BrokenCalc

Inspiration

As a mathematics graduate, I wanted to build something fun, math-inspired, and just a little bit absurd. That’s how BrokenCalc was born — a game where solving a simple arithmetic problem becomes unexpectedly hard because the calculator itself is completely broken.

I was inspired by the idea of taking something familiar and turning it into a chaotic, silly experience — perfectly aligned with the spirit of the Reddit Silly Sh!t Challenge.

What it does

BrokenCalc is a Reddit-native mini-game where players are given a simple math problem (like __ + __ = 18) — but the twist is that the calculator buttons are all remapped at random.

So pressing "2" might type "7", the "+" button might actually input "-", and nothing works the way you'd expect. The challenge is to reverse-engineer the broken inputs and still solve the equation.

How I built it

I started by writing a clear implementation plan in Markdown, breaking the game down into manageable tasks.
I used Bolt.new as my primary tool to implement core components, UI layouts, and helper logic.
I worked locally to fix issues that Bolt couldn’t handle directly — including linting errors, state logic, and some UI quirks.
I deployed the app as a Reddit-native experience using Devvit, learning the Reddit developer tooling as I went.
I also used ChatGPT throughout to refine prompts, clean up copy, and make the tone more consistent.

Challenges I ran into

State management: Handling randomized key mappings and tracking user inputs required custom logic that I implemented manually.
Linting and syntax issues: Some Bolt-generated code needed to be cleaned up and debugged locally.
Learning Devvit: As this was my first time building with Reddit’s developer tools, I had to figure out how the UI components and interactions worked.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Created a playable and unique game experience entirely within Reddit.
Took a silly idea and turned it into something that’s both frustrating and oddly fun.
Learned the ins and outs of Devvit and Reddit’s developer platform during the hackathon.
Managed the entire project solo — from concept to shipped game.

What I learned

Planning and structuring the development process made Bolt much more effective as a tool.
Reddit’s Devvit platform has some cool possibilities once you get past the initial learning curve.
Even simple games require careful handling of state and user input — especially when intentionally breaking expected behavior.
Tools like Bolt and ChatGPT are incredibly useful for solo developers when used intentionally.

What's next for BrokenCalc

Add a scoring system and possible leaderboard integration.
Introduce multiple difficulty levels with more complex equations or more chaotic remapping.
Improve visual feedback with animations and fun effects to enhance the chaos.
Explore other silly game mechanics in the same spirit, maybe even extend it to a collection of broken tools.

Built for the Reddit Silly Sh!t Challenge. Broken on purpose.