5 Awesome Puzzle Games

It has been said in a distant galaxy far, far away from this exact location, that puzzle games help improve your memory and encourage your brain to do stuff. I do not know if there is a specific check-list for these games to qualify, but for the sake of all sacred objects, let’s assume that all puzzle games will help you with your upcoming maths exam. Oh, what a great world that would be?

Puzzle games have become so much more than just solving oddly created levels, it has become an amassment of great stories and lots and lots of creative ideas. Using the most bizarre method to solve a simple problem. If only maths were such fun. Lots of people love math and say that it’s fun, but whenever I see a math problem or a bunch of letters and numbers in one equation, I begin to leak. For the sake of everyone’s aura, I’m talking about tears, not some sickly perverse medical condition. I commend them for liking it and finding it fun, but I’d rather shoot someone.

I think it’s safe to assume that everyone here has at least once played a puzzle game, and if we’re lucky everyone will have a favorite as well. I present to you, in no particular order, a few great puzzle games for your very own merriment.

 

Grim Fandango

Released in 1998, GrimFandango hit the world of gaming with a puzzling bang. It is a typical adventure game, but I prefer to think of it as a adventure game with lots of cleverly conceived puzzles. All the reviews had sky-high ratings and everyone loved the dark, noir-like setting. You took control of a skeleton, dubbed Manny Calavera, working as a salesman in the Land of the Dead. He is stuck with a dead end job with no promotion in sight and discouraged due to the fact that he only gets the clients with a poor background accumulated while the aforementioned clients was still alive and kicking on Earth. The reason he wants a promotion is quite simple. You get promoted, you don’t have to work, you get a ticket for a ride on the Number Nine Train. It’s the ultimate goal. I would love to talk more about the story, but if you’re planning on playing it while you’re still breathing, I’d rather not. Yes, the game is old and the controls will feel extremely clunky now, but it had such a huge impact on this person right here, I can’t seem to forget it. Nor do I want to. The humor is dark, but, oh, so great. It has a great narrative and a bunch of interesting characters with puzzles that will have you thinking in the most ridiculous and unusual ways.

 

FEZ 

Following the adventures of Gomez which lives in a two dimensional world, you acquire a magical fez (hat) that grants you the power to change perspectives, thus changing it into a three dimensional world filled with secrets, while Gomez stays a two dimensional character. FEZ doesn’t focus on narrative, but rather on great platforming and intelligent puzzles. The retro-looking graphics enhances the experience and gives it a great aesthetic. The sounds and music are “old-school”, just like the look of the game, but it fits perfectly. You’ll be titillated by this original, perspective changing game mechanic. If you have an Xbox 360, be sure to grab a bunch of Microsoft Points and play the living crap out of this great game. Personally, I really hope it gets released for other platforms as well.

 

Catherine

Apparently Vincent Brooks doesn’t have a lot of luck. Stuck in a dead-end job, having relationships issues and now this. Strange rumors have been spreading of men that cheat on their other halves get killed in their nightmares. Vincent also has these nightmares. Did he cheat on his girlfriend? Unfortunately, yes. He drinks too much and after a bunch of diabolical happenings, he finds himself in a tough moral situation and he also has to stay alive during these nightmares. He’s not safe. He will have to survive a bunch of nights filled with terror. While the game also takes place during the day with social-like gameplay, your puzzling skills will be tested in these nightmare sequences. You will have to climb a formidably high stack of blocks to avoid falling to your death. Yes, when you die in your sleep, you die in reality. It’s a bitch, but it is necessary. You will face a plethora of different types of blocks that will be making things even more difficult for Vincent. The game focuses heavily on narrative and moral choices that will determine the ending you get. It’s fun, difficult and will intrigue you with a mature and rather odd story.

 

Portal 2

In a world consisting out of many, many test chambers, and testing all in the name of science led by a rogue albeit chuckle-inducing AI, one can’t help but wonder where this awesome concept of Portal and Portal 2 came from. I chose Portal 2 due to me loving it, and it’s dark humor. It’s cleverly put together and even though the cast is really small, you have a superb experience. GlaDOS is the star of the show with so many comments backed by cruel and addictive puzzles. Cooperative gameplay that doesn’t include a barrage of gunfire and lead-like projectiles has never been this fun. You and your friend can tackle these co-op levels and scratch heads together while figuring out a even more ingenious strings of puzzles. If you have not played this before, your task is simple: PLAY PORTAL 2.

 

Trine 2

In a chimerical world filled with fantasy, our heroes of characters which includes Zoya, a thief, Amadeus, a wizard and Pontius, a knight, must use their combined skills to get through this amazing world. This world is packed with danger and puzzling goodness. Each character has a unique set of skills and all those skills are required to advance or just stay alive. Puzzles are never frustrating, but will keep you guessing and wondering what to do nevertheless. Puzzles also offer lots of variety and can be solved in more than one way. The story isn’t the thief of the limelight, but keeps things going. Our three characters are led by a magical object known only as the Trine, and we’ll learn about their adventures following it. The situations you’ll find yourself in never cease to amaze. The visuals are absolutely entrancing. A feast for the eyes, if you will. According to my personal selection making skills, I don’t think you’ll find a better downloadable game out there. It’s that good.

 

The Conclusion

And so we come at an end. Thank you for joining and we look forward to seeing your silhouettes again. Before you leave your loveseat, do tell us what your favorite puzzle games are, as there are many more out there. We do enjoy the feedback.