SHENZHEN I/O

About

Shenzhen I/O is a challenging puzzle game that tasks players with designing and building circuits in a simulated Chinese city. Using a fictional programming language, players must create code to control circuits and complete various tasks. The game offers a unique blend of engineering and programming concepts in a engaging and immersive setting.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,989 reviews

story56 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

Challenging and rewarding puzzles that require both programming and electrical engineering knowledge.
Engaging story told through emails, adding depth to the gameplay experience.
Great sandbox mode allows for creativity and experimentation with various components.

Steep learning curve with no tutorial; players must rely heavily on a lengthy manual.
Limited instruction set and board space can lead to frustration and restrict creativity.
Some puzzles may feel overly complex or tedious, especially for those without a programming background.

story
145 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
59%
2%
The story in the game is primarily conveyed through a series of emails from colleagues and bosses, creating an immersive narrative that reflects the experiences of a low-level engineer in a Chinese tech company. While some players find the story engaging and humorous, others view it as minimal and secondary to the puzzle-solving gameplay. Overall, the narrative adds depth and context to the challenges, enhancing the player's experience without overshadowing the core mechanics.
- “The story is interesting as well, told through a series of company (and spam) emails, and the game manages to perfectly simulate working with incomplete foreign documentation, and the overload of trying to keep up with company emails with important info mixed in with the irrelevant - though in-game even the irrelevant spam emails provide a venue for world-building this near-future Chinese tech city and its colorful inhabitants.”
- “Shenzhen i/o does an amazing job of exposing the fun parts of programming and problem solving, while wrapping it all up in a human story and pushing you to take on the next challenge.”
- “The story - narrated through email communication between company members and yourself - contributes very well to the atmosphere and paints vastly diverse commissions that you have to design a circuit and/or a program for.”
- “The story is minimal, but it's not really the point of the game.”
- “Cringe Chinese propaganda 'story' is well, cringe.”
- “The game story is that you're a low-level hardware developer who codes for a Chinese tech company; they get you to work on various small projects, though to be honest, the story is only there as a way to give you a break between the challenges.”
gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
73%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of challenging puzzles and programming mechanics, particularly in the context of building microcontrollers using a mock assembly language. While some players find the mechanics intuitive and rewarding, others struggle with the game's complexity and occasional lack of clarity. Overall, it offers a solid experience for those who enjoy tinkering and optimizing solutions, with a significant amount of content and replayability.
- “Gameplay feels so genuine and fluid.”
- “Nice and challenging gameplay with gradually increasing difficulty.”
- “Shenzhen i/o is a really solid programming game which builds well off of mechanics established in some of the developer's earlier games, particularly tis-100's programming and SpaceChem's multi-reactor puzzles.”
- “It feels like you are fighting the game on a mechanical level.”
- “The flower only exists to make it a flush set and could be entirely removed with zero impact on the gameplay.”
- “It becomes a struggle against the illogical results of the mechanics, and having no clear avenue for learning 'why' such a strange thing is happening instead of a struggle against knowable mechanics and a continual learning process.”
optimization
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
65%
6%
The game's optimization aspect is both a highlight and a source of frustration for players, offering deep and rewarding challenges in problem-solving and design. While many enjoy the thrill of micro-optimizing their solutions and comparing results with friends, some find the focus on optimization can overshadow the enjoyment of simply completing puzzles. Overall, the game provides extensive opportunities for creativity and efficiency, though it can be daunting due to its complexity and the sometimes unclear metrics for measuring optimization success.
- “Great game if you are into complex problem solving and optimization :)”
- “Being able to compare how optimized your solutions are compared to your friends (and everyone else) really adds to the longevity, as you return to older levels to try and find an even smarter way of solving it.”
- “The post-solution optimization is probably my favorite part - it functions as a healthy outlet for that need to streamline code beyond any point of readability.”
- “Some of these are fiendishly difficult to get your head around; they can easily take hours to solve. Most annoyingly, you can't just build and optimize; you have to yield your every last idea of optimization just to get the design working.”
- “The maximum simulation speed is much too slow, resulting in unnecessary delays, especially when trying out small incremental changes to improve performance.”
- “While I think that TIS-100 had a lot more room for optimizations (so you could spend more time on finding the best possible solution), these optimizations were quite exhausting if you were trying to minimize the runtime; you had to write a lot of code to make it marginally faster.”
music
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
35%
6%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its pleasant and fitting electronic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience without being intrusive. However, some users noted that the music can become repetitive over time and suggested a desire for more variety. Overall, the soundtrack is generally well-regarded, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and engagement.
- “Really like the background music, not too intrusive but not too bland either.”
- “The music is great too!”
- “The soundtrack alone might be my favorite takeaway from the game.”
- “Cons: repetitive music.”
- “Would be nice if the background music changed while working on a project...?”
- “This game has only a few background music tracks.”
humor
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, with players finding the storylines, character interactions, and in-game emails to be consistently funny and engaging. The humorous take on corporate culture, along with amusing puzzles and a quirky manual, adds to the overall comedic atmosphere. Players appreciate the blend of challenging gameplay with lighthearted elements, making it enjoyable for both programmers and casual gamers alike.
