A=B

A=B is a programming puzzle game with only one instruction: A=B, which means replacing A with B.

A=B is a puzzle, programming and casual game developed and published by Artless Games.
Released on March 29th 2022 is available on Windows and MacOS in 4 languages: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Japanese.

It has received 768 reviews of which 736 were positive and 32 were negative resulting in a rating of 9.0 out of 10. 😎

The game is currently priced at 4.99€ on Steam.

The Steam community has classified A=B into these genres:

Puzzle Programming Casual Education Modern Text-Based Automation Dark Humor Indie Linear Singleplayer 2D Board Game Minimalist Minigames Hacking Card Game Logic Difficult

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at A=B through various videos and screenshots.

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Requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
Memory: 256 MB RAM
Storage: 256 MB available space

MacOS

OS: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
Memory: 256 MB RAM

Reviews

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Nov. 2024

I think the student in the game is a professor of computation theory in real life, while the professor looks like a student of compilation class.

Sept. 2024

The usual Zach-like disclaimer applies: Know what you are getting into. All the warnings from my TIS-100 review apply. Look at the screenshots -- not the ones with the planet in them, the other ones. That is the game -- that and a PDF manual to read. It's also an even more restrictive programming environment. We're talking so much of an esolang that bf would feel liberating! It's a love-letter to Zachtronics, but it's also a troll in inde-game form. But for what it is, it's a lot of fun! Fairly short unless you're going for perfection (and I did cheat a bit on one of the later problems), but just long enough to get really difficult. The plot is extremely silly and barely exists, but it's got a certain charm to it. I enjoyed my time with this game. Even the card game was solid! (Did TIS-100 have one of those?) An annoyingly complex set of rules to read out of a manual, but then I cleared it on the first attempt. That said, the comparison with TIS-100 mostly isn't flattering. TIS-100 may not look like much, but it has some subtle effect work. There are sounds, clacks and beeps and boops like an 8086 might make. It may be just text, but it's text rendered as if on an old CRT, with some deliberate glitching in some places, and some pretty bright greens and reds when appropriate. That's actually enough to really change how it feels to solve a puzzle. It has sort of a bare minimum of juice that a lot of programming games don't bother with. The plot even manages to carry a bit of atmosphere and mystery, as minimal as it is; A=B is mostly winking at the camera and saying "Ain't I a stinker for building a game like this?" (I had similar complaints about Lambda Spellcrafting Academy, but that game costs much more for much less content, and didn't really get anywhere near the potential for the programming idea it was exploring... whereas A=B feels like it takes the idea it had farther than anyone thought they wanted!) In fact, it's so minimal that it's easy to complain about normal IDE/editor stuff that's missing. Why can't I search/replace inside my own program? Why does the editor start to lag with only a few hundred lines of rules? It's hard not to wonder if the game would be better with no UI at all, just a Github repo with a series of tests to pass. (Of course, it'd be hard to sell that on Steam!) If this looks like something you're into, it's still an easy game to recommend. If you like Zachtronics and BF, you'll probably like this, especially for the price.

Aug. 2024

Incredible and interesting. Each new feature expanded things in a fun way. Chapter 5's 'realisation' made this legendary for me, and the realisation in the easier chapter 6 made this even more memorable

July 2024

Do you like esoteric programming languages? And recursion? If so, get some help

Jan. 2024

PROS: It's fun. CONS: At some point you realise or it is explained to you that you can ignore all of the special tools this game gives you, and do the puzzles in the most basic way, which is not a downside of the game, in fact it would be a fun challenge. The downside is that some puzzles are set up in such an unfortunate way that they are literally impossible if you wish to challenge yourself in this way.

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Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates

Steam data	21 November 2024 22:15
SteamSpy data	18 January 2025 06:30
Steam price	22 January 2025 20:24
Steam reviews	21 January 2025 16:01

4.99€

9.0

736

Online players

Developer

Artless Games

Publisher

Artless Games

Release 29 Mar 2022

Platforms