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Puzzle games can either be a relaxing experience or can truly test the player's intellect. Either way, they can certainly be a satisfying experience.
In the last 10 years, there have been a variety of puzzle games, and the genre has come a long way. While there are thousands of mind-boggling games across all platforms, here are 10 hand-picked ones worth playing again in the month of August.
10 challenging puzzle games to play again in August
1) The Room (2012)
Developed by Fireproof Games back in September 2012, this 3D game was first developed for the iOS platform and was later introduced to Android in 2013.
The gameplay includes the player solving puzzles around a mysterious box in a room where the player finds letters from the person who previously solved the mystery of the box.
The game was met with favorable reviews on iOS and the Nintendo Switch, and it even received the "Apple iPad Game of the Year" award the same year it was launched.
2) Helltaker (2020)
Helltaker can be described as an indie dating simulator. The game was designed by Lukasz Piskorz, also known as Vanripper.
In the game, the player solves a series of puzzle levels with a demon girl at the end of each level. The puzzle stages involve pushing stones, going around skeletons, avoiding spike traps, collecting key items, and reaching the demon girl within a certain set of turns.
Upon reaching the goal, the demon girl will ask the player certain questions. If they answer incorrectly, the character will die, and they will have to restart the level.
3) Poly Bridge (2015)
Poly Bridge is a physics-based game where the players can unleash their creativity by constructing bridges and closing the gap between two areas. The game has more than 100 campaign-based levels that will keep the player engaged for hours.
The objective of the game is to traverse seas and rivers by building bridges. Bridge building is done in a 2D modeler where the player creates a blueprint using materials that are provided while being restricted by a budget. The game has a variety of vehicles, and each one has a different shape and weight, forcing players to design their bridges creatively.
The game also has a Sandbox mode where players can make their bridges without any restrictions.
4) Stephan's Sausage Roll (2016)
This indie game was developed by Increpare Games. In the game, the player controls a character who pushes sausages to grilling locations on a grid.
The player controls a low-poly character with a fork in their hand. The objective is to grill the sausages in four spots, twice on each side. If the sausage gets pushed off the edge of the map or gets grilled more than once in the same spot, the player fails and must undo their progress.
5) Baba Is You (2019)
Baba Is You is an indie game where the rules of the game are present in the levels as blocks and can be interacted with. It is created by the Finnish indie developer Arvi Teikari, who is professionally known as Hempuli.
Players can create unexpected results by changing the rules. The game has over 200 levels, and players are required to interact with the mechanics and figure out a solution using out-of-the-box thinking. A free update called "Baba Make Level" was released in 2021, which featured more than 150 levels and a level editor with an online sharing feature.
6) The Talos Principle (2014)
This philosophical game was developed by Croteam and was published by Devolver Digital. The game was also released on different platforms like Android (2015) and Xbox One (2018).
The gameplay is narrative based and tackles philosophical themes. The player is a robot with consciousness that has to solve puzzles and collect "sigils."
The game has over 120 puzzles with more than four different biomes to explore. Players can also explore the open environment to find computer terminals that include more puzzles and expand on the narrative.
7) Inside (2016)
Inside is a 2D platformer game published and developed by Playdead for Windows, Xbox, and PlayStation. Inside was showcased at E3 back in 2014 with a planned release in 2015, but it was delayed, and the game was instead released in 2016.
Inside is about an unnamed boy who explores a dystopian world. The boy solves puzzles and avoids death as he tries to find an escape route. The game is primarily monochromatic, with environments that are dark and gloomy. It tells a rather bleak story that is open to interpretation.
8) Little Nightmares 2 (2021)
Little Nightmares 2 is the prequel to 2017's Little Nightmares. This suspense-filled puzzle game is about a young boy named Mono who is stuck in a world that has been distorted. The player also finds Six, who is the protagonist of the previous game, and they must work together to uncover the secrets of the weird and distorted city.
Players also encounter enemies in certain areas who will try to kill or capture the protagonist. The game features collectible hats and an additional ending scene if all the glitches are collected.
9) Superliminal (2019)
Superliminal is a surreal first-person game that was released back in 2019 by Pillow Castle Games. It is a game about optical illusions and forced perspectives. Objects in the game can be picked up and will change their size depending on the player's perspective, enabling the player to solve puzzles and complete the game.
The optical illusion aspect is introduced later in the game, where some objects are drawn in segments on the wall or on different surfaces. The player must find the right angle to view the object as a whole, and only then will they be able to grab it and manipulate it.
10) Portal 2 (2011)
Portal 2 is a platformer game developed by Valve. This game is a sequel to Portal, which was released back in 2007. Portal 2 has received critical acclaim for its balanced learning curve, dark humor, pacing, and story. It has also been considered one of the greatest video games of all time by critics.
Like the original Portal, the game offers levels where players have to solve puzzles by teleporting using portals. The protagonist, Chell, is equipped with a portal gun that shoots the portals.
Portal 2 adds many new features like light bridges, lasers, and tractor beams. While most of the levels take place in test chambers with defined entrances and exits, the objectives are less clear in other parts of the game.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinion.
