The simple commands and clear, vibrant lines navigating their grid perfectly meld together associations of programming, circuit diagramming, and chemical equation-writing. Instead, I would like to praise the game for some of its other elements, which are often overshadowed by its gameplay.įirst, I would like to extend some additional praise to an area of Spacechem which is sometimes maligned: the aesthetic simplicity mentioned above. As genius as the gameplay is, I feel that it has been discussed thoroughly by other commenters in the past several years in articles and videos across the internet. Its aesthetic simplicity in no way detracts from the tough-as-nails, riveting puzzle-solving.īut if you would like an overview of exactly how Spacechem is played, I would just refer you to Matthewmatosis’ excellent video on that subject. The screenshot above, however, shows most of the visual elements which accompany the player throughout the game (albeit a somewhat complicated example from later into the campaign).

In Spacechem, the player assumes the role of a scientist enlisted to work on chemical reactors on distant planets, where the company’s facilities are besieged by local fauna and by another mysterious presence. Yes, this game is a satisfying yet relentless challenge, but its virtues do not end there. But also like that Offspring Fling! article, it is not the primary gameplay of Spacechem which is going to the focus of this article: instead it is an aspect of the game that I haven’t seen many people mention: the game’s atmosphere and story. Spacechem is an amazing piece of software, elegant in its game-design simplicity and staggering in its gameplay complexity. No true fan of puzzle games should go through life without having experienced this title. The game which I would like to recommend, however, is hardly light, and it goes by the name Spacechem.

So, just like my post on Offspring Fling! from two weeks ago, I will be making this post another lighter recommendation. Last week was another slightly heavy entry into this series, focusing on the interpretation of pixel art, and pixel art as an artistic movement.

Spacechem music