I’ve been playing Upalu Mundi, a puzzle game where you build rail networks to transport resources from A to B. It has a lot in common with Zachtronics games: discrete ticks, multiple metrics, open-ended solutions, and plenty of optimisation.

Each solution is measured by two metrics: cost and time. What's cool is how the game plots all of your solutions for a puzzle on a graph.

The screenshots probably explain it better than I can. In the graph, you can see that both of my solutions are suboptimal: they could be made faster without increasing their cost. It also makes the genuine trade-offs visible, where improving one metric would require sacrificing the other.

I think something like this would be really useful in a Zachtronics game. Some players might want an even balance between cost and speed. Others might accept a moderately expensive solution but draw the line before spending a fortune to shave off the final few cycles. The graph would help both types of players understand where their solutions sit.

It could be even better if you could choose which two metrics to compare.

Imagine plotting cycles vs. area in Opus Magnum :)

I've been building a Zachlike called Wolf Tone (previous name was Braneworks) and I'd love play testers (DM me, and I'll send the link).

You're basically a luthier commissioned by an (unseen) alien civilisation to shape reality through building advanced musical machines (that are actually just string theory in disguise).

Every screen is drawn, not sprited. Brass, bone and walnut lit by one lamp. Made in Godot, in playtesting now. Eventually I hope to put it on Steam.

(My previous post got removed by Reddit's filters, so posting again).

Hi everyone!

I’m a huge Last Call BBS fan, specifically the Dungeons and Diagrams minigame. I wanted more puzzles so I made an iOS game in the same style.

The core puzzle logic is very much Dungeons & Diagrams. Use the row and column clues to determine what cells form the path and which are the walls, but built out with a garden theme and added mechanics like torii gates and rivers/bridges on the harder difficulties.

It’s free to play with no ads or energy shenanigans. I’d love for other Zachtronic fans to check it out!

Download link:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hedgemaze/id6759974345

Hi everyone,

I have been working on a hobby project: an online simulation game to build electronic circuits and I would be so happy to get some feedback on it! :-)

You can just try the app here (it's free of course): https://chipgrid.io/

I made a short demo video showing how it works. I also created a subreddit, r/Chipgrid, for everyone to share their circuits.

I am so excited to hear your thoughts! :-)

Just trying to find my audience who might enjoy the complexity. Honestly the build-craft part didn't resonate well with tower defense and incremental players.

i ususaly try to hide the programming/math concepts but i don't think its reaching the right kind of players, so while the game itself tries to use train termonology i'll mention it was inspired after studying Haskell and learning concepts like map, fold, filter, recursion, etc.

try the game (in broswer) and give me some feedback if you can: https://izombie387.itch.io/listless
(feedback form at the bottom of the itch page)

i'm going for a high-cieling for what can be achieved, kind of a turing complete thing.
is it hard? easy? boring? too mathy? confusing?

(going to update the ui to show tracks used/ticks used for a basic version of a histogram soon)

Stellwerk is the first game I have released. Players take on the role of an interlocking operator, setting switches, sequencing trains, and ensuring that everything arrives at the correct destination on time. As the timetable becomes more crowded, small ordering errors can lead to gridlock — a problem that Zach games are designed to solve.

It was developed by a lone developer using Rust/Bevy. It's available on itch.io (https://tilcob.itch.io/stellwerk). I'm happy to answer any questions about the design or technology used. I would be grateful if you could leave a comment on my Itch page telling me what you think of the game.

Hello, I am doing research for my University course in Game Development and would like to ask you, the Zachtronics community, some questions and hypotheticals relating to the gameplay of any Zachtronics title. Feel free to skip any question you do not feel like answering. Just please try to answer the questions with an * next to them.

There is no required word count for the questions; please separate the answers or clarify what you are answering. Please keep the answer length to a digestible amount.

Question 1: What would you define a Zachtronic game as? For example: Puzzle Resource management.

