Open source

Terminal games

Zacess Games is fourteen original games for the terminal, drawn in the eight Zacess high contrast themes with sound effects and calm music of their own. Version 0.2.0.

InstallZacess Games on GitHubTerminal scenes

Every game is its own design and none copies an existing game's rules, board or goal. Each is written in Rust with its levels in Lua and is built on Zacess Scenes, so the games share the scenes' themes, contrast floors, flash limit and reduced motion.

The menu in Zacess Deep Contrast Dark
The Zacess Games menu in Deep Contrast Dark: fourteen games in two columns with the chosen game described underneath

  • Fourteen games

    Puzzles, a rhythm game, a road race, a roguelike, football, typing and coding. Eight of them never move on their own.

  • Sound and music

    Effects and a calm loop for each game, made by the program as it runs. Each has its own volume and both can be muted.

  • Help one key away

    Every game has a how to play page behind ? (F1 in the typing games) with the goal, the rules and the keys.

  • Levels in Lua

    Trace, Relay and Learn to Code read their levels from Lua files, so a level can be read, changed and shared without building anything.

Every still is Zacess Deep Contrast Dark at 100 by 30, part way through a game. Real time games run on a clock; turn based games wait for your next key.

Watch a game

Each game has a seven second recording at 80 by 24 in the same theme. Choose one here or press Play the recording under any still. The recording starts paused when your device asks for reduced motion.

Stackline
Stackline: circuit parts falling into two wells with the rails marked plus and minus
  • Stackline
    Stackline: circuit parts falling into two wells with the rails marked plus and minus

    Circuit parts fall into two wells. A full row whose parts all carry wire across joins the rails and clears, pushing a feedback row with one break into the other well.

    Real time. How to play Stackline

  • Merge Gates
    Merge Gates: four-bit tiles on a board beside a track of logic gates and the target output

    Push four-bit tiles together through a track of logic gates to make the target output.

    Turn based. How to play Merge Gates

  • Termle
    Termle: guesses of the day's term with letters marked in place, elsewhere or not used

    A daily electronics or programming term from a category clue and arrow feedback, with a streak for days in a row.

    Turn based. How to play Termle

  • Signal
    Signal: notes travelling along three lanes towards the line

    A calm rhythm game: catch notes on three lanes as they reach the line.

    Real time. How to play Signal

  • Trace
    Trace: wire laid from a source to light nodes on a grid

    Route wire from a source to light every node without crossing, with vias and one-way nodes.

    Turn based. How to play Trace

  • Drift
    Drift: a lantern over a quiet landscape gathering light

    Steer a lantern over a quiet landscape to gather light. There is no way to lose.

    Real time. How to play Drift

  • Rooms
    Rooms: a room of a broken server with parts, faults and doors

    A short roguelike through a broken server: carry parts to faults to open the doors.

    Turn based. How to play Rooms

  • Relay
    Relay: a packet on a track of timed gates, portals and the exit

    Move a packet through gates that keep time with the move count, portals and one-way tiles.

    Turn based. How to play Relay

  • Through Ball
    Through Ball: three attackers, three defenders and a keeper with the open passing lane dotted

    Turn-based football about passing lanes and a keeper's reach, over five attacks.

    Turn based. How to play Through Ball

  • Slipstream
    Slipstream: a car on a three-lane road behind traffic with the fuel gauge on the dash

    A calm road race against the fuel gauge, with slipstreams and a pit lane.

    Real time. How to play Slipstream

  • Array Guard
    Array Guard: debris drifting towards five dishes with their shields

    Clear drifting debris to protect five satellite dishes, with shields, capsules and waves.

    Real time. How to play Array Guard

  • Heatsink
    Heatsink: terms falling towards a chip with its heat gauge

    Type electronics terms and code fragments before they reach a chip and heat it, with a calm mode.

    Real time, typing. How to play Heatsink

  • Touch Typing
    Touch Typing: a lesson line with a marked slip above the keyboard and the finger for the next key

    A trainer from the home row to timed tests, with an on-screen keyboard showing the finger for every key. It follows the keyboard in use (UK Mac, UK PC or US), read from the system.

