Ormolu
Open history's machines
$0.99 · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Rebuild 11 historic machines part by part, solve 33 gear-train puzzles and a new daily calibration. Hints, stars and records. One purchase, no subscription.
Ormolu is a puzzle cabinet of eleven historic machines. Rebuild each one part by part in real-time 3D, then calibrate its gear trains. Everything is included in one purchase.
RESTORE ELEVEN MACHINES
- Antikythera mechanism
- Planispheric astrolabe
- Grand orrery
- Celestial planisphere
- Marine chronometer
- Pinned music cylinder
- Difference engine
- Morse register
- Curta calculator
- Jacquard head
- Vernier sextant
Every instrument is described part by part: 137 parts in all, from the fusee chain of a marine chronometer to the Saros dial of the Antikythera mechanism. A part only seats once the parts it rests on are in place, and each description names those parts, so every restoration can be worked out by reading. More than one order can be right. Place a part too early and Ormolu tells you what it still needs.
GEAR-TRAIN PUZZLES
Thirty-three gear puzzles, three per instrument. Pick gears from a tray of tooth counts and fit them as drivers and driven wheels until the train turns at exactly the right ratio, such as the Metonic cycle's 235 lunar months in 19 years. Wrong trains tell you whether they ran too fast or too slow.
DAILY CALIBRATION
A new two-stage gear puzzle every day, the same for every player, with a streak counter.
HINTS, STARS AND RECORDS
- Hints point to a part that can go in next, or lock one correct gear in place. Each hint costs a star, and you can switch hints off.
- Earn up to three stars on every puzzle.
- Records keep your best time, fewest mistakes and stars for each puzzle, along with your streaks. Every number comes from your own play.
- Restoring an instrument unlocks its assembly blueprint, laid out stage by stage.
BUILT FOR EVERYONE
- Every part and gear is a labelled button, so the game can be played with VoiceOver.
- Text follows Dynamic Type.
- Reduce Motion is respected, and haptics can be turned off.
- Layouts are designed for both iPhone and iPad.
Ormolu works completely offline. It has no ads, accounts, subscriptions, analytics or in-app purchases.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
Ormolu 2.0 is a major upgrade to the puzzle itself.
- Every instrument has been rewritten with its real components and how they fit together. Restoration is now a logic puzzle you can deduce, and any valid order counts.
- 33 new gear-train puzzles, three per instrument.
- A new Daily Calibration puzzle with streaks.
- Hints that point to the next part or lock a correct gear, with a setting to turn them off.
- Stars, best times, fewest mistakes and a new Records tab, all from your own play.
- Assembly blueprints unlock when you restore an instrument.
- New tab layout, a smoother 3D bench that keeps your camera angle, VoiceOver labels, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion and haptics settings.
- Removed an unrelated "workspace" bar that appeared on every screen.
The developer, Robert Corbin, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Robert Corbin
- Size
- 1 MB
- Category
- Puzzle
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Robert Corbin
