- The Witness
- Portal 2
- 3 in Three
- The Talos Principle
- Tetris
- Antichamber
- The Return of the Obra Dinn
- Riven
- Braid
- Baba is You
- SpaceChem
- The Fool’s Errand
- Myst
- Tetrobot & Co.
- Fez
- Portal
- Untitled Goose Game
- Sokobond
- Snakebird
- Myst III: Exile
- Understand
- Hexcells
- Cosmic Express
- Threes
- English Country Tune
- Honey Comb Hotel Pro
- Peggle
- Stephen’s Sausage Roll
- Starship Titanic
- Obduction
- Gorogoa
- World of Goo
- Crayon Physics Deluxe
- At the Carnival
- Bridge Constructor Portal
- Superliminal
- A Good Snowman is Hard to Build
- Labryinth 2
- Donut County
- Words on Stream
- The Room
- Myst IV: Revelation
- Cut the Rope
- The Incredible Machine
- Monument Valley
- Love Balls
- The Castle of Dr. Weird
- Lode Runner: The Legend Returns
- Angry Birds
Explanations below
The Witness
This game is single handed lay responsible for the list you see before you. It restarted my interest in video gaming and led to discovering a lot of these game you see being played. The Witness is a modern classic just by virtue of its scope. The game very slowly you introduces rules, adds to them, remixes them, inverts and does each with a simple line puzzle and some feedback. It’s clever; it’s frustrating. But you can steadily make progress and defeat the game as long as you have a close eye for detail and great scoops of tenacity. Plus, the game unfolds out of itself and opens up to become something even more amazing, with plenty of rising action.
Portal 2
I do want to talk more about rising action. The Witness is amazing because it gives you rising action in an open world environment. Portal 2 is much more linear. But what you sacrifice in open-world-ness you gain in story. Portal 2 adds length, mechanics and superior voice acting to the already fine bones of the first Portal to become something transcendent and to inspire hundreds of copycat games that give unfeeling voice overs instead of recognizing the the real heart of the game... the feeling that things are just about to escape your grasp.
3 in Three
I have tried many times to explain 3 in Three to people (a 1990 game available for free that was originally a Mac exclusive). I always fail. It is a game about words and logic and sliding tiles puzzles. But even that feels a little reductive. 3 in Three is a broad synthesis of the kinds of puzzles that no one really puts in games... which is a shame because these are so well done. It is worth your time to download and try it out.
The Talos Principle
Somewhere between the dry, stilted philosophy of the Witness and wry, story-based ease of Portal 2 lies The Talos Principle. In terms of puzzles and story, Talos feels a closer kin of Portal but it grapples with some very big ideas along the way and does so by putting you into the hot seat. The stories are very serious and the puzzles vary from the easier tutorials, to puzzles that regularly break brains. The DLC is considered essential. The stars, less so.
Tetris
Tetris properly played is a puzzle game until it isn’t. At some point, lightning reflexes overtake your ability to plan three, four or more moves ahead. Consequently, the game I have probably played the most in my life (either this odd Super Mario Kart) is a puzzle game that walks you right up to edge of your ability and then shoots past.
Antichamber
Antichamber is a subversive game. It takes the building blocks of video game design (consistent maps, walls are wall, floors are floors, empty space is empty) and just totally fires it all out the window. It took me a long time to sort fo catch the vibe of this game but once I did I loved the ride. The minimalist art is a bit of eyebleach, but this game too has a philosophy and it often involves taking the piss.
The Return of the Obra Dinn
Puzzle games often are trying to say something with their graphics. The Witness is lushly detailed because you will be spending a lot of time there. Portal 2 and Talos give you richly detailed worlds filled with Easter eggs. Return of the Obra Dinn, like Antichamber, strips a lot of that way. But the result is actually more compelling that even Antichamber. That is because Obra Dinn has you exploring a series of blackout scenes in an effort to deduce what happened to each of the 60 crew and passengers on the ill-fated voyage. It starts slow but ladles out hints and requires frequent revisits to ensure that you gathered all the clues you need.
Riven
Riven feels like a game from the 2010s trapped in the body of game from the 1990s. Riven is the only truly open world Myst game... that allows you to get sidetracked and approach the game’s two big puzzles (if there is a drawback to Riven it is that there may in fact be only two puzzles) in whatever order using whatever tools and tricks you have to hand. Back in the day, this was as impressive as games get. But this could really use a new version.
