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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Tandis is an abstract, single-player puzzle game in which patterned grids transform shapes. Its central pleasure is seeing geometric operations play out on a form you can move, rotate, and refine—not solving equations on a worksheet. Ars Technica’s 2022 review praised that visual approach, while noting that the puzzles grow challenging and the game offers no larger adventure or optional equation-focused tutor mode.
What is Tandis?
Developed by Mahdi Bahrami, Tandis is a 3D puzzle game about exploring and matching geometric forms. The developer describes it as a game about exploring geometric forms, built around simple transformations: Tandis official site. Steam lists it as a single-player game released April 21, 2022, and says creations can be exported in 3D format: Tandis on Steam.
How do you play Tandis?
A puzzle gives you a starting shape and a target. You place the shape on a patterned grid, which transforms it; then you can pick up the result and move it to another grid. By chaining operations, you work toward the target shape. Placement and orientation matter, so a grid is not just a button that applies the same change regardless of how the shape sits on it. The game accepts a submitted shape when it is sufficiently close to the solution, according to Sam Machkovech’s 2022 Ars Technica review: Ars Technica’s Tandis review.
Grids make transformations visible
The grid patterns represent different operations. In the review’s description, scale grids multiply a shape along an axis, rotation grids transform two axes together, and circular grids perform a Cartesian-to-polar-style conversion. The tactile loop—place, inspect the result, and try another transformation—makes those changes visible without requiring players to work primarily with equations.
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Hints and precision aids
Machkovech reports that the game includes a snap-to-grid toggle and a hint that reveals an intermediate shape on the route to a solution. They can help when a transformation chain is hard to infer, though the hint shows a step rather than turning the game into a formal lesson.
Is Tandis educational?
It puts mathematical ideas such as scaling, rotation, and coordinate transformations into interactive puzzles, but the available sources do not establish measured learning outcomes. Ars Technica reported that Bahrami connected the game to ideas from his earlier game Engare and to patterns in Iranian art and architecture, including mosque domes and circular rugs. In the interview, Bahrami said: “people actually get excited about a lot of those mathematical ideas when they’re presented visually—and when we remove the numbers.” He added that interactive experimentation can help people solve difficult mathematical problems. Those are the developer’s aims and observations, not evidence that playing Tandis produces a particular educational result.
Rank #2
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What works—and what may frustrate you?
Why its puzzles stand out
The game gives abstract operations a concrete, visual consequence: you can see the shape change and reason from one result to the next. Ars Technica recommended it to “Tricky puzzle gamers and geometry savants.” That is the reviewer’s verdict, not a promise that its style will suit every puzzle player.
Difficulty and structure
The same review says the challenge rises and that later puzzles may call for experimentation or trial and error. Tandis is focused on constructing geometric forms; it does not wrap those tasks in a broader quest or adventure. Machkovech also wished for an optional tutor mode that would show the equations behind the grids. If you want narrative progression or explicit mathematical instruction, that distinction matters; if you enjoy abstract problem-solving, the focused design may be part of the appeal.
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Rank #3
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Platforms and system requirements
Steam lists Windows, macOS, and SteamOS/Linux versions. The following are the store’s published minimum requirements, not independently tested recommendations:
| Platform | Steam-listed minimums |
|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 7 and up; 2.0+ GHz processor; 4 GB RAM; 500 MB available storage |
| macOS | macOS 10.11.6 (El Capitan); 2.0+ GHz processor; Intel HD 4000 series graphics; 500 MB available storage |
| Linux | Ubuntu 20.04+ or SteamOS; 64-bit processor; 2 GB RAM; 500 MB available storage |
There is an important Windows caveat: Steam says its client has required Windows 10 or later since January 1, 2024. The game listing’s Windows 7 minimum therefore does not, by itself, confirm compatibility with the current Steam client. Check the live Steam listing and your setup before buying.
Rank #4
Is Tandis worth buying?
For players drawn to abstract puzzles and visual geometry, the case is strong: its grids turn transformations into an experiment you can see and manipulate. The trade-off is a rising challenge, possible trial and error, and a deliberately narrow focus rather than an adventure or equation-led tutorial. Steam displayed a price of $14.99 and 233 user reviews with 94% positive at the October 8, 2026 store snapshot; both price and review totals can change, so check the current Steam listing before deciding. Ars Technica’s $15 launch price and temporary $13.49 sale were reported in 2022 and are historical, not current offers.
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