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As far as programming-puzzle games go, Algo Bot is over-polished tripe.

The puzzles are just too easy. Algo Bot is like a gamified version of Logo, with one path to follow; your job is to lay out a sequence of movement commands that will get the little 'bot to its destination. That's it.

The only challenging aspect of these puzzles is fitting that sequence of commands into a program of limited length. Occasionally, the solution will be to find a creatively optimal route, but most often - almost always - it is to "optimize" the program's use of functions. And the term function feels like a misnomer, because they don't allow for parameterization, and there are no flow-control commands for looping or breaking; these are more like flat macros.

In other words, with a size limit of 16 commands, if you need 20 steps to get through the puzzle... you just need to move 5 of those steps into a function. Pretty dumb, huh?

Its lack of complexity is Algo Bot's primary sin, but the obnoxious UI doesn't do the game any favors. Command sequences are arranged by drag-and-drop - ugh - and by far, the most time-consuming part of the game is the program's animated execution. Even at max speed, watching the robot float around and trigger widgets is so boring.

There's no redemption to be found in the game's story, either, which is a very straightforward series of excuses to move from one puzzle to the next. The pseudo-narrator "PAL" robot has a mildly sarcastic attitude; far too mild to be entertaining.

Algo Bot is too simple, and has no interesting payoff -- playing it feels like a waste of time.

Better than: Glyphs Apprentice, since at least this game is tutorialized well.
Not as good as: Prelogate, Prime Mover
Compared to the developer's last game: Epistory: Typing Chronicles, it's surprising how low Algo Bot's narrative ambitions are.

Progress: Level 4-2