate the sounds of the machines more.”
- “The music is repetitive, as one might expect in this situation, and sometimes distracting, but well done nonetheless.”
- “The only problem is, in the puzzle music, some sort of recurrent, low-volume sound that really, really gets on my nerves after a while.”
replayability
91 mentions
40 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game boasts exceptional replayability, with players able to revisit puzzles to optimize their solutions based on various metrics such as cost, cycles, and area. The inclusion of leaderboards and user-generated content further enhances this aspect, allowing for endless challenges and creative problem-solving. Overall, it offers a rich experience that encourages players to refine their strategies and explore different approaches, making it one of the most replayable puzzle games available.
- “The completely open-ended problems give so many options for ways to play, and the rating system is great for replayability.”
- “With the addition of Steam Workshop for custom levels, this game has near infinite replayability as you solve new problems and tweak your solutions.”
- “The game's replayability is enhanced by the inclusion of leaderboards, allowing you to compete with other players and showcase your alchemical mastery.”
- “The few downsides are the story, which is fun at first but soon gets tedious and very disengaged from the actual gameplay, and that there might after all be limited replayability, especially if you don't find the fine-tuning part entertaining.”
- “Optimizing a solution is the true meat of all Zachtronics puzzlers and is what provides the games with so much replayability.”
grinding
51 mentions
2 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often overshadowing the enjoyment of the puzzles and gameplay. While some appreciate the satisfaction of completing complex tasks, many express frustration with the lengthy and monotonous processes required to progress, particularly in later levels. The lack of user-friendly features and the cumbersome interface further contribute to the feeling of grindiness, making it a mixed experience for players.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game is tedious more so than difficult.”
- “Repetitive and tedious gameplay, poor UI, primitive and dull plot.”
- “Starting from the second chapter, the game becomes nothing but a tedious chore.”
humor
33 mentions
97 % positive mentions
-6 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of witty dialogue, amusing character interactions, and a lighthearted narrative that complements the puzzle-solving mechanics. While the protagonist may lack personality, the over-the-top antagonists and humorous side characters provide comedic relief, making the experience enjoyable. Overall, players find the humor to be a delightful addition that enhances the gameplay, even if the story itself is somewhat forgettable.
- “The dialogue/story is very funny, and the puzzles in the game get challenging at a nice pace.”
- “The story and dialogue are enjoyable and often humorous.”
- “Endlessly fun game of programming logic and design in the form of spatial reasoning, and humorously narrated.”
- “The jokes fall flat and feel forced.”
- “I expected more laughs, but it was mostly cringeworthy.”
- “The humor is outdated and misses the mark completely.”
atmosphere
29 mentions
55 % positive mentions
34 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and enchanting qualities, enhanced by a mesmerizing soundtrack and stylish art design. Reviewers highlight the effective world-building and aesthetic charm, which create a relaxing yet engaging environment that complements the clever puzzles. Overall, the combination of music, visuals, and thematic elements contributes to a captivating experience that draws players deeper into the game's alchemical world.
- “Combined with a mesmerizing soundtrack that complements the gameplay perfectly, Opus Magnum creates an immersive and enchanting atmosphere that pulls you deeper into its alchemical world.”
- “The art, music, and UI design really solidify the atmosphere and pull this together into a complete package.”
- “The atmosphere, the story, the music, the puzzles themselves, the extremely satisfying physical look and feel of the mechanical system executing your program - all of this is just perfect.”
- “Opus Magnum does it over a relaxing atmosphere and subtle alchemical atmosphere, blending light story elements with puzzles that will never frustrate you and making you review that last solution just slightly differently to get it a bit faster and a bit better.”
- “But I would be remiss if I failed to mention the soundtrack, which, although fairly minimalist, really adds to the atmosphere of the game.”
emotional
10 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of feelings, ranging from moments of deep despair to euphoric highs, with some touching character arcs that add humanity to the experience. While the protagonist may lack depth, the engaging story and clever gameplay evoke a sense of intelligence and satisfaction in players. Overall, it provides a complex emotional journey that resonates well despite its simplicity.
- “The story as well is surprisingly good, with solid emotional beats and some clear character arcs, leading to a well-rounded experience in a game that could do well even without a plot.”
- “It's a complex emotional ride that offers you deep despair and euphoric highs.”
- “The story was fun and interesting enough for being such an overall small part of the game; some moments were very touching and brought a lot of humanity to some of the characters.”
stability
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
13 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many users report smooth performance, especially on Linux, some experience significant issues such as frequent freezes on startup and occasional bugs, particularly with the mahjong counter. However, several players note that the game feels polished and enjoyable, especially towards the end of its early access period.
- “I bought the game at the end of the early access period, but I had no glitches or bugs.”
- “The price is low for the amount of fun, and the game, though in early access, is not buggy and seems very polished.”
- “Great to give the brain a workout, and it runs great on Linux.”
- “The counter in mahjong was also buggy sometimes.”
- “3 out of 4 times the game freezes on startup and needs a full PC reset.”
character development
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game effectively delivers strong character development and world-building within a limited timeframe, utilizing a minimalistic approach of still images and dialogues to create an engaging narrative experience. Despite its brevity, it manages to leave a lasting impression on players.
- “Also, as an added bonus, it's a puzzle game with an engaging story that manages to do an impressive amount of world-building and character development in a small number of still images and dialogues.”
- “The game (and therefore story) isn't terribly long but it accomplishes some admirable world-building and character development in that time.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy effectively leverages user-generated animated gifs of solutions as a clever advertising tool, enticing players to share their achievements and attract new users. This approach not only enhances user engagement but also serves as a compelling incentive for potential buyers.
- “The monetization model feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind a paywall, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “It's frustrating that the game constantly pushes in-game purchases, making it feel more like a cash grab than a fun experience.”