- “Corporate culture is both realistic enough to be believable, yet gamified enough to be hilarious.”
- “Oh, and briefings for each assignment relayed to you as emails from bosses and colleagues are pretty hilarious.”
- “You receive new puzzles as emails within conversations with your colleagues and these email threads are super funny and awesome!”
graphics
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
52%
12%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their clean and aesthetically pleasing design, contributing to an immersive experience despite being simple and 2D. While they may not be groundbreaking or feature high-end visuals, the overall presentation, including UI and ambient details, enhances the enjoyment of the gameplay and complements the engaging puzzles. Users appreciate the art style and the way it integrates with the game's mechanics, creating a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere.
- “The aesthetics and music are great.”
- “The game is beautifully made in terms of UI, graphics, and crisp sounds.”
- “Controls and visuals are fluid and pleasing; it's very relaxing to just play game after game once you learn it.”
- “Forget about story, visuals, and audio.”
- “It may not have some jump out at you graphics or high visual cut scenes, but what it lacks in visuals it makes up for with content and thought-provoking puzzles.”
- “With simple 2D graphics, it's not a showcase, but the emails from your coworkers, the incidental details, and even the printable PDF binder really pull you into the world.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, blending a cordial corporate environment with a distinct cyberpunk aesthetic. Players appreciate the humor and polish in the narrative, which enhances the experience of solving challenging puzzles while feeling like a genuine employee in a Chinese tech company. Overall, the atmosphere is described as both fun and captivating, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Really nice cyberpunk atmosphere, very dystopian but with some fun.”
- “The atmosphere of the game is also quite great because you’ll feel like a proper employee designing electronics in a Chinese company.”
- “The main thing it brings over from Infinifactory is a level of polish, which delivers a real theme and atmosphere other than just 'arcane 80's nonsense.'”
- “The story - narrated through email communication between company members and yourself - contributes very well to the atmosphere and paints vastly diverse commissions that you have to design a circuit and/or a program for.”
- “Basically, a modern and shiny TIS-100, minus the lonely/creepy part, plus the 'corporate atmosphere' part.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
38%
19%
The game offers significant replayability through its complex puzzles that encourage optimization across various metrics such as cost and power usage. Players can engage in competitive challenges, create custom puzzles via Steam workshop integration, and explore multiple strategies for each level, ensuring a fresh experience with each playthrough. The depth of gameplay and the ability to tackle puzzles at different difficulty levels further enhance its replay value.
- “Puzzles are highly replayable - you may optimize solutions for price, power usage, etc. Extremely nostalgic if you ever programmed in assembly language.”
- “Optimizing your puzzles to top the excellently presented histogram-style leaderboards and creating your own puzzles or simple arcade games in the sandbox mode adds significant replay value.”
- “Enjoyable storyline with challenging levels and a surprising amount of replayability.”
- “There are 3 separate categories to optimize for, making each puzzle replayable almost indefinitely.”
- “The puzzles are challenging on their own, but allow you to play at various self-imposed difficulties, which allows for a ton of replayability.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is characterized by a lack of tutorials and a lengthy manual, making the learning curve steep and often tedious for players. While some find the gameplay engaging and appreciate its authentic feel, many agree that it can become frustratingly repetitive over time, particularly due to the reliance on assembly language and extensive documentation. Overall, the experience is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the challenge while others feel it detracts from the enjoyment.
- “It's just a tedious and frustrating chore.”
- “Interesting and enjoyable game, although after a while it does become a bit tedious.”
- “The gameplay is basically writing simple assembly language and reading a tedious PDF document that describes the different components in the game.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mixed emotional response to the game, feeling both frustration and satisfaction. While some find the challenge disheartening, others experience a profound sense of accomplishment and intelligence upon solving puzzles, highlighting the game's ability to evoke strong feelings of both struggle and triumph.
- “That being said, there's not a single other game that has made me feel so satisfied when I figure out the solution to the puzzle.”
- “Finishing Opus Magnum made me feel smart.”
- “This game has made me feel stupid more times than I would like to admit, but it scratches a deep itch that my inner nerd never knew it had.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is generally positive, as it streamlines the enjoyable aspects of programming microcontrollers while minimizing frustrating troubleshooting. However, users have noted some glitches, which is expected given its early access status.
- “This being an early access review, I will need to add that there are some apparent glitches here and there.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is creatively integrated, using engaging projects that simulate real-world applications, such as advertising displays and sound optimizers, while incorporating fictional elements like random data sheets and component ads. This approach not only enhances the gameplay experience but also serves as an educational tool for understanding computer science concepts.
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Character development in the game is highly praised, with players appreciating the engaging stories and emails that enhance the narrative experience. The incorporation of old-school game elements alongside well-crafted character arcs adds depth to the gameplay, making it a standout feature.
- “Top-notch puzzles from Zachtronics, as always! I love all the stories, emails, and character development they put in the game.”
- “Calls back to old-school games with objectives and character development advanced by email.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I found the character arcs predictable and uninspired, which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “The game promises character development but ultimately fails to deliver meaningful growth or change.”