Braid
Braid suffers somewhat from being a very clear response to Mario from the Super Mario Brothers games. Tim seems to be the Woody Allen version of Mario with just about all the yuckiness that would entail. But the time mechanic is (chef’s kiss) and the ways in which it interacts with non-time objects, recordings of yourself, a time-slowing ring etc are examples of solid puzzle design. But good luck not feeling icky when it is all said and done.
Baba is You
Another game that skimps on the graphics to the game’s credit. Baba is You is in the Sokoban school of pushing stuff around to fit it in the right place. But the trick here is that the rules of the game are also something you can push around. As a result, the game often turns meta. The big drawback in this game is there is simply too much to do and so many of its step are beyond the capacity of me. Fortunately, I did make it to the meta-levels which paid off a lot of fun things
SpaceChem
While I haven’t played other Zactronics games, SpaceChem seems the most up my alley. At heart, this is a computer programming game but you get to make certain chemicals. I never cared how well I did compared to the average player, what I was looking for was to get the job done in the first place. So much fun.
The Fool’s Errand
The forerunner to 3 in Three and probably would be the better game if it had come out after 3 in Three. The Fool’s Errand is a game that needs a little more “direction” given to the player and A LOT more improvements to the puzzle interface (the mazes and word searches are particularly pesky). But when you stand at the end and realize all the steps that it too to get there, Fool’s Errand remains a towering achievement.
Myst
The granddaddy of all point and click games. There was a long period of time where PC gaming was Myst and not much else. And frankly, it holds up. Though RealMyst is the better modern implementation of the idea and Selentic Age is still a pain to do twice, Myst continues to be a marvel of the hub and spoke genre and rightly included among any discussion of the best and most influential puzzle games.
Tetrobot & Co.
This cute adventure is a perfect example of the benefits of rising action. The levels get profoundly more difficult, but they do so slowly. Each new mechanic is introduced in a straightforward way and the cute graphics and jokey humor keep the game light. It does seem to be trying to have a story which I was having a very hard time caring about, however.
Fez
On the right side of the puzzle/platform divide, though only just. Fez works by making you pay attention and develop your movement in a particular way. Plus, the 3D gimmick is really cool. And like the better games above, the end of the game isn’t the end of the game unless you want it to be.
Portal
It can be hard to think about the world pre-Portal. First person puzzle games did not really exist let alone one as rock solid from the bottom to the top as this one. That said, Portal is a little short which a little too much running around behind the scenes at the enrichment center. But like Myst above, it holds up and deserves to be here as well.
Untitled Goose Game
Is it a puzzle game or a chaos engine? Close call. Some of the hardest stumpers here require a lot of science, which is what makes a puzzle game great. But some of the grinding and random fights you have to pick with the humans are only so-so. Play more for the experience than the puzzle… and enjoy the experience.
Sokobond
Baba is You meet SpaceChem. This game is a little easy and, while the challenges ramp nicely, there are a finite number of things that you can do on any level which cuts down on the frustration but also makes completing levels feel as much a relief and as an “attaboy”. But the fact that you you are getting bigger as you play add each ion gives this more complexity than event the gravity hijinks of Snakebird in a nice simple package.
Snakebird
Snakebird, a gravity bound version fo Snake, works so well that wonder why it took this long to develop. That said, the rising action in this game is a little scattered. And failing on one puzzle could be more detrimental than it should.
Myst III: Exile
Despite some fine acting, Myst III is mostly a wash. There are some nice puzzle moments but some things don’t quite cohere the way they should. The best thing I can say is that the completion occurrences are really cool epic scenes that reward you fro all that you have done.
Understand
Clearly inspired by The Witness, understand takes abstract rule recognition to the nth degree. Rising action is achieved and the game heels turns nicely in its ? levels which were worth the price of admission. Ultimately, it doesn’t require as much meta-puzzling and rule memory as I would like, but I will return often just to pit my ability to receive instruction against its ability to teach anytime.
Hexcells
Minesweeper with the Bestagons. How much or how little information a puzzle can communicate is really the limit of its interest. This game works to eliminate all the noise and reduce the number of inputs to as small a number as possible, which is deft feat that makes it feels less like Sudoku and more like the logic zugzwang it truly can be.
Cosmic Express
A fun level train track game that manages to be both simple and infuriating. Certainly scratches an itch for a time but then gets repetitive especially when puzzle solutions start coming less frequently.
Threes
The actually good version of 2048. This is a nice time waster that manages to be a bit puzzlely. Still probably too much luck to be any higher.
