Puzzletronics Analog Eletronics

Puzzletronics is a short minimalist games about circuit design, sort of...

Aesthetically it is quite nice, a decent OST but as a tool to teach even the most basic electronics it's very basic and not particularly inspired. All the parts are there, diodes, resistors, capacitors etc... but none of them do anything really related to their actual function in a DC circuit. Resistors are just a piece of wire, diodes and LEDs have to arranged one way with the flow, capacitors have to be in parallel, the pieces are just that, placeholders for basic puzzle rules.

There are 70 levels, some that break the games own rules and many make no sense electronically or would even function as described. Voltage and current leaks everywhere.

There is some potential for an interesting puzzle game in the electronics space, where voltages, currents and circuit design play a part but this game is not it.

puzzletronics analog eletronics (sic!), subtitled analog logic in the library, is the re-release of puzzletronics under a different developer/publisher name, after the original got removed from steam for review manipulation. as far as I know, it was the friends and family variety, but still not cool.

it's a short minimalist tile-switching puzzler featuring transistors, resistors, leds and other vibrant characters living on colorful circuit boards. some of them are introduced after starting a new game, the rest as they join the adventure, and you gotta create working circuits by replacing one part of the board with another until everything is positioned correctly. no timer, move limit or any penalties for experimenting.

there are 70 levels (the original had 60), and while component descriptions hold some educational value, the game itself doesn't, as most levels wouldn't work outside the game. so not much point in learning what everything does, a bit of trial & error should lead to the solution pretty fast.

there are resolution options, windowed mode, volume settings (just the one slider) and a level selection screen, but the game is pretty buggy, just like the original. audio turns on every time the game is started and windowed mode resolution resets to the default one when you go back to the menu. the font is ugly too and the store page tag abuse is still real: point & click, tabletop, strategy, sandbox, board game, clicker, cute - none of these are accurate, they're only used to make the game appear everywhere it shouldn't. again, not cool.

all in all, it's not terrible, not great, takes about an hour (only completed the original, since it's the same thing), and I initially gave it a thumbs up (only noticed some bugs after the game got banned), but even if I disregarded the facts that the developer broke some rules, abused the tag system and circuits don't actually work, a thumbs down is still the only way to go because bugs reported by multiple people for the original are still present and the price went up as well.

Major Pros:

• 70 levels

Minor Pros:

• Clean visuals

Major Cons:

• Sometimes circuits seemed to be rejected for no reason

Minor Cons:

• Averaged 30 seconds per level
• Only lightly themed after real electronics

Quick Recommendation

I found Puzzletronics Analog Eletronics to be enjoyable after ignoring the theming and treating it as a mindless tile arranging game. It killed more than half an hour but considering it has 70 levels that should tell potential players how easy the game is. And that includes fiddling with levels where the game didn't want to accept a seemingly valid solution. I recommend Puzzle Analog Eletronics to players looking for a short relaxing experience where they can turn their brain off.

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In-depth Review

Puzzletronic Analog Eletronics (aka Puzzletronic Analog Logic) is a short minimalist puzzle game about arranging pieces themed on electronic circuit elements. It has 70 levels, but it only took me an average of about 30 seconds to complete reach one. Most of the puzzle lies in arranging the tiles to create a fully connected circuit, with additional placement rules coming from the special components. Overall the game has a clean visual style and relaxing music.

One thing potential players should be aware of is the theming on electronic components is very loose. The pieces are a vague abstraction of what those components do in real life and the circuits that are created in each level are not necessarily functioning circuits. Don't expect to learn anything about electronics from this game. It's a shame because I feel the game would have been more enjoyable if the electronics theming had been left off. If instead, the game focused on the rules around placing the tiles instead of appealing to folks that like electronics, it could have attracted more folks interested in the mechanics and not disappoint them with inaccuracies.

The most frustrating thing for me was the incomplete rules around placing the tiles with components. As each component is introduced, the player is given a short description of the rules around placing it. Often the player can meet these requirements but have their circuit rejected, leading to fiddling around and swapping pieces until the game accepts the solution. There seem to be additional rules the game doesn't state, or perhaps some levels are coded to only accept a particular solution.