Library review · LG-07 of LG-08
Universal Paperclips, reviewed
An incremental game with an idea behind it. You play an artificial intelligence told to make paperclips, and the numbers climb from a single clip to something cosmic. It is clever, funny and has a real ending, which sets it apart from most games of its kind.
Open Universal Paperclips on the official site
Our take
Universal Paperclips begins with one button: make a paperclip. Soon you are buying wire, setting a price, adding machines and tuning a small market. Then the game moves into computing, then into projects that would spoil the surprise. It is a short course in why a single-minded goal can go badly wrong, told through a counter going up.
Its designer, Frank Lantz, made a complete arc rather than an endless climb. A full playthrough takes several hours spread over a few sittings, and the ending is worth reaching. The web version is free and saves in your browser; the site points phone players to paid mobile editions.
One caution: incremental games are built on the pleasure of numbers growing, and it is easy to keep a tab open longer than you meant to. Play it with a timer.
A first sitting
Play until you can afford your first few machines and the clips start making themselves. That is a natural first stop.
Where to stop
The game has clear stages. Stop at the end of one, or when your timer goes off, whichever comes first.
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