English Country Tune
A fun level based puzzle game that is a little easy but always keeps you thinking. Is there a worse name for a puzzle game? I cannot imagine.
Honey Comb Hotel Pro
The app version of the pencil and paper logic puzzle is superb and 450 puzzles is as much of this as I need.
Peggle
The best of the ‘find the right angle and shoot’ games. I had a beloved version of this on the web that I have since misplaced. The app version is fine but a little juvenile.
Stephen’s Sausage Roll
This rather ugly game features some amazing puzzles that deal with constrained space. But the lack of a way to proceed without either cheating or 100% every puzzles feels like a mistake with puzzles this tough. But a very cool idea.
Starship Titanic
I never played the infocom Hitchhiker’s but this parlor trick by Douglas Adams feels like the next best thing. A couple of puzzles end up being needlessly time consuming and there is a moment when ultimate power becomes available to you without letting you know. Very strange but fun.
Obduction
Another game I really wanted to like, but the seams were showing everywhere. It is another in the Myst family of throw a lever and figure out what it did, but this this Cyan cranked up the story to 11 and and left the puzzle details a little ho-hum. I got quite far in this game and then just never wanted to do go back to it. Maybe I will, but until then… here’s where I am leaving it.
Gorogoa
Another play on perspective… I seem to just not like Superliminal’s “beat you over the head” rendition of this versus Gorogoa’s let the story unfold slowly and The Witness make your own story version of the same idea. The puzzle component isn’t necessarily great, but the art style more than makes up for it.
World of Goo
Bridge Constructor: Escape Room. It hasn’t grown on me… but the the idea of merging the core idea of bridge construction in a dynamic space is appealing. Just need to take some more time with it perhaps.
Crayon Physics Deluxe
Draw things to make a ball meet a star. A very simple concept executed very well.
At the Carnival
The final of the classic Cliff Johnson troika... this game tries to make everything work through excess. The puzzles are so-so and the lack of meta-puzzle hurts.
Bridge Constructor Portal
I kind of include all Bridge Constructor games in this one. The Portal version is nice in that GLAdOS appears and that the puzzles use a lot portal mechanics. Bridge constructor games generally are hit or miss.
Superliminal
A Portal clone that is both too short and too long. Some of the puzzles feel unfair, while others are inspired. The story is ok, but I prefer The Witness’ version that lets me come to terms with it instead of being told.
A Good Snowman is Hard to Build
An interesting addition to the sokobon school. Hard to argue that it is more fund than Sokobond or even Stephen’s Sausage Roll. The key gimmick is neat, but ends up being more arduous than a clever turn. It is a pleasant way to spend an evening.
Labryinth 2
A finer version of the roll the marble through the box games. Has maybe a few too many bells and whistles.
Donut County
I really wanted to like Donut County given it’s heavy emphasis on narrative. But a puzzle game that kind of solves itself isn’t really a puzzle game… and then adding more traditional video game elements to spice up the endgame is the opposite of what I wanted to do in a puzzle game.
Words on Stream
I like anagrams. Do you like anagrams? Let’s play anagrams. (Probably dropped 5 positions due to the horrible “improvement” of locking users.)
The Room
Seems to have 1 portion of tension that it is trying to stretch for a family of four. The puzzles are okay, but they mostly become “where do I push this thingy” and “is it time for the eyepiece” which gets old.
Myst IV: Revelation
Couldn’t get into this Myst game despite having tried twice 15 years apart. Always felt like it should have been easier. Plus, why are we still dealing with the villains from the FIRST GAME.
Cut the Rope
Pretty funny but pretty silly mobile puzzle game. The puzzles don’t go anywhere though which leads it to kind of chase its tail for a long time.
The Incredible Machine
Rube Goldberg machines are fun, but eventually these puzzles feel a little meh.
Monument Valley
What thing do I turn now? Pretty, but also pretty yawn.
Love Balls
Crayon Physics Deluxe but with lots of ads. Decent, but nothing special.
The Castle of Dr. Weird
The Fool’s Errand this ain’t. Jigsaws, mazes and word searches but without the payoff Cliff Johnson provides.
Lode Runner: The Legend Returns
The best Lode Runner levels feel like puzzles or are the puzzles you build for friends. Not enough levels are this way to justify this being any higher.
Angry Birds
Choose your bird. Aim and fire. These puzzles are pretty lackluster but good for an aimless thrill now and again.
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