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SHENZHEN I/O

SHENZHEN I/O

Zachtronics · released Nov 16, 2016

IndieSimulationPC

BUILD CIRCUITS. WRITE CODE. RTFM.

Steam page ↗Metacritic · users 8.5 ↗
88
VGC Score
■Stablemedium confidence
91%
At launch
95%
Steam all-time
n/a
Press
100%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)––0
All-time Steam reviews95%891000
Metacritic user ratings––0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)100%973
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 88.6, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 4,509 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 9 reviews sampled · 9 total reviews in window · weighted 7.3 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (3)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 90
    Gaming NexusGaming Nexus
    trust 55Jun 30, 2017

    “Shenzhen I/O is perfect for those that have an interest in programming the old-fashioned way, and those that enjoy experimenting with code-drive electronics, without the hassles and burdens of working for the man. It is a fairly steep learning curve, but that's just the cost of puzzles that provide immense satisfaction when completed.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Everyeye.itEveryeye.it
    trust 53Nov 23, 2016

    “SHENZHEN I/O is both a game and a learning tool. Following the path of an educational game like SpaceChem, is offered for free to schools that request it. It is, however, a complex product, difficult to understand and play, with a very steep difficulty curve.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    4P.de
    trust 52Nov 28, 2016

    “Barth doesn’t reinvent his concept of “creative work”, but extends it in the most comprehensive way, thus making Shenzen I/O to one of the best puzzle games around. ”

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. UPDATE: Fix for mouse alignment bug on Mac
    Oct 4, 2022
  2. UPDATE: Fixing an issue with M1 Macs
    Jan 3, 2021
  3. UPDATE: Fixing the crash handler and histograms
    Nov 14, 2020
  4. UPDATE: Minor translation items
    Oct 15, 2020
  5. UPDATE: Fix for keyboard input bug
    Jan 2, 2019
  6. UPDATE: Improved error messages
    Oct 29, 2018
  7. UPDATE: Histogram fix for high-intensity Workshop players
    Mar 5, 2018
  8. UPDATE: Histogram fix for high-intensity Workshop players
    Mar 5, 2018
  9. UPDATE: More localization tweaks
    Jan 30, 2018
  10. UPDATE: More localization tweaks
    Jan 30, 2018
  11. UPDATE: Disabled code, Chinese string tweaks
    Jan 29, 2018
  12. UPDATE: Disabled code, Chinese string tweaks
    Jan 29, 2018
  13. UPDATE: Long-awaited "enhanced realism" mode for SHENZHEN I/O!
    Jan 25, 2018
  14. UPDATE: Long-awaited "enhanced realism" mode for SHENZHEN I/O!
    Jan 25, 2018
  15. UPDATE: Removing a dependency
    Jul 3, 2017
  16. UPDATE: Removing a dependency
    Jul 3, 2017
  17. UPDATE: Better text rendering
    Jan 19, 2017
  18. UPDATE: Better text rendering
    Jan 19, 2017
  19. UPDATE: conceptSPEC crash fix
    Dec 27, 2016
  20. UPDATE: conceptSPEC crash fix
    Dec 27, 2016
  21. UPDATE: conceptSPEC fixes
    Dec 7, 2016
  22. UPDATE: conceptSPEC fixes
    Dec 7, 2016
  23. UPDATE: Steam Workshop on Mac and Linux, aquatic harvester
    Dec 2, 2016
  24. UPDATE: Steam Workshop on Mac and Linux, aquatic harvester
    Dec 2, 2016
  25. UPDATE: More conceptSPEC fixes
    Nov 29, 2016
  26. UPDATE: More conceptSPEC fixes
    Nov 29, 2016
  27. UPDATE: Some conceptSPEC fixes
    Nov 29, 2016
  28. UPDATE: Some conceptSPEC fixes
    Nov 29, 2016
  29. UPDATE: Design your own puzzles in conceptSPEC!
    Nov 29, 2016
  30. UPDATE: Design your own puzzles in conceptSPEC!
    Nov 29, 2016
  31. UPDATE: New achievements
    Nov 21, 2016
  32. UPDATE: New achievements
    Nov 21, 2016
  33. UPDATE: Making the second-to-last puzzle hard again
    Nov 19, 2016
  34. UPDATE: Making the second-to-last puzzle hard again
    Nov 19, 2016
  35. UPDATE: Small fixes for re-verification tool
    Nov 17, 2016
  36. UPDATE: Small fixes for re-verification tool
    Nov 17, 2016
  37. UPDATE: Design re-verification tool
    Nov 17, 2016
  38. UPDATE: Design re-verification tool
    Nov 17, 2016
  39. UPDATE: New puzzle balance tweaks, XBus fixes
    Nov 15, 2016
  40. UPDATE: New puzzle balance tweaks, XBus fixes
    Nov 15, 2016

…and 46 earlier patch announcements.