TIS-100

tis 100? more like 'tism 100

I would call this Zach's hardest programming game, because the space and memory restrictions are the tightest here that they are anywhere. On the other hand, the bar is therefore lower (also because it is an earlier project). The final level in the main campaign is a sorting algorithm. Like most of Zach's programming puzzles, I haven't yet finished the bonus campaign, but I come back every once in a while to finish another couple levels. An stimulating puzzle, but I wouldn't recommend you buy this first unless you have a decent amount of experience with especially low-level programming-- it was my first and I'm still surprised I didn't bounce off. I'd recommend Shenzhen I/O (harder) or EXAPUNKS (easier) to start with instead. I love this game though. These are my favorite games. Highly recommended.

nice puzzle game, scratches an itch in my brain

I like this a lot as a person get more into computer concepts. These make for interesting thought exercises as one puzzle leads to the next. The documentation (player manual) is a bit difficult to parse through early on, but starts to make sense after a few reads and solved puzzles.

[h1]What it is, and what the other reviews don't tell you[/h1] This is a programming game that basically teaches you assembly language. But what they don't tell you is that it's also a horror game, and the dawning dread of what I was putting together still didn't prepare me for what I got this horrid little machine to show me - even though I expected it, even though I could almost imagine it, even though it was ultra-low resolution. There's something about how bleary you are, how late it can get when you're working on projects, that makes it particularly insidious. 8/10 (Would benefit from some playlists). But for those who just can't handle any level of spooky, I figured a warning was in order.

Once you get the hang of it and RTFM it's a pretty neat way to visually learn some lower level programming concepts.

Don't let the fact you're basically programming on a fantasy system that predates cuneiform scare you, if you're a fan of Zachtronics games this one is a classic that is just as satisfying and rewarding as any other.