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Bacteria

'Bacteria' - A relaxing puzzle game based on the rules of the cellular automaton ‘Life’ devised by John Horton Conway in 1970.

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1 Steam reviews

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1 total

≥h

Steam User 9303STEAMRecommended

Well now. I gave this one a proper sit, the way you would a puzzle laid out on the table after supper.

It feels less like a game and more like a schoolroom exercise left out for curious hands. There is a careful thought behind it. You can feel the work in the writing and the ideas, the same way you can tell when someone has taken pride in setting up their ledgers neatly. I respect that. It is not foolish, and it is not lazy.

But it is not really meant to be played. It is something to be examined. You prod it, adjust it, and watch what happens. If you have some comfort with numbers and systems, there is a modest pleasure in that. I had about three quarters of an hour of quiet interest, the same sort you get from fixing a drawer that never quite slid right.

What it does not do is lift itself into recreation. Without a head for the math behind it, much of it will feel like instructions written for someone else. Even with that understanding, it remains an exercise more than an amusement. It never quite relaxes its shoulders.

I am glad it exists. It is thoughtful and earnest, and I would rather have this than noise. But it stayed work, even when it tried to be play.

Jan 29, 2026·Verified