Who wants to build an operating system from scratch?
If you’ve played SpaceChem, Infinifactory, Opus Magnum, or any of the other engineering puzzles of Zachtronics you’ll be familiar with the Zach-like subgenre—visual programming games where you build a system to turn input into output, every level a lesson in learning the tools, and then realizing there are multiple ways to achieve your goal with them.
While Zachtronics shut down a couple of years ago, other developers have picked up the ball and run with it. Last year this resulted in ABI-DOS, a game our Shaun Prescott recommended in his round-up of Steam games you didn’t realize came out that week. It’s a game about helping digital blocks get from A to B by laying down wires and instructions, a simple foundation it layers plenty of complications onto. The blocks you’re shifting around represent code, and sometimes that code can be corrupted. There’s also a meta-level where your work on this Assembly Based Interface Deus Operating System is being overseen by a sinister Admin. Spooky.
After launching with a price tag in November of 2024, the creator of ABI-DOS decided to give the game away for free instead. “This decision is not a reflection of the game’s quality—which I wholeheartedly believe is excellent—or its reception,” they wrote on Steam, “which has been very positive. I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve created, and I’m thrilled that many players have called it a worthy successor to Zachtronics-style games.
“That said, as a niche title, ABI-DOS has seen only modest sales since its release a month and a half ago. While there was a slight increase in sales during the Winter sale, the numbers remain low. Although the game could still be profitable into 2025, I’ve decided it’s better to make it free now to reach a broader audience and let more players experience it, even though it’s relatively early in its lifecycle. This decision is final: the game will remain free forever. I will continue to address any potential bugs, but the game’s content will likely remain unchanged from its current state.”
You can add ABI-DOS to your library for zero dollars and zero cents via its Steam page. On the subject of Zachtronics, some of the team have found new life as a developer of primarily tabletop games called Coincidence. They have one digital game available, however—an edugame about math and racing called Add Astra.
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