The calculator
Additions, multiplications, sin, log, ∑, n!… and every so often a golden key. The longer your streak, the sooner critical hits arrive.
An office, a calculator and a number that will not fit on the screen.
PC · Windows 64-bit · Free demo · 6 languages
The game
THE POW is a 3D incremental game. You work at POW CORP. and your tool is a calculator. Press its keys to make a number grow, chain streaks and critical hits, and release the POW to raise it to a power with a comic-book blast. Swap calculators with every rebirth, dress your keys with switches and climb from Clerk to President until the number no longer fits on the screen.
The POW
Every press charges the POW plate. Release it with Space and your number is raised to a power. Light up the six letters of THE POW and the blast goes up to x^20.
The office PC
Upgrades, amulets, switches, promotions, casino, combos, achievements and a guide. And 12 calculators to unlock, from the abacus to the golden one.
THE POW in numbers
- 12calculators
- 10keyboard switches
- 6company positions
- 6languages
- ~4 hfull game (8–9 h at a relaxed pace)
Accessibility and comfort
- Xbox / PlayStation controller
- Remappable controls
- No flashes or shaking
- Retro filter
- Autosave
FREE DEMO · v0.9.6
Play the free demo
THE POW’s demo is out now on itch.io, free, for 64-bit Windows. It goes up to the sixth calculator, the Scientific one (5 rebirths). The full game is still in development.
Calculators in the demo
- Abacus
- Beat-up
- Hand-crank
- Nixie
- LED
- Scientific
POW-DOS 3.0 · C:\DEMO>v0.9.6
SYSTEMWindows 64 bits
DOWNLOAD~50 MB · ZIP
INSTALLED~150 MB
INSTALLUnzip and open “THE POW.exe”
SAVESAutomatic
LANGUAGESES · EN · FR · DE · IT · PT
GAMEPADXbox · PlayStation
C:\> PLAY
Try it here
A mini version of THE POW’s calculator. Press keys, chain 10 presses in 3 seconds for OVERDRIVE and launch the POW as soon as it charges. The longer your streak, the more critical hits (×10 or ×25). Can you make the number not fit on the screen?
Keyboard: 1–9 and 0 · Space = POW · × keys have a cooldown
OVERDRIVE0/10
PAPER ROLL
Switches
The PC shop sells 10 keyboard switches. Each one changes the shape and relief of the keys, their trims and colours, the press sound, the instrument of streaks, crits and combos, and what the POW looks like. The POW plate dresses up to match the keys.
Hear all 10 switches (≈2 min, in order: streak, level up, crit, super crit, combo chain and the POW sound effect)
Hover over an image (or tap it on mobile) to see that switch’s POW plate.
Stock
POW!The usual keys: golden yellow with the red plate.
- Sound: The classic click
- On POW: The classic red-and-yellow burst
Thock
THOCK!Graphite and dusty pink, with a sculpted cap and a ridge.
- Sound: Deep marimba
- On POW: Little keycaps fly out
- Perk: Your streak lasts 15% longer
Creamy
MMMH!Cream and toffee: pillowy keys dripping with melted caramel.
- Sound: Soft flute
- On POW: Caramel drops
- Perk: Overdrive lasts 15% longer
Tactile
TOC!Grained walnut with brass studs.
- Sound: Wooden xylophone
- On POW: Wood shavings
- Perk: Every press charges the POW 8% more
Clicky
CLICK!Translucent blue with a backlight underneath.
- Sound: Chiptune beeps
- On POW: Electric sparks
Bubble
POP!Pastel gummies with rainbow sprinkles.
- Sound: “Bloops”
- On POW: Rising bubbles
Typewriter
CLAC!Round vintage typewriter keys with chrome rings.
- Sound: Typewriter bell
- On POW: Loose letters
Ceramic
CLING!Porcelain with a cobalt flower and a gold rim.
- Sound: Glass
- On POW: Porcelain shards
Silent
SHHH!Felt with stitching and a little tag.
- Sound: Felted notes
- On POW: Floating fluff
Navy
CLANG!Navy and brass: hammered metal with rivets.
