Buy TIS-100

This review will be divised in two parts: for programmers and for non-programmers. But first, let me just answer quickly two questions: no, you don't need to know how to program to play this game (though it would help), and no, it won't teach you how to program (in assembly or otherwise).

For programmers:
You love programming? You don't program just as a job, but also as a hobby? You love writing useless yet challenging programs? You love doing competitive programming (Project Euler, Hackerrank, Codingame...)? You just couldn't get enough of this system hardware/assembly class? Then this is the game for you! However, don't be fooled; even though your skills will come handy, this game has little to do with assembly, and is even very different from programming. It's very "spatial": you have data going from one chip to the other, with each chip having its own code (that you write) that tells it how to deal with the data. There's one register by chip, and only a dozen of instructions. This has almost nothing to do with anything you've done before.

For non-programmers:
The game may look complicated and/or boring, but don't be afraid: fun comes from the solutions you find to the problems, it just doesn't need an elaborate presentation. Also, if you've never programmed before, it won't prevent you from enjoying it. Your learning curve will certainly be a little bit slower than a programmer's one, but if you're able to read, think logically and compute, you've got everything to succeed. There's a manual included in the game. It's a couple of pages and you have to read it carefully, but so would anyone since it's an invented programming language. If you have patience and enjoy mathematical or logical puzzles, this might be a very enjoyable experience for you! It will be very novel and hardcore, but if some people enjoy Dark Souls, I don't see why non-programmers (aka Muggles) wouldn't enjoy TIS-100 (not to say that this is anything comparable). However, I've said it before and I'll repeat it: this will NOT teach you how to code. At best, it will teach you how to think like a programmer, but there are better resources to do so (like Scratch, which is free and understandable for anyone, even a 6 years-old kid).

Finally, Zach stops beating around the bush and releases a game that's literally just programming. To no one's surprise, it's great. Oh, and if you have trouble with DECIMAL TO OCTAL CONVERTER or SPATIAL PATH VIEWER, you have me to thank. :)

I wouldn't recommend this game to everyone (obviously), but if you are a coder, it's really great fun.

The first layer of challenge is finding solutions to individual tasks. Some of them even resemble the actual problems I had to deal with in the past.

Next one is the optimization - try to use less instructions, cycles, nodes...

And then there are mysteries to solve!

Brilliant stuff.

Another excellently infuriating puzzle game from Zachtronics. I've never appreciated the humble IF statement in high-level languages more.

Do you like to debug 70s era code languages?

Do you like to manage memory by hand without all the modern conveniences of C?

Ever wanted to readdress an array line by line?

TIS-100 does not use traditional assembly languages. It is not practical, and has no real-world applications. That being said, it's a ton of fun and scratches an itch that few puzzle games can reach. I am once again struck with the frustration of being unable to solve a mundane task using a low-level programming language, a feeling I've nearly forgotten (curse you, MIPS). I'm morally obligated to recommend this game to anyone who enjoys math or science puzzles, or anyone with even a minor interest in programming/computer science. TIS-100 is a game for the competitive spirit with no qualms about debugging.

Complex puzzle game with simple rules. While it's ultimatley a programming puzzle you don't need to have a strong basis in programming to grasp the basics of the game and begin solving puzzles. Each puzzle isn't limited to one solution, but there are various ways to check the proformance of your solution.

It amounts to flow of information through various obstacles, your goal is to visualize the abstract path and create bridges or alterations to the data for delivery to the end system with a specific output in mind.

Fun little game and would recommend to anyone interested in non-standard puzzles requiring thinking outside the box and don't mind a small learning curve.

This was a great game that can also help you learn some logic and mindsets of programming. I highly recommend this, especially for the pricetag. I could easily get 30+ hrs in this game.

A game caught somewhere on the line between a typical puzzle-game and an actual college computer-class's homework.

Get ready to do some thinking and debugging!

As someone who doesn't know a ton about programming, I can proudly say that I finally 100%'d this game with all achievements. Absolute hell, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it.