    Turn based, typing. How to play Touch Typing

  • Learn to Code
    Learn to Code: a Python lesson with a blank in the code and a message that teaches

    Fifteen tracks from first steps to job-ready: Python, Java, C, C++, JavaScript, TypeScript, SQL, Bash and Linux, Git, Rust, Go, C#, Kotlin, Data Structures and Algorithms and AI in Python. Fill in small programs with hints, teaching messages and saved progress.

    Turn based, typing. How to play Learn to Code

How to play

The goal, how each game ends, a tip and its own keys. Start any game with zacess-games and its name. The full rules and scoring are in the how to play guide and every key is on the controls sheet.

  • Stackline

    Join rails across two wells. Start it with zacess-games stackline.

    Goal
    Keep both wells clear for as long as possible by joining rows of wire from rail to rail.
    How it ends
    There is no end to win. The game ends when a well overflows at the top.
    Keys
    ← → (or H L) move. ↑ (or K or X) turns. ↓ (or J) moves one row down. Enter drops. Tab moves the piece to the other well.
    Tip
    Keep upright parts together in columns you do not need to clear soon.

  • Merge Gates

    Push bit tiles through gates. Start it with zacess-games merge-gates.

    Goal
    Make a tile equal the target output, as often as you can.
    How it ends
    Each target allows 10 pushes. Missing one is a fault. The game ends at the third fault.
    Keys
    Arrows (or H J K L) move the cursor. W A S D push the tile up, left, down or right. Enter grabs; then an arrow pushes.
    Tip
    Read the next gates on the track before you push.

  • Termle

    Guess the day's tech term. Start it with zacess-games termle.

    Goal
    Guess the day's electronics or programming term in six tries.
    How it ends
    Solve the term to win. Six tries without it shows the answer and resets the streak.
    Keys
    Letters type. Backspace deletes. Enter guesses. Tab reveals a letter for one try.
    Tip
    An arrow tells you which way to move a letter, so two guesses can place most of them.

  • Signal

    A calm rhythm of soft tones. Start it with zacess-games signal.

    Goal
    Catch every note of a calm song as it reaches the line.
    How it ends
    The song ends when every note has passed. There is no way to lose; the end screen shows how many were in time, close and missed.
    Keys
    ↑ or 1 plays the high lane. → or 2 the middle lane. ↓ or 3 the low lane.
    Tip
    Watch the notes rather than listen; the tones are a garnish and the song plays the same muted.

  • Trace

    Light every node, no crossings. Start it with zacess-games trace.

    Goal
    Light every node on the board by running wire to it from the source (◆).
    How it ends
    Light every circuit to win. There is no way to lose: undo or restart a level as often as you like.
    Keys
    Arrows (or H J K L) lay wire. Tab or Enter moves the pen to the next lit point. U or Backspace undoes. R restarts.
    Tip
    Lay the long straight runs first and branch from the nodes they light.

  • Drift

    A lantern in a quiet landscape. Start it with zacess-games drift.

    Goal
    Float a lantern over a quiet landscape and gather motes of light.
    How it ends
    There is no way to lose. Enter ends the journey whenever you like and keeps the light gathered.
    Keys
    Arrows (or H J K L) steer. Enter ends the journey.
    Tip
    Reduced motion halves the pace if the scrolling is too much.

  • Rooms

    Mend a broken server's rooms. Start it with zacess-games rooms.

    Goal
    Fix every fault in the six rooms of a broken server before its uptime runs out.
    How it ends
    Fix every room to win. The game ends if uptime reaches 0%.
    Keys
    Arrows (or H J K L) walk. D drops a part.
    Tip
    Glitches only move when you do, so stop and plan.

  • Relay

    A packet through timed gates. Start it with zacess-games relay.

    Goal
    Steer a packet to collect every data bit (•) and then reach the exit (⇥), in as few moves as you can.
    How it ends
    Deliver every level to win. There is no way to lose: undo or restart a level as often as you like.
    Keys
    Arrows (or H J K L) move. W or Enter waits a move (so does the full stop). U or Backspace undoes. R restarts.
    Tip
    Waiting is the only way to change the beat, so count the moves to each gate.

  • Through Ball

    A turn-based football puzzle. Start it with zacess-games through-ball.