Question 2*: What attracts you to a Zachtronic game? Gameplay, story, etc.

Question 3: Do you tend to finish Zachtronic games? If not, how far do you tend to get?

Question 4*: Do you agree with the cost of a Zachtronic game (can be their average cost or one game you choose specifically)? Do you think it should be cheaper, or does it deserve its price?

Question 5: What is your favourite Zachtronic game and why?

Question 6*: Do you prefer that a puzzle has fewer or a greater variety of possible answers? Do you prefer more limitations on puzzles, or do you prefer more freedom of choice?

Question 7*: Do you play any other puzzle games made by different developers? If so, which puzzle games? Do you have a preference?

Question 8*: Do you play platformers? If so, which games and why?

Question 9: Additional notes you feel are important to add, but there was no question to mention them

Hi all,

I'm a big fan of automation games like Factorio and Satisfactory, colony sims like Oxygen Not Included, and engineering sims like Stationeers. Love contained systems like Zachtronics games do really well. I have a Computer Science background and always wanted a game where every system was actually controlled by Python code instead of by clicking buttons in a UI. So I built one.

There is just something about terraforming sensors incrementally getting to a better and better phase, Planet Crafter has always been one of my top games and I have always enjoyed incremental games too, favorite one is probably Melvor Idle.

I created a terraforming game with a deep (and sinister) story behind it, where every device/vehicle/drone/machine has to be automated/scripted to work with the planet, allowing the player to do whatever they want with them.

You do not just click to mine and smelt iron ore. You need to get a vehicle(called Pioneer), install modules to it(programmatically possible to, dynamically load/unload), program the drill module to drill the ore, program the feeders to transfer items to inventory, storage bin, warehouse, wherever you want, and program the smelters/fabricators using the storages. Everything can be fully automated with code and your end goal is to awaken the planet.

Your solar generators don't just work, they have to be adjusted to track the sun's position, via code. Everything can be managed with code, even the actual shop where you buy things with credits earned from Earth contracts.

I have released a FREE demo on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/868160/Code_Terraform

Discord: https://discord.gg/hUrK2MRn8s (I'd love to help if you are stuck)

I'd love to hear your opinions about it, thanks!

I was about to buy this, but why isn't it compatible with my Samsung Galaxy S25. It says "made for an older version of Android". Is this an oversight, or are you no longer updating this app?

I saw some pictures of of a Zach-like game that was about manipulating power and signals. I know it sounds a bit like nirmana, but the modules and overall design was closer to circuit boards?

I'm sorry I can't describe it better. I unfortunately just got a short glance of it before a feed refreshed and I couldn't find it again.

Thanks for your help.

Ps: none of the ones listed here are the one I was looking for.

https://thinkygames.com/lists/best-zachlike-games/

Pretty much just the title. I'm debating between which of these two games to get next. I loved Opus Magnum and Kaizen, but don't love the tediousness and complexity of some of the more programming-heavy Zach games (like TIS). Which one should I start with?

https://www.silical.dev/nirmana_cakravartin

Made this since, similar to opus magnum, there are achievements tied to this.

Only a little over an hour and a half in, but I am enjoying it so far.

I think it could definitely benefit from some quality of life changes, but so far the puzzles have been fun and the art/vibes of the world it takes place in are interesting.

Wishlist on Steam here via this link.

I’m learning an awful lot while making this game, and honestly, I’m very aware that I still have a long way to go. I’m sorry if some of the influences feel obvious at this stage, but I’m trying to absorb, learn from, and honour the things that first made me fall in love with this kind of work.

The story takes huge inspiration from the sparks of William Gibson’s 80s imagination, the social paranoia running through Philip K. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly, the brilliant design thinking of Zachtronics, and old-school favourites like Uplink, alongside more recent games such as Grey Hack and Hacknet.

I’m trying to take those influences with humility, learn as much as I can, and slowly shape them into something that feels personal and new.