Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

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KDH
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Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by KDH »

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Early Access ... :character-koolaid: ... Opus_Magnum @ Steam
Opus Magnum is the latest open-ended puzzle game from Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem, Infinifactory, and SHENZHEN I/O. Design and build machines that assemble potions, poisons, and more using the alchemical engineer’s most advanced tool: the transmutation engine!
Positive Reviews (26)
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by Vesper »

I am in love with this game already. It's like a new more refined SpaceChem.
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by jztemple2 »

I'm following it, but no Early Access for me right now.
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by tgb »

It looks good but I'l wait until it's finished (wishlisted for now).
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by Butterknife »

Does this game (and the other games from this developer) have some kind of metagame? Or is it really just a series of puzzles? Does doing well on a puzzle have any meaning outside of a high score?
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by jztemple2 »

Butterknife wrote: Sun Oct 22, 2017 12:35 pm Does this game (and the other games from this developer) have some kind of metagame? Or is it really just a series of puzzles? Does doing well on a puzzle have any meaning outside of a high score?
Oops, I guess no one ever answered this. I don't have Opus Magnum yet (but I'm leaning that way). In the previous games there was indeed an overall story that gave some kind of rational for the series of puzzles you face. Would I call it a metagame? I don't know. You have to complete each puzzle to unlock the next, but I guess the higher level story was just to give a nice continuity to the sequence.

Doing well on a puzzle, like having a quicker execution time or using fewer parts, didn't have any affect on the overall story, but you can compare your solution to everyone else and see if folks were more clever than you (this was usually the case for me). Sometimes this motivated me to go back and tweak my solution, but usually not as I'm one of those people who just was happy everything ran.

My favorite game of the Zachtronics line is Infinifactory. Unlike SpaceChem you had pretty much unlimited space to work in, although not always. And it was three dimensional which appealed to me. And you were producing a product which made what you were doing make sense. My least favorite game was TIS-100 because it was so abstracted and I feel like I was just coming up with the solution they wanted; there were other solutions of course, but it was damn hard to fit them in the limited space.

The reviews for Opus Magnum are "Overwhelmingly Positive" and what I'm liking in the reviews are mentions that unlike SpaceChem you have unlimited work space and overall you are free to create your own solution. I didn't remember to get it when it was on sale during the week after the release of the non-Early Access version, but I'm thinking that I don't really care about spending a couple more bucks.
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by jztemple2 »

I went ahead and picked this up. I've played an hour and I'm finding it a lot of fun. It is like SpaceChem, but not as confining. In the spoiler below I've posted two of my solutions for the last puzzle in the tutorial, Stabilized Water; it is the only freeform puzzle in the tutorial. Only look if you don't plan on getting the game, have already done this puzzle, or want to know what a couple of solutions might look like. It's like the Hello World version of this game.
Spoiler:
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by jztemple2 »

After nine hours of gameplay, I'm rather disappointed. While I realize I haven't gotten to the most difficult puzzles, the methodology is rather repetitive. Each puzzle uses the same 2D level, the tools are pretty much the same, and since there are no constraints to size, number of cycles or cost, after a while there is little motivation to strive for efficiency other than in comparison to what others have done. If you are the creative type (I'm not) and/or the type that is driven to make things just that much more efficient (again, not me) then you might find this game appealing. However, for me it feels like work.
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by Lorini »

Thanks for the follow up! I was looking at it as well.
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by jztemple2 »

I'm not saying that it isn't a fun game, it is. Solving each puzzle does require some brain work which is a good mental exercise. And if you are the type who likes tweaking the solutions for better and better results, you'll have a blast. Or if you are the creative type and want to have something that looks like some wild steampunk machine, you can put together a solution that looks awesome. So don't take my earlier comments as a negative. It just depends what you are looking for.

I'll also say that this is NOT like a Portal puzzle game. There is no ultimate solution that everyone will eventually find. It's much more freeform.
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by Isgrimnur »

Rocket Propellant
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Last edited by Isgrimnur on Sun Sep 18, 2022 6:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by Isgrimnur »

Life-sensing potion
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Re: Opus Magnum - Puzzle Game From Zachtronics (SpaceChem \ Infinifactory)

Post by Isgrimnur »

Finished with the story line. I have no interest in building molecules in boxes, so that means I'm done.
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