    Goal
    Score as many goals as you can from five attacks.
    How it ends
    The match ends after five attacks. An attack ends with a goal, a save, a blocked shot, a tackle or the clock running out.
    Keys
    Arrows (or H J K L) run with the ball. Tab picks a teammate. Enter passes. 1 2 3 shoot at the top, middle or low row.
    Tip
    Draw the keeper to one side, then shoot to the far row from inside the box.

  • Slipstream

    A calm road race against fuel. Start it with zacess-games slipstream.

    Goal
    Drive as far as you can on one tank of fuel at a time.
    How it ends
    There is no finish line. The run ends after three bumps or when an empty tank coasts to a stop.
    Keys
    ← → (or H L) change lane. ↑ (or K) goes faster and ↓ (or J) slower.
    Tip
    Tuck in behind a car before the fuel runs low, then pit when the road is clear.

  • Array Guard

    Clear debris from a dish array. Start it with zacess-games array-guard.

    Goal
    Protect a row of five satellite dishes from drifting debris for as many waves as you can.
    How it ends
    There is no last wave. The game ends when every dish is lost.
    Keys
    ← → (or H L or A D) move. ↑ or F or Enter fires.
    Tip
    Large debris is slow; clear the small pieces first.

  • Heatsink

    Type terms to cool a chip. Start it with zacess-games heatsink.

    Goal
    Keep the chip (U1) cool by typing the words and code fragments that drift towards it.
    How it ends
    The game ends when the chip reaches 100°C. In calm mode it ends only when you press Enter.
    Keys
    Every character types; letters match in either case. Backspace takes back a letter. Tab switches calm mode. Enter ends a calm round.
    Tip
    Finish the word nearest the chip before starting another.

  • Touch Typing

    Learn to type by touch. Start it with zacess-games touch-typing.

    Goal
    Learn to type without looking, one group of keys at a time, from the home row to timed tests.
    How it ends
    There is no losing. Finish a lesson with 95% accuracy or better to unlock the next one. Below that, Enter tries it again with new text.
    Keys
    Every character types exactly. Backspace takes back a key. ← → choose an unlocked lesson. Enter moves on when a lesson is done. F2 switches the keyboard layout.
    Tip
    Keep your fingers resting on A S D F and J K L ; and feel for the bumps on F and J.

  • Learn to Code

    Code in Python, Java and C. Start it with zacess-games learn-to-code.

    Goal
    Learn to program from first steps to job-ready, one idea at a time. There are tracks for Python, Java, C, C++, JavaScript, TypeScript, SQL, Bash and Linux, Git, Rust, Go, C# and Kotlin, a shared Data Structures and Algorithms track and an AI track in Python.
    How it ends
    There is no losing. A track is complete when its last level is solved. The language list shows how many levels each language has done.
    Keys
    Every character types into the marked blank. Backspace deletes. Tab or ↓ goes to the next blank and ↑ the one before. Enter checks, then moves on. F2 shows a hint. F3 shows the answer after three tries. F4 chooses a language.
    Tip
    Read the expected output under the code first; it tells you what each blank must do.

Controls every game shares

Pause, help, the effects and music volumes, mute and quit work the same way everywhere. The typing games, Heatsink, Touch Typing and Learn to Code, type every character with the space included, so a few of these keys move there. The status bar always shows both volumes.

KeyMost gamesTermleTyping games
SpacePause and carry onPause and carry onTypes a space
?How to play pageHow to play pageTypes ?
F1How to play pageHow to play pageHow to play page
↑ ↓Scroll the How to play page while it is openThe sameThe same
+ or =Effects volume up by 10The sameWhile paused only
- or _Effects volume down by 10The sameWhile paused only
]Music volume up by 10The sameWhile paused only
[Music volume down by 10The sameWhile paused only
0Mute everything; again to bring it backThe sameWhile paused only
EscBack to the menuBack to the menuPause, with the sound keys
QBack to the menuTypes QBack to the menu while paused
Ctrl+CLeave at onceLeave at onceLeave at once
EnterPlay again after a game endsThe sameThe same

Learn to Code and Touch Typing

Two games that teach. Neither has a way to lose and both remember where you got to.

