Summary

  • An Excel CPU and Fallout RPG prove Office apps can be used beyond their intended purposes
  • Excel can also run Tetris and solve Sudoku puzzles, showcasing its versatility
  • PowerPoint was used to create a horror game with GIF animations - showcasing the power of the Office suite.

Office is a powerful productivity tool, but it may have become too powerful. People have found ways to stretch the features of each Office app to the point where it stops being a productivity suite and starts becoming something else entirely. However, these projects are so much fun that we can't help but cover them. So, here are some examples of people who did some strange but amazing stuff using Office apps.

6

5 Someone constructed a CPU in Excel, and we're wondering if people forgot what the app was made for

Let the Excel spreadsheet do all the processing for you

First up, we have this amazing feat performed by Inkbox on YouTube. After they built a 16-bit CPU in Excel, they built an 8-bit RISC in the productivity app. Despite the lower bits, the new processor churned out 14-16Hz, much more than the 16-bit processor's 1-2Hz.

The cool thing is, even if you don't intend to follow in Inkbox's footsteps, it's still well worth a watch if you want to learn more about what makes a CPU tick. Inkbox does a great job explaining everything, and watching them turn a spreadsheet into a processor is fascinating, even if you don't quite "get" everything.

4 This mad genius made a whole Fallout RPG in Excel, and you can play it too

Excel never changes

The Fallout TV show caused a big resurgence of interest in the game. People often flock to the 3D games Fallout 3, New Vegas, and 4. However, Fallout 1 and 2 did a lot of work to set the foundation for how the world works and some recurring themes. So, what better way to pay homage to those games than remaking them in Excel?

If you've ever played the first two games, you'll be familiar with the overworld map, traveling between towns, and getting into fights. This one genius managed to recreate a similar engine in Excel, so if you're in the mood to explore the Wasteland without alerting your boss, this is the way to do it.

👁 How to automate Microsoft Excel
6 best ways to automate your Excel workbook

Bring your Excel workbook into the modern era with all that it has to offer

By  Parth Shah

3 A mad genius recreated Tetris in Excel, and it looks surprisingly playable

You just need to hum the theme while you play

Speaking of playing games in Excel, did you know someone managed to get Tetris running on it? It doesn't even look half-bad; there are a ton of features in this build that make it feel like a legitimate game of Tetris. Pieces fall from the top and fade when they land, so you don't get confused; you can see what pieces are coming up next. You can spin the pieces, move them around, and even speed up the drop if you have the piece in just the right spot. It'll also remember your high score and keep tabs on your current one.

2 Excel is so powerful that you can even use it to solve Sudoku puzzles

When you're just not feeling it

Puzzles are fun, but sometimes you're sick to death of getting it wrong and just want it solved already. If you want a computer to take over from you when you get lost, this sudoku solver is just the thing. Just punch in a few variables, and Excel will get to work solving that dastardly puzzle for you.

1 This surreal cataclysmic horror game is done entirely in PowerPoint

The spookiest presentation you'll ever see

Finally, we have a horror game made entirely in PowerPoint. The game is called Roche Limit, and you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was an independent game instead of running in Microsoft Office. As it turns out, PowerPoint has really, really good support for GIFs - so much so that you can use them to show off in-game animations for whatever you please.

A ton of effort went into this project, with 80 scenes to explore and totaling 1,500 slides to create the game. The best bit is, if you want to experience the scariest PowerPoint presentation you'll ever see, you can download the file and give it a go yourself.

I don't think any work is going to get done

In all seriousness, if these projects mean anything, it's how powerful Office has become over the years. These simple apps are no longer just for typing up a document or arranging a spreadsheet; now, you can do things with it that even its developers didn't intend.