Automaton is a puzzle game that aims to teach people basic coding concepts

Automaton is a puzzle game that's designed to teach people the basics of programming. It was designed by Jeremy Friesen who is currently studying Computer Science and worked on the game in his spare time. It's available now on Google Play.

Players will be in charge of getting a little robot called Auto to complete various tasks. This will be done by entering various lines of code - that is given to you - that can make him move forward, turn, or pick up and put down objects. The levels will naturally become more and more complex as you progress.

They start very simple with just moving and turning the robot to get it to a set destination. But before long you'll be required to use loops to complete tasks with a strict limit on how many lines of code you can use. The later levels will also see players having to control two Autos to add an extra layer of complexity to proceedings.

However, if you're deep into coding this game will likely be far too simple for you. It's not on a Zachtronics level of difficulty that's for sure, so don't be expecting the next Shenzen I/O. This is a game that's designed for people who have next to no experience in coding rather than experts.

Though the game is currently available Jeremy insists that he's still working on updating the game with more levels and ironing out any bugs. So it's not quite the finished article yet but there's still plenty of coding brainteasers to be getting on with in the meantime.

I'm always pleased to see games that attempt to educate people through gaming. It makes a nice alternative to the 'learn through doing' concept. If you've ever wanted to understand basic coding or just like puzzle games then Automaton is available now on Google Play. It's a free-to-play game with one in-app purchase that removes ads.