Automate It: Factory Puzzle

Automate It combines the gameplay characteristics of Polybridge and a factory game. You play short to medium length levels to convert given resources into other resources via a factory. You are constrained by building space, 'energy' for your factory, and time limits (though these requirements may be disabled). After completing a level, you can compete on leaderboards in various categories and gain points on an overall global board. You may also create your own levels and play others levels. Expect to think deeply about your building placements and come up with creative solutions. Automate It is unique, sometimes feeling strategic, sometimes like a puzzle, and sometimes like a factory game. I enjoy all of these aspects and I like to both build large, grand designs and make careful optimizations. At the time of review the community is rather small and the developers are very active on the discord, fixing problems and asking for feedback. Expect 100 or so hours of content overall, a thoughtful interface, and decent graphics. I definitely think it is worth the price if you are interested in this special concept.

Linear optimization: the video game. Very fun, certainly challenging. It's clear that a lot of thought went into the 3D building system, something that’s not easy to pull off, especially when working across all three axes. I know how tough it can be to make such a system intuitive and responsive, and the developers did a fantastic job here. Other devs (maybe even the VR/AR industry which also faces this issue frequently) could honestly learn from how well this was handled. Controls are amazing and again, very well thought out. You can build quickly and easily, especially once you get accustomed to the great range of keyboard shortcuts. The music is quite experimental, which I actually appreciate, though it can be a bit hit-or-miss. In the early levels (especially World 1), the click-clack percussion felt like it took too much liberty and ended up being more distracting than immersive. That said, by the time I reached World 3, the soundtrack improved a lot—much better mixing and no more overpowering percussion. World 2 and 3 in particular have noticeably cleaner and more balanced sound. I'm curious what the other worlds have to offer from a music perspective. The difficulty is no joke. I’ve given up trying to meet the power/space requirements because it’s just mentally exhausting, but in a good way. It’s still extremely rewarding, and I keep coming back to it. The ambient sounds (like birds chirping, wind, etc.) paired with the beautiful environments create an atmosphere that’s honestly one of the main reasons I return. It’s relaxing and satisfying, even when the puzzles are melting my brain. Sound effects overall are great, though occasionally a bit too bass-heavy when you place something down, which I already noticed in the trailer. Highly recommended if you're into thoughtful design, tough puzzles, and a uniquely immersive vibe.

Te fact that I can't see how many items a machine processes from the buying screen was completely infuriating so I refunded the game

YAWN. First section poses it as a fun, casual puzzle game. Then the alt recipes come in and you realize this game consists only of all the least fun aspects of Satisfactory. If you're the sort of person who played Satisfactory with a spreadsheet up on your second monitor, you will enjoy this game - though I could point you to a number of data entry and logistics jobs which would scratch the same itch. For everyone else, the enjoyment is short-lived past the first section. Also, for me this runs worse than actual Satisfactory despite looking like a mobile game.

I'm losing way too much sleep because of this game. But it feels so good every time I find some little change that can make my build slightly more efficient. And how am I supposed to sleep knowing that just a few more adjustments will push me up to #1 on the rankings?