Exapunks Review

Entering Hardcore Hacking Mode

Today’s topic is probably the most niche game I’ll ever cover on this Substack: Exapunks, a programming puzzle game. Exapunks was released in 2018 by the now defunct gaming studio Zachtronics. Zachtronics focused almost exclusively on difficult puzzle games based on science topics like chemistry and electrical engineering. Exapunks is their take on a puzzle game inspired by the low-level assembly programming language.

If you have no interest in programming, that probably sounds terribly boring to you. However, Exapunks is very good at making the rather dry subject matter interesting. It mainly does this via its presentation and its setting.

Setting

Exapunks takes place in an alternative version of the year 1997. The world is heavily computerized, and it’s powered by programmable software agents called EXAs. Our protagonist is a semi-retired hacker called Moss. He is part of the titular hacker group “Exapunks”. Moss is forced out of his retirement as he suffers from a serious disease, and…