- Sound: Brass bell
- On POW: Coins
The POW, your way
Every switch has its own POW: the star, the rays, the lettering, the sound effect stamped next to it, what flies out and the sparks on the desk all change.
The big POWs
SUPER, MEGA and GIGA POW have a “strong” variant of each style, and THE POW a “maximum” one. THE POW² wears it with inverted colours.
Inside POW CORP.
DAY 1 ACCOUNTANT
The desk
Your cubicle is your world, and every mechanic you buy switches on something new on the desk.
- Golden keys: every so often a key turns gold; press it in time and it counts several times and heats the POW.
- The coffee mug: a sip doubles your gains for a while and brings the POW closer.
- Envelopes, phone calls, timed orders and an intern who presses for you.
- Number won’t fit? What overflows is lost… but you get a gem and plate charge.
STREAK 15 · LEVEL 1
Streaks, crits and fever
Keep pressing without stopping: the higher the streak, the sooner critical hits arrive, the more the POW’s exponent grows and the longer the combo chain lasts.
- Critical hit! An addition that lands just right is worth ×10 (sometimes ×25) and counts double for the POW.
- Sparks! They fly at random as you press, and overdrive kicks in when you don’t stop.
- Fever! A big POW can unleash it: 8 seconds at ×4, with sparks and a red ribbon, extended if you keep pressing.
- Clerk
- Accountant
- Section head
- Director
- Vice president
- President
PROMOTION AVAILABLE!
From Clerk to President
Six positions at POW CORP. Every promotion multiplies your earnings… but also makes upgrades more expensive.
- Ask for it in POW-DOS’s Promotion tab.
- Mechanics you buy are kept when you’re promoted.
- Climb now or wait for the upgrades? Your call.
★ LETTER 5 / 6
The shelf and the poster
The wall of your cubicle tells how you’re doing.
- The amulet shelf: each amulet goes up to level 5.
- The THE POW comic poster fills up with letters. With all six lit, the POW becomes THE POW: x^20.
- And there’s something even bigger: THE POW².
◆ POW-DOS 3.0
The office PC
Press P and log into the old computer to spend your gems.
- Shop: upgrades, amulets and switches (with a button to try how they sound).
- Career: rebirth and promotion.
- Office: casino, combos, achievements and the in-game guide.
CASINO 777²
Overtime and the casino
The lever sits on a casino pedestal with a marquee of bulbs that light up with every pull.
- Pull with G and bet part of your digits; at night you can bet gems too.
- VIP table: an upgrade that lets you bet more.
- Double or nothing: after a win, guess whether the card is red or black to double it… or lose it. For several rounds.
The casino up close
12 calculators
Every rebirth swaps your calculator: 12 in total, from the abacus to the golden one, each with new keys. The ones with their own lights are animated: nixie tubes with rolling digits, LED, a printer with its print head, a toaster with glowing coils, casino bulbs, a hologram and a golden one that sparkles. The first six are in the demo.
Complete all 12 and see what happens when the number no longer fits. You deliver the final blow, followed by credits with your own numbers.
Gallery
Devlog and roadmap
- PrototypeThe calculator and the POW.
- Demo 0.9.6Out now on itch.io: switches, POWs per switch, a revamped casino, animated calculators and gamepad support.
- Full gameIn development (beta): all 12 calculators and the ending.
- ReleaseComing soon.
About me
I’m Juan David Fernández García, credited as SNIP. THE POW is my first game: the idea, direction and design are mine, and I built the code with Claude (Anthropic’s AI).
What I did on THE POW
- Original idea and design of the incremental loop: calculator, POW, streaks and rebirths across 12 calculators.
- Economy design: upgrades, amulets, promotions, gems and casino.
- Directing AI-assisted development: specifying, testing and iterating every system.
- Art and sound direction: 3D office, HUD, POW-DOS, the 10 switches and layered music.
- Localization into 6 languages, gamepad support and an accessibility calm mode.
- Releasing demo 0.9.6 on itch.io, with its store page, screenshots and this website.
Skills
Experience and education
- PresentDeveloping THE POWPersonal project · demo 0.9.6 on itch.io
Thanks
To Silverjesko988 and ZzzByLinkDark, for the ideas and support.