Game: Pure Logic
Genre: Puzzle, logic
System: Steam (Windows and SteamDeck)
Developer | Publisher: Sigmund Hoien
Controller Support: No
Price: US $6.99 | UK £5.89 | EU € 5,25
Release Date: April 23rd, 2023
Review code used, with many thanks to Sigmund Hoien
You can find all kinds of video games in the puzzle genre. Some are based on the match-3 idea, others on the point & click school of thought, or they are jigsaws or based on math. So many different ways to exercise the brain and most of them come in the form of an adventure or at least an attractive themed background.
Pure Logic is different. No frills, no fancy background and no storytelling. It’s just you and the rules behind the different symbols. Now here’s a game Mr Spock would wholeheartedly approve of. I can just hear Leonard Nimoy say it now “Logic is the beginning of wisdom”. Now I wouldn’t go as far as to say this game is the beginning of wisdom, but it is a nice fresh take on the puzzle genre. Let’s take a look.
Plugs and Pointy Plugs
You start off with one node in what later on becomes a flower-like pattern, with one symbol. You are taught what effect is of the symbol at hand; the first one you learn is the OR symbol. In 12 steps, you have to guess what the effect is of a combination of white and black lines running into the OR gate. I know this is probably a no-no for technical people, but I called this one the pointy plug.
Going through the 12 steps, you find that:
- 2x a white line in leads to 1x white out
- 2x a black line in leads to 1x blackout
- 1x white and 1x black in leads to 1x white out.
To be honest, I jotted it down; the memory isn’t what it used to be. Based on the OR gate, you get five puzzles, where some lines are already given, to determine how the entire flowchart should look. Needless to say, based on the OR gate alone, this was easy.
Unlocking New Symbols
It gets more interesting when you unlock new symbols in Pure Logic. To the right and the left of the OR gate in the diagram, new nodes open up. To the left is the AND gate (I call it the flat plug), and to the left is the XOR gate (that I call the double pointy plug). Figure out the logic behind these symbols too, and after that, the diagram opens up to nodes where the different symbols are combined in one flowchart. New symbols unlock for you.
You end up with a diagram of nodes, making a pleasing pattern. More importantly, the more nodes you unlock, the more difficult it, of course, gets. As, of course, the flowcharts get bigger and utilize more symbols, making for more logical choices.
For every diagram, there’s only one way where it works. Submitting your solution rewards you with satisfying green checkmarks in every symbol…or not. If it’s a red cross, you’ve failed! That’s the only thing I don’t like in Pure Logic. You can’t rework the bit of the flowchart where the problem is; you must do it all over again!
Visuals, Sound and SteamDeck
As I’ve already mentioned, Pure Logic is pretty basic. A blue screen with white and black lines will be all you see. On the other hand, the game’s description is pretty clear about that: no frills, just logical choices.
There is no background music, just sounds when you choose either white or black and the satisfying pings of the right choice made.
I was happy to see it works well on the SteamDeck. You use the right keypad to choose and confirm it with the left or right shoulder. In fact, this is a game that would be perfect on your mobile device. A quick puzzle while on the bus or while enjoying a cup of coffee during your break.
Conclusion – Highly Logical
If reading what I’ve described above gives you a headache just by reading it, then I’d say this game is not for you. But if you like brain teasers like this or are studying to learn logic gates, this is a game for you.
I really liked being challenged this way, fiddling as long as needed until it all fit. A no-frills game, Pure Logic offers you more than 200 unique puzzles. In my opinion, it would be even better at home on a mobile device!
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot