# Zero/Sum — A B-Movie Puzzle Game! > A unique puzzle game with an 80s action movie storyline and mathematical puzzles. (iPhone/iPad app by Sean Kearney.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zerosum/id1200231665 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Sean Kearney](https://appshunter.io/developer/944858047) - Category: Games, Puzzle - Price: Free - Rating: 4.30/5 from 26 App Store ratings · 13 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 12+ - Requires: iOS 8.0 · 973 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2018-05-16 - Data updated: 2026-08-25 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zerosum/id1200231665/reviews.md ## What is Zero/Sum? On the eve of discovering a mathematical cure for cancer, your mentor, Professor Claire Liddy, is murdered. Fortunately, before she died, the Professor was able to erase many of the plus and minus signs with her bloody hands, saving the cure from falling into the hands of her killers. Now it is up to you to fill back in the missing parts of the equation and resolve your professor's cure. It's up to you to cure cancer -- AGAIN! (It's a comedy). FEATURES - A completely UNIQUE and ORIGINAL puzzle game! - Puzzle gameplay that will make you feel and look SMART! - A thrilling, 80s ACTION MOVIE-inspired storyline! - Full motion video GREEN SCREEN cinematics! With REAL human ACTORS! - NO mention of CANDY or CUPCAKES or sweets of any kind in the story at all! - A variety of different puzzle types and mechanics to keep things FRESH (melting puzzles, number puzzles, and so much more)! - A Daily Challenge Mode featuring 10 NEW puzzles EVERY DAY! - Time Trial mode - try to beat your best time on RANDOM PUZZLES! - Completely INDEPENDENTLY developed and published! (Support your local punk band)! I ignored my newborn child to make this game, please ignore yours to play it!* *Note: I worked on the game every night after my son fell asleep, there is nothing more important to me than being a father. That being said, this game is a CLOSE second. Like neck and neck, really. ## Key features - Unique and original puzzle gameplay - 80s action movie-inspired storyline - Full motion video cinematics with real actors - Variety of puzzle types (melting, number) - Daily Challenge Mode with new puzzles - Time Trial mode ## Recent user reviews (10 of 13) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zerosum/id1200231665/reviews.md ### 2/5 — Equation *2025-10-10* Ridiculous equation for example: 8 - - - = 8, and how to solve equations to turn 0 into only 0, 1, 6, and 9. I checked the information, but it doesn't work to solve the problem and check your math dude. ### 5/5 — This game needs to be part of the Middle School Math Curriculum *2021-05-13* Yes this is a game you should let your kids play!!! ### 5/5 — Math made fun! *2019-03-20* I don’t like math, but I love this game. It looks deceptively simple. The sounds in a game are important to me and the skidding and clunk sounds make me happy. The reward for winning ten founds another chapter of the super corny, funny movie. I do need a faq (I want to know how to get three stars) and please let me buy hints. Zero Sum would be perfect for teaching kids about negative numbers. Although, they would probably do better than me lol. Reading other reviews, I appreciate the customer service. Thanks for such a cool game, Squeezebox. I’m really glad you were featured. 03/20/19 ### 3/5 — Fun but I missed the part about timed puzzles *2019-03-16* Personally I hate timed things. I just want to work through it and get 3 stars. I thought that was this game, then I get to the timed part - which wasn’t in the tutorial. Ugh. Not for me. Great idea and game but ultimately not for me. ### 2/5 — Annoying *2018-06-01* I hate to give a bad review when the game is ok but it’s just really frustrating. If you make a mistake you can’t replay a puzzle, you have to start the chapter again, watch the movie clips again and do all the puzzles again. For anyone that likes getting 10/10 this will annoy the hell out of you like it did me. **Developer response:** Hi! I know this is a little late, but I while back (a few weeks after you posted this review) I fixed all of this!! Thank you for the comments, comments like this helped me realize what I had missed in the initial release! ### 4/5 — Enjoyable Math Challenge but... *2018-05-28* I really enjoy this game. The premise is so easy: add plus or minus signs to get the equations to equal zero. The equations start out easy but become harder and harder progressively. I love the B-rated movie plot. I like the timed challenges (though I don’t do well under pressure...haha). And I love the daily challenges. But... I despise having to restart a level, including listening to the B-rated movie video prior to where I left off. It would be awesome if this game had a “Save where you left off” option included. I have found a workaround by just leaving the game running in the background; however, when I power down my iPhone so it’s miniature computer can clear its cache, I am stuck with restarting the level again. I hope the App developer sees this and works to fix this tiny but highly aggravating issue. If he does, I can then easily rate this game five stars! NOTE: I would also like to have the option to turn on Daily Challenge notifications (badges,sounds,banners). Currently there is no such option. P.S. Looking forward to more games like this (with Save & Notification options of course!). 