Everyone loves a bit a mind-numbing corporate work in the name of making a terrible wage. That's where Human Resource Machine kicks in, a 2015 effort from Tomorrow Corporation (of World of Goo fame).
When this launched in 2015 we were put off by the middling reviews it received. And so we didn't play it! Almost 10 years on, though, and it's time to catch up with the thing. Let's do just that!
Puzzle-Based Corporate Hoo-Hah Time in Human Resource Machine
This is a self-described puzzle game for nerds. The goal is to program white collar office workers to work and be excellent employees.
It gets a bit worryingly prescient here as "the machines" are coming to replace the humans! Little did they know about this whole AI craze thingy now.
In the game your boss provides instructions, it's then your job to carry that all out. The player automates little office workers and gets them to do their job super well.
Be warned, though, this is quite the complex little idea. Human Resource Machine is definitely unique in its approach as you have to approach programming with a surface level understanding. As the devs explain:
"Don't worry if you've never programmed before - programming is just puzzle solving. If you strip away all the 1's and 0's and scary squiggly brackets, programming is actually really simple, logical, beautiful, and something that anyone can understand and have fun with! Are you already an expert? There will be extra challenges for you."
In action, that looks a bit like this.
This is a visual programming puzzle game, the fact Tomorrow Corporation had to try and ease people's first about it is says a lot. Brave of them, though, to make a game like this.
In 2015 it did meet with mixed reviews. It's kind of an educational game in many respects, teaching players some basics on programming. But the second half of the game does get tougher, yet there's not much instructional assistance to help players navigate that bit.
Whereas advanced programmers will probably just breeze through the title with little bother.
Again, full marks for creative innovation here. But it doesn't seem like it knows what it's doing. Even though it is enjoyable, has that distinctive Tomorrow Corporation visual style, and another excellent Kyle Gabler soundtrack.
Tomorrow Corporation recently launched World of Goo 2, which we'll get round to reviewing soon. But in 2015 it was being very innovative, as the peculiar Little Inferno (2012) had set the scene for some interesting concepts.
You also get about four hours of gameplay time here. It's available on Steam, Android, and Nintendo Switch. Well worth a look if you think it intrigues your programming sensibilities.
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