SIGNALWORKS

route signals · golf cycles · ship the fix

Assembly puzzle golf, right in the browser

Signalworks is a free puzzle game in the tradition of Zachtronics titles like TIS-100 and EXAPUNKS. Each level hands you a stream of numbers on an IN port and a target sequence for the OUT port. You write a short program in a single-accumulator assembly language to turn one into the other, run it a cycle at a time, and then try to solve the same puzzle in fewer cycles.

To play, pick a level, type your program in the editor, and press Run to watch the signal travel across the board, or Step to advance one instruction at a time. The registers panel shows ACC, the program counter, the cycle count, and both ports as they change. When your output matches the expected sequence the level passes and records your cycle count. Every best score is saved in your browser, and the share button copies a link that challenges a friend to beat it.

The instruction set is deliberately small: MOV copies a value, ADD and SUB do arithmetic on the accumulator, JMP, JEZ, and JNZ handle looping and branching, and NOP does nothing. Labels mark jump targets. The program counter wraps back to the top after the last instruction, so a one-line loop keeps running until the input runs out.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know assembly to play?
No. The first levels are one or two instructions, and each puzzle introduces a single new idea. By the later levels you are writing loops and branches, but you pick them up in order.
Is it free, and do I need an account?
It is free with no account or sign-up. Everything runs in your browser and your scores are saved locally.
How are scores saved and shared?
Your best cycle count for each level is stored in your browser via localStorage. The share button builds a link that encodes the level and score, so anyone who opens it sees the target to beat. No data leaves your machine.
What does cycle golfing mean?
A cycle is one executed instruction. Two programs can produce the same output while taking a different number of cycles. Golfing means finding the solution that reaches the answer in the fewest cycles, which is where the real puzzle lives.
Does it work on a phone?
The layout adapts to small screens with the board on top and the editor below. Typing assembly is easier with a keyboard, but you can read, run, and step through solutions on a touch device.