Automata Dungeon
Place a few cells. Then watch the rules play out.
iOS, in development
About
Automata Dungeon is a deterministic puzzle game built on cellular automata. Each level gives you a limited number of cells to place, then runs for a set number of steps under Conway's Game of Life rules.
You win by meeting the level's objective: keep a pattern alive, or guide a traveller across the board to the goal, past hazards that live and die by the same rules. It rewards observation and pattern recognition over reflexes, and the same setup always gives the same result.
- 21
- levels designed so far
- 0
- randomness: every run is deterministic
- iOS
- built with SwiftUI
Play with the rules
Press a cell to make it alive, then press Run. This is a simplified sandbox. The game's levels add goals, cell limits and hazards.
Generation 0Alive 0
A cell with 2 or 3 living neighbours survives. A dead cell with exactly 3 comes alive. Everything else dies. The edges of this sandbox are dead.
What it looks like
Level 17, Metronome: three spikes in a line blink forever. Place, then run
Each level shows the board and the goal. In level 17 you place exactly five cells and the automaton runs for 60 steps, while a traveller makes its way from the blue ring to the yellow square past three blinking spikes. The intended solution is shown on the right.
21 levels from the level playground. From an empty square to moving hazards
Levels range from an empty board to walled corridors and spikes that sweep across your path.
What makes it tick
Hazards that follow the rules
Spikes live by the same rules, so a blinker can sweep the very path you need.
No randomness
Every outcome is deterministic. If a level fails, the plan was wrong, not the luck.
Learn by playing
Early levels introduce stable patterns, oscillators and gliders.
Retro look, built to be accessible
High-contrast phosphor green on black, designed for VoiceOver and a clear visual hierarchy.
Questions
Is there any luck in it?
None. The same starting setup always produces the same result.
Is the sandbox the real game?
It uses the same rules, but it is simplified. The game adds goals, limits on how many cells you can place, and hazards.
Which devices will it run on?
It is being built for iOS with SwiftUI.
When is it out?
It is in development. Write to us for news.
Details
- Platform
- iOS
- Status
- In development
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Levels
- 21 designed so far
Stay in the loop
Write to us about Automata Dungeon, early access, press or playtesting.