A writer at PC Gamer described spending 30 minutes in a new game and accidentally turning off every system except the one that keeps the robot alive. That account got their colleagues to buy the game immediately.
The game is called Radiosol, and it launched on Steam this week. It follows a small robot wandering through ruins after some planetary disaster, dodging the sun while listening to broadcasts from other characters. The writer’s robot could not hear, see, move, or survive the sun once certain systems were switched off. Even after death sent the player back to the main menu, the text stayed scrambled until the thinking system was restored.
What Happened in Those Thirty Minutes
The story begins with a prompt to check the robot’s settings menu. Among the options were subsystems labeled “hearing,” “life support,” and “thinking.” The writer pressed the red “KILL” button for each one, and the consequences followed instantly. The robot could not hear, see, or move, and exposure to the sun killed it before long.
The writer then had to remember which button would load a save made before losing the power of thought, so they could read the text again. That moment — scrambling through a menu with no words making sense — is the whole story’s hook.
Why Colleagues Bought It
The writer shared the experience in PC Gamer’s work chat. Multiple people bought Radiosol on the spot, calling it “a journey through a desolate world burned by a planetary cataclysm,” per the game’s Moscow-based developer TripletConcept. The price helps: it costs only $9 on Steam.
The game’s jagged megastructures drew attention too. The writer noted that the structures look exceptionally cool, and they scrolled down to the generative AI disclosure on Steam as usual. TripletConcept says AI was used for translations but not for audio or art. On X, the developer also confirmed AI was used “for some coding and utility stuff like handling Git merges.”
The artist has been making art in this style since before the 2020s, according to their ArtStation profile.
What the Game Actually Plays Like
The writer is not far into Radiosol yet, so this is only a first impression. The premise involves a little robot that climbs walls and moves between shadows to avoid direct sunlight, heading toward a pyramid for a final battle whose stakes are unclear. Subjects along the way broadcast information as the player works through the ruins.
There is no combat so far. The writer describes it as fun just being a spider-dude, executing big hops in a low-G environment that suggests this is not quite Earth. The current goal is finding a “Megapol station” in the territory of the “Locus Group of Companies.”
The writer offered two pieces of advice for anyone checking out Radiosol:
- Prepare to have a lot of proper nouns thrown at you without context.
- Commit the important parts of the menu layouts to memory, in case you cannot resist pressing the red button that turns off thinking.
The Writer’s Background
The writer’s background adds color. They grew up in Silicon Valley during the ’80s and ’90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. They were later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade, complete with Bleem. The writer joined PC Gamer in 2011 and now focuses on the site’s news coverage. Their hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to their 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.
What stands out is how little effort it took for this to happen. The writer explained why the game was cheap and why the art looked cool, and that was enough to get people buying. The story is a mistake, not a review.
A Comparison of What Can Be Turned Off
| System | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Hearing | Lets the robot hear |
| Life support | Keeps the robot alive |
| Thinking | Lets the player understand text |
Key Facts From the Source
- Game: Radiosol, on Steam
- Price: $9
- Developer: TripletConcept, Moscow-based
- AI use: For translations only; no audio or art generated
- Coding use: “Some coding and utility stuff like handling Git merges,” per the developer’s X statement
- Art: Made in this style since before the 2020s, per ArtStation profile
The writer’s closing line is a note that this is a first impression, not a review. That honesty matters. The story is not a verdict on the game’s quality, just a moment of amusement that turned into a purchase.
For a game about a ruined world, the most interesting thing about Radiosol might be how quickly it brought a group of coworkers together. One person’s mistake became everyone’s lunch break.
Source material: “One story about my first 30 minutes in this post-apocalyptic robot game led multiple people to buy it,” PC Gamer.
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