Learn to Code
Learn to Code: a Python lesson with a blank in the code and a message that teaches

Learn to Code

Fifteen tracks and 287 levels, from first steps to job-ready. Each level has a short lesson and a few lines of code with blanks to fill in. A wrong answer gets a message that explains the mistake, F2 shows a hint and after three tries F3 shows the answer. Answers are checked inside the game; nothing typed is ever run.

The tracks
TrackLevels
Python22
Java30
C19
C++16
JavaScript17
TypeScript15
SQL18
Bash and Linux26
Git17
Rust16
Go16
C#17
Kotlin16
Data Structures and Algorithms26
AI in Python16
Touch Typing
Touch Typing: a lesson line with a marked slip above the keyboard and the finger for the next key

Touch Typing

Five levels from the home row to timed tests. The next key is marked on an on-screen keyboard with the finger to use written under it. Each finger has its own bracket shape as well as its own colour. Finish a lesson at 95% accuracy or better to unlock the next one.

The keyboard follows the layout in use, read from the system. F2 switches it.

  • uk-mac: Apple British on a Mac
  • uk-pc: UK keyboards on Windows and Linux
  • us: US ANSI keyboards

Accessibility

Zacess products are built for people with low vision, light sensitivity and motion sensitivity first.

  • Contrast floors

    Every colour keeps at least 4.5 to 1 contrast on the theme's background and at least 7 to 1 in the High Contrast and Deep Contrast themes. Every piece and state has a shape or letter of its own, so colour is never the only signal.

  • No flashing

    Every frame passes through the Scenes flash meter, which holds back any large change more than three times a second. Clears and wins show as a calm change of shape, never a blink.

  • Reduced motion

    --reduced-motion, ZACESS_REDUCED_MOTION=1 or the system setting slows every real time game down. Every game pauses at any moment.

  • Sound is never the only signal

    Every effect has a written twin on screen, such as "Node lit, 2 to go". Music never carries meaning and every game plays the same muted.

Screen sizes

Every game lays itself out for the window it is in and again on every resize, without losing the game.

WindowLayout
Below 60 by 20A centred message giving the size needed and the size now
From 60 by 20 (a quarter tmux window)Compact: one status line, one key line, side panels left out where they would not fit (their facts move to the status line) and smaller boards
From 100 by 30Standard: a status bar, two key lines and the full side panels
From 160 by 45Large: boards drawn at twice the size, a larger Touch Typing keyboard of boxed keys with a progress panel and wider text in the typing and coding games

A terminal's alternate screen is not read by screen readers, so a game cannot be followed by ear alone. The plain lines before and after a game, the written twin of every sound and the guides are there for screen reader users. The full statement is in the Zacess Games accessibility statement.

Install

  1. With Cargo

    From the release tag on GitHub. Needs Rust 1.88 or later and a C compiler, since Lua is built in. Sound is played by the system's own player, so nothing else is needed.

    cargo install --locked --git https://github.com/zacesshq/games --tag v0.2.0 zacess-games

  2. Or a release build

    Each build on the v0.2.0 release has a checksum file beside it. Check the sum, unpack the archive and put zacess-games somewhere on your PATH.

    Release builds for v0.2.0
    SystemBuildChecksum
    macOS on Apple siliconzacess-games-v0.2.0-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gzSHA-256
    macOS on Intelzacess-games-v0.2.0-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gzSHA-256
    Linux on x86-64, no shared libraries neededzacess-games-v0.2.0-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gzSHA-256
    Linux on ARM64, no shared libraries neededzacess-games-v0.2.0-aarch64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gzSHA-256
    Windows on x86-64zacess-games-v0.2.0-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zipSHA-256
    shasum -a 256 -c zacess-games-v0.2.0-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz.sha256
tar -xzf zacess-games-v0.2.0-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz

  3. Play

    zacess-games                  # the menu
zacess-games trace            # one game by name; a short start such as "stack" is enough
zacess-games list             # every game and its best score
zacess-games sounds           # every effect, then each game's music

Guides

  • How to play: the goal, rules, scoring, winning and losing, a tip and the keys of every game, with a still of each.
  • Controls: every key, command, flag, variable, setting and window size on one sheet.
  • Accessibility: what the games do on screen, in sound and at the keyboard.
  • Contributing: how a change is made, the checks, adding a game and releasing.

Calm animated scenes in the same themes: Zacess Scenes