🤩 **Developer response:** Thanks for playing the game, I'm genuinely overjoyed that you like it so much! As for the notes...yup, message received loud and clear! I'm finishing up an update right now that, among other things, allows you to skip the cutscenes (hopefully you'll only use this once you've watched them at least once!), save your progress automatically on each level, and restart a level from the pause menu if you don't get enough stars! I'm planning on submitting it in the next few days, so it should be live soon!!!!! ### 3/5 — Not bad but much too easy and short *2018-05-24* The clips are fairly entertaining and the actual game is fun enough but the whole thing is far too simple and short. Completed in around 30 minutes. ### 1/5 — Really?! *2018-05-22* Why the hell make it available for $2 for a device like iPad 2 when after the first "conversation," the app crashes. Quite infuriating. **Developer response:** I'm looking into what causes a crash on that device specifically. In the meantime, I'm very sorry, and will gladly refund you for the purchase. ### 5/5 — Fun game with an (intentionally) campy story *2018-05-20* Fun little math game that puzzles you to push the narrative forward. I hope in the sequel, we get to multiply and decide. If you ever played the card game 24 you’ll probably like this. You have to solve equations with pieces missing. Sometimes the operators and sometimes the numbers. Make everything equal zero, there’s a little bit of sudoku where the equations cross and everything has to line up perfectly. It’s not a long game, but it’s funny, challenging and never frustrating to the point of throwing your phone or rage quitting. **Developer response:** Thanks DJ! I've never actually played that card game, but I'm looking it up now! ### 3/5 — Cute scenes, half-baked gameplay *2018-05-17* The vignettes are really the only reason to play this game. They are silly, dumb, and sometimes funny. The game, however, starts with a decent foundation and then just remains content to rest there. It never actually gets clever or fun, just more time-sensitive. The game is incredibly short too, as it has 80 “puzzles”, but each one takes about 20 seconds (at most) to solve. **Developer response:** Sorry you didn't enjoy it more, I totally understand the note about the length, I tried to expand that out with the random Time Trial sections, as well as the Daily Challenge Mode, which gives you ten new puzzles every day. I'm happy you dug the cutscenes though, and I like your username! ## Frequently asked questions about Zero/Sum ### What is Zero/Sum about? Zero/Sum is a puzzle game where you fill in missing mathematical signs to resolve a cure for cancer. It features a unique, 80s action movie-inspired storyline with live-action cinematics. ### What kind of puzzles are in Zero/Sum? Zero/Sum offers a variety of puzzle types, including melting puzzles and number puzzles. The gameplay is designed to make players feel smart and engaged. ### Does Zero/Sum have multiplayer? The provided information does not mention multiplayer functionality for Zero/Sum. It focuses on single-player puzzle-solving and a narrative experience. ### Can I play Zero/Sum offline? The description does not specify if Zero/Sum requires an internet connection to play. However, its focus on puzzles and story suggests it may be playable offline. ### How often is Zero/Sum updated? Zero/Sum was last updated on July 3, 2018, to version 2.0.6. The developer has not indicated a regular update schedule. ### What devices does Zero/Sum support? Zero/Sum is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, indicating compatibility across Apple's mobile ecosystem. ### What is the age rating for Zero/Sum? Zero/Sum has an age rating of 12+, suggesting it is suitable for players aged 12 and older. ### Does Zero/Sum have ads? No, Zero/Sum does not contain advertisements. The app is free to download and play without any ad interruptions. ## Version history (last 2 releases) ### 2.0.6 — 2018-07-03 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. I listened to your comments and requests, and updated the build with your suggestions! - The game now (automatically!) saves your progress with every puzzle! - You can reset a puzzle at anytime by pausing the game! - You can also skip the cutscenes (though I do hope you'll watch them at least once)! - I infused the game with even more love and happiness! (By that I mean I fixed some bugs)! ### 1.0.1 — 2018-04-25 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Zero/Sum | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Jigsaw Puzzle Games For Water](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jigsaw-puzzle-games-for-water/id1380106363) | 5.0 (2) | Free | Games | | [Only One - A Logic Puzzle](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/only-one-a-logic-puzzle/id1619099640) | 5.0 (2) | $0.99 | Games | | [One More Button](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/one-more-button/id1363492038) | 5.0 (5) | $2.99 | Games | | [Block Paddle Puzzle](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/block-paddle-puzzle/id6737142779) | — | Free | Games | | [Color Shapes Match](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-shapes-match/id1439742953) | 4.2 (5) | $2.99 | Games | | [Sum Loop](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sum-loop/id6447087917) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Games | ## More apps by Sean Kearney - [Corny Crush](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/corny-crush/id965969639) - [Super One Player Pong](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/super-one-player-pong/id1055246619) All apps by Sean Kearney: https://appshunter.io/developer/944858047 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-25.*