Sixty Four
Review
Block busting simulated factory
by Howie Howard
reviewed on PC
Sixty Four, the block busting simulated factory
Sixty Four is a strategy simulation and casual idler game developed by Oleg Danilov and published by indie game house Playsaurus. The game can best be described as being a factory simulator where the game player starts out with a single machine that has the ability to produce a set of eight big black cubes. These big cubes then need to be broken up by using the mouse cursor to click on the blocks which breaks them up in to 64 small cubes. This set up doesn't look like a factory in a traditional factory simulation manner, it looks and seems to be more like a complex puzzle that needs to be figured out.
Sixty Four starts out as a rather slow paced clicking affair, but as you progress the block busting can be enhanced and sped up by the purchase of helper machines and upgrades that are unlocked. Eventually the clicking that is needed to break up one big block in to the 64 small cubes is incrementally decreased until you gain the ability to have the big blocks broken up automatically by even more advanced machines and upgrades. The cost of the helper machines will increase with each new and more complex unit.
What does all of this wrench throwing sound like?
Does this sound complicated? It can be rather complicated at times because knowing how and where to place the machines for optimal performance is not explained in detail. There is a rather minimalist storyline that involves the player character conversing with an unknown entity in the background. This is where some rather cryptic hints are provided. It helps a bit, but the help seems limited and I ended up relying on the good old trial and error method in the beginning. As a result, I restarted a few times because my initial machine placement proved to be ineffective. Unfortunately players cannot move the placed machine and that can make placement of machines be a bit frustrating, at least until you can figure out the proper procedure. Eventually I just let it go because it was a waste of time to keep starting over again.
Initially, all of the small black cubes consist of a black substance called Charonite. As progress is made you start to see yellow and then purple blocks mixed in. The small yellow cubes are called Elmerine and the purple are Qanetite. As you move through the game and as the upgrades become more advanced, in addition to the Charonite cubes an ever increasing number of Elmerine and Qanetite cubes will be required to buy new machines. Also, to throw a wrench in to the process, all of these machines require fuel to keep operating. If you can't supply the Elmerine and Qanetite by breaking blocks only, eventually the upgrade will not work and the manufacturing process will slow or stop.
Running an efficient factory
Trying to balance out the various required resources to keep the factory running in this resource gathering manufacturing setting can be complicated but don't worry, there is an answer. The developer has included machines that can be used to convert the base element Charonite in to the other more advanced and necessary element materials. This will keep the process of having an efficient and fully automated factory humming along very nicely!
Sixty Four is a very well thought out and engaging manufacturing game but the need to learn by trial and error can be a turn off for some. There is an option to delete placed machines but I would prefer to be able to move things around until the improvement to the manufacturing process is realized. It took me a while to finally realize that each machine needs to connect to the blocks or to the machine that it is intended to be helping. While the machine is being placed you can see little green connecting lines that indicates the machine is connected and operating properly. Perhaps a brief tutorial or the inclusion of being able to move bought machines around could be added to the game. This could serve to lessen the initial learning curve and serve to optimize the over all manufacturing process when needed.
This product is ready for the consumer
Sixty Four will serve to satisfy the many manufacturing enthusiasts out there. It is an in-depth simulation that provides a mysterious and very complex gaming environment. Developer Oleg Danilov has done an excellent job figuring out all of the intricacies of Sixty Four and when the factory is running automatically it is a wonder to behold! I have made some comments about being able to move things around but in the grand scheme of things that really doesn't matter much. This game is a keeper and it should be on your list of games to play because it requires the game player to think ahead and to plan instead of willy-nilly placing things all over the map like I tend to do!
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8.7
fun score
Pros
A very complex, engaging and fun experience!
Cons
Can't move placed objects around, have to delete them or just forget about them
