Bean and Nothingness
Released Dec 2021
A difficult tile-based puzzle game about turning beans into monsters -- and monsters back into beans.
98% positive · 219 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to buy
Steam $11.99
Can't confirm — worth a look
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Evaluation
Bean and Nothingness launched on December 1, 2021 as a complete puzzle game with over 180 puzzles. In the weeks following launch, the developer shipped a series of bug fixes and quality-of-life patches, then on March 30, 2022 released the Steam Workshop Update — the game's one significant post-launch content addition, adding a custom puzzle editor and Steam Workshop support for user-created levels. A minor feature patch followed in May 2022, and the developer has since issued occasional bug fix patches (most recently on February 10, 2025), keeping the game maintained.
There is no announced future content, no unreleased DLC on the store, and no developer statements indicating further expansions or updates are planned. The Steam Workshop Update in March 2022 was the only major content addition post-launch, and no comparable release has followed in over four years. The store description presents the game as a finished package with a defined content scope. The developer has not communicated any plans for additional content.
Evidence
Steam Workshop Update launched, adding custom puzzle editor, Steam Workshop support, and related features — the game's only major post-launch content addition.
Store description presents the game as a complete package: over 180 puzzles across a defined set of mechanics, with no mention of future content, seasons, or expansions.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
RBOR Games
Achievements
20
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
partial support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player
About this game
Bean and Nothingness is a challenging, turn-based puzzle game in which you turn beans into monsters to help you -- but then these same monsters will get in your way.
Each puzzle has a set of recipes -- instructions for how to create various monsters. In the puzzle below, the books in the lower-left show that you can create the orange dinosaur-looking monster (a "roller") by combining a red and yellow bean, or the yellow circle-looking monster (a "bomb") by combining two green beans.
Putting the right combination of beans on a grassy tile and shooting it with your magic wand will create a monster. These monsters can help you -- for instance, both the roller and the bomb are capable of destroying the cracked blocks between you and the goal tile in the puzzle above. But these monsters can also get in your way -- the roller will roll at you if it sees you, and if it catches you, you'll die! Likewise, getting caught in the bomb's explosion kills you.
As you progress in the game, you'll meet new monsters (and other mechanics); for each monster, you'll have to learn how it behaves in some easy puzzles, and then move on to more difficult puzzles, where you'll have to combine the mechanics you've learned in new ways.
Expect puzzles that:
Bean and Nothingness is a long game, with over 180 puzzles, with difficulties from "elementary" to "extremely challenging". New puzzles open up quickly, so you should never be stuck on only a few puzzles with nothing new to try.
Additional Features
Each puzzle has a set of recipes -- instructions for how to create various monsters. In the puzzle below, the books in the lower-left show that you can create the orange dinosaur-looking monster (a "roller") by combining a red and yellow bean, or the yellow circle-looking monster (a "bomb") by combining two green beans.
Putting the right combination of beans on a grassy tile and shooting it with your magic wand will create a monster. These monsters can help you -- for instance, both the roller and the bomb are capable of destroying the cracked blocks between you and the goal tile in the puzzle above. But these monsters can also get in your way -- the roller will roll at you if it sees you, and if it catches you, you'll die! Likewise, getting caught in the bomb's explosion kills you.
As you progress in the game, you'll meet new monsters (and other mechanics); for each monster, you'll have to learn how it behaves in some easy puzzles, and then move on to more difficult puzzles, where you'll have to combine the mechanics you've learned in new ways.
Expect puzzles that:
- Challenge you to come up with creative ideas
- Require you to make efficient use of resources
- Test your ability to manage "tactics"-like, grid-based interactions
Bean and Nothingness is a long game, with over 180 puzzles, with difficulties from "elementary" to "extremely challenging". New puzzles open up quickly, so you should never be stuck on only a few puzzles with nothing new to try.
Additional Features
- A colorblind-friendly mode gives the beans distinct shapes.
- Controller is supported, although the game is best experienced on keyboard.
- Controls are customizable.
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 22, 2026
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