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[toythatkills]

Sokobond is a game about chemistry, but don't let that scare you. It's about chemistry in the same way that SpaceChem is; as a mechanic for awesome puzzles. You won't need
any knowledge of chemistry at all (you might even gain a little bit!)

It's out now for the PC, and costs $10 for a DRM-free version - and is even cheaper for the next few days! You can also vote for it on Greenlight here, and if you've bought it
previously you'll get the Steam version if/when it releases.

So, how does it play? This is a level of Sokobond:

If you've ever played a puzzle game before, you probably had pangs of recognition about the title of this game, and you can certainly see what's going on now! Basically, it plays a
bit like Sokoban.

Where in that game, though, your goal was to push blocks onto certain squares, your goal here is to construct molecules. You control the atom surrounded by a dotted line, and
use the arrow keys to move it around. The small dots around each atom signify how many bonds it can have. So, for example, if you bonded the two hydrogen atoms on the left
and right together, both would use up their available single bond, and so the solution would fail! Sometimes, though, you can use atoms which have had their bonds used up to
push other atoms around to make them accessible. Your ultimate goal is to bond all the atoms together (and use all available bonds) and then you can move on!

Hopefully that doesn't sound too complicated because, well, it's not. It's incredibly simple to get to grips with the game and its mechanics, but the puzzles soon get very difficult...

More screenshots?

This is what the level select screen looks like:

When you beat a level you unlock the levels around it, and beating a level by an arrow unlocks a new set which may contain a new mechanic. Like the one here, for example:

If you pass a bond over a plus sign, it adds an extra bond between the two atoms. Here's what a solution to that looks like, then:

Educational! There's a bunch more mechanics, but I'll let you discover them for yourself. I'll leave you with this, instead, a trailer for the game:

 

[joe2187]

Can I make meth?

 

[toythatkills]

I haven't got all the way through yet, but the potential for it is certainly there!

Well, methylamine anyway...

 

[krae_man]

Just played this at PAX. Loved it. Will be buying it when I catch up on my sleep.

 

[honorless]

Watched the credits roll a few hours ago and have since played a few bonus levels. An excellent variation of Sokoban. Well worth the $8.50 I spent.

Because I liked it so much, I'm giving a copy away.

To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line below containing the key.

Rules for this Giveaway:
- This is a giveaway for the thread url: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=666937.
- This giveaway is a raffle. The winners will be selected by random draw 3 hours after the draw was created. Any games not claimed after that point will be given away first come first serve.
- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two:

Sokobond -- MB-CDF8DEC01EC035A4 - Taken by perfect free. 6 entrants total.

 

[Toma]

Watched the credits roll a few hours ago and have since played a few bonus levels. An excellent variation of Sokoban. Well worth the $8.50 I spent.

Because I liked it so much, I'm giving a copy away.

Would Love to Enter, but can't do Modbot ATM, yay.

 

[Ultra Magnus]

Will be buying right now, good lookin out!

 

[honorless]

Would Love to Enter, but can't do Modbot ATM, yay.

...you can post but you can't send PMs? Is this some kind of problem with the mobile client?

 

[perfect free]

Hey, thanks so much for doing this giveaway, honorless! =D Gonna check the game out right now.

 

[Khaz]

Linux

Yay!

Adobe AIR

Support discontinued since 2011, No x64 binaries. You should just let it die and use something else.

 

[toythatkills]

9/10 on Eurogamer!

 

[Toma]

9/10 on Eurogamer!

I already mentioned it in the Indie thread I think, but even I, having an interest in this game, need a demo to buy it. 10$ is simply too steep without any demo.

Seriously. Indie Devs. All of you. YOU NEED A DEMO.

 

[PureGone]

Can I make meth?

If the answer to this is yes, i am buying this game no questions asked.

I already mentioned it in the Indie thread I think, but even I, having an interest in this game, need a demo to buy it. 10$ is simply too steep without any demo.

Seriously. Indie Devs. All of you. YOU NEED A DEMO.

Indie games are too small for demos, most rely on a single gimmick. I dont see indie demos becoming a thing.

 

[Toma]

Indie games are too small for demos, most rely on a single gimmick. I dont see indie demos becoming a thing.

That may be your opinion, but I am afraid that I disagree wholeheartedly. Indies NEED demos because its otherwise impossible to get even a bit of attention from the gaming community. There are exceptions to this rule, but they are far and few in between.

Besides, plenty of Indies have demos, they already became a thing. Just check Desura.

And I dont get how you can say that Indies rely on a single gimmick either or how that would affect a demo. If the full game of Sokobond has 40 levels, put out a 5 level demo, done. That way people liking it, would still have enough to play if they like the gameplay. Sokobond probably fits your description because it has one puzzle mechanic that is used to solve the levels, but a) puzzle mechanics arent a "gimmick" and b) that is an inherent issue of most puzzle games. Bejeweled, Braid, Plants versus Zombies, etcetc, they all rely on a single central gameplay mechanic. Far from classifying it as a "gimmick", it actually helps structuring the games and properly develop these elements which might have been less developed if these games were watered down by other mechanics.

That "gimmick" comment is becoming more nonsense the more I think about it. Actually, I'd even argue that demos are way more useful for Indies than they are for AAA, but that discussion is for another day.

 

[toythatkills]

This is a little bump to let people know that this game is on Steam now. 20% off! It's still brilliant, by the way.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/290260/

If you already bought it, you can get your Steam key from here: https://www.humblebundle.com/?s=resender

 

[krae_man]

Finally. So bought!