''Sokobond'' is a
puzzle video game created by Alan Hazelden and Harry Lee. Gameplay involves moving atoms around 2D grids to form chemical compounds. The game was released on
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
,
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
, and
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
in August 2013. It was later released for
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
in September 2021, and
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
and
Android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
in May 2022. The game received generally favorable reviews from critics.
Gameplay
''Sokobond'' is a
Sokoban-style
puzzle video game themed around creating
chemical compounds from
atoms
Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons.
Every solid, liquid, gas, an ...
.
In each level, the player is presented with a 2D grid containing walls and atoms. The player controls one of the atoms, and moves it around the level. Moving atoms next to each other bonds them, and the two atoms then move together as a compound.
There are five elements introduced: carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and helium, able to form four, three, two, one, and zero bonds respectively.
There are a total of 105 levels, grouped into sections with themed challenges.
Mechanics introduced in later sections include introducing objects that can remove bonds, increase the order of a bond, or rearrange bonded molecules.
Development and release
''Sokobond'' was created by
independent developers
An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...
Alan Hazelden and Harry Lee.
The game's music was composed by Allison Walker.
The game was released on
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
,
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
,
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
-based
personal computer
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
s on 27 August 2013.
The game was later released on the
digital distribution service
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
,
after being
greenlit by the community.
On 2 September 2021, the game was released on
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
.
It was ported to
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
and
Android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
on 19 May 2022.
''
Sokobond Express'', a mashup of ''Sokobond'' and Alan Hazelden's ''
Cosmic Express'', was announced on 27 July 2021,
and released on 22 February 2024.
Reception
''Sokobond'' received "generally favorable" reviews from professional critics according to
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
Reviewers generally praised its chemistry theming as aiding in grasping the game's abstractions, without requiring the player to understand chemistry.
They also praised ''Sokobond''s
minimalism
In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...
, both in terms of visual design and level design. ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
'' appreciated that the game added difficulty without increasing the number of elements in a level.
''
Killscreen
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
'' commented that the game managed to reuse its few elements in many intriguing ways.
''
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
' ...
'' found that the simplicity of the art and sound direction elegantly mirrored the simplicity of the gameplay.
The game was favorably compared to its inspiration ''
Sokoban''. ''Eurogamer'' opined that the theming of levels around mechanics and nonlinear level progression made it better.
''
Rock Paper Shotgun'' contrasted it with the frustrating nature of Sokoban levels.
''
Hardcore Gaming 101
''Hardcore Gaming 101'' is an online video game magazine founded by Kurt Kalata. Kalata established the site after graduating college, when he noticed the overabundance of game strategy guides, and felt that someone should create more books about ...
'' compared ''Sokobond'' to other indie puzzlers, finding that although the game didn't do much differently in terms of general design, its usage of player freedom through its grid-based movement introduced a new component of the game's difficulty.
The game was showcased as a finalist in the 2013
IndieCade festival, and received an honorable mention in the 2014
Independent Games Festival in the category "Excellence in Audio".
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.sokobond.com
2013 video games
Linux games
MacOS games
Indie games
Puzzle video games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Windows games
iOS games
Android (operating system) games