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Games with most intelligent puzzles

Egosphere

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A couple of the puzzles from Machinarium were tricky, as long as you didn't look at the hints

Portal 1 & 2

Don't know about 2, but Portal 1 was piss easy.
 

DJOGamer PT

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From the Zelda series, the best in terms of puzzles would be:

Link to the Past
Link's Awekning DX
Ocarina of Time - Master Quest
Majora's Mask
Oracle of Ages

Breath of Wild has some excellent ones as well.

Don't know about 2, but Portal 1 was piss easy.

Portal 2 has a map creator tool, and I think it's the game on steam with the highest number of steam workshop items.
 
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I have to agree with people recommending The Talos Principle, and it's DLC, as a surprisingly good puzzle game, especially coming from the makers of Serious Sam.
But if i had to pick the best puzzle game, it would be the D.R.O.D series.
https://af.gog.com/game/drod_1_2_3?as=1649904300

These are the first 3 games out of 6, and they are all (beside the RPG one, sadly) excellent puzzle games. Each game, starting with the first, uses an updated engine, i.e.: drod 1 uses engine version 1.0, drod 2 uses 2.0, etc. The good part is that you can play the older games in the newest version 5.0 (DROD The Second Sky) with all the QoL updates of the latter. Unfortunately, it seems you can't do that on the GoG version (the version i own), since there's no .hold file to export. I think the Steam version has them, but i'm not so sure. For any help, they have a forum: http://forum.caravelgames.com/index.php

Words can't describe how addicting this series is. As of now, i'm half way through the last game, and i'm continuously blown away from new mechanics they keep introducing. Highly recommended.
 
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Nutmeg

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Vatnik Wumao
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Everything quoted so far is puzzlie-lite for non puzzle gamers.

Anyway try these:

Rupupu cube
Sutte Hakkun
Solomon's Key 2

If you're ok with a bit of action:

Meikyuu Jima
Solomon's key 1
Gussun oyoyo
 

Owl

Cipher
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Codex USB, 2014
The puzzles in Project Eden were really memorable for me. Most of them are fairly easy to solve, but they're so well integrated into the world and the levels that they don't even feel like puzzles anyomore, it's really fun and rewarding. You can switch between your four different characters, each with different abilities (Lost Vikings-style), and they're all required to solve the puzzles and advance in the level. It's one of my favorite games, despite its many problems (janky controls and combat, silly story, etc.).
 
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Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
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Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
I have to agree with people recommending The Talos Principle, and it's DLC, as a surprisingly good puzzle game, especially coming from the makers of Serious Sam.
But if i had to pick the best puzzle game, it would be the D.R.O.D series.
https://af.gog.com/game/drod_1_2_3?as=1649904300

These are the first 3 games out of 6, and they are all (beside the RPG one, sadly) excellent puzzle games. Each game, starting with the first, uses an updated engine, i.e.: drod 1 uses engine version 1.0, drod 2 uses 2.0, etc. The good part is that you can play the older games in the newest version 5.0 (DROD The Second Sky) with all the QoL updates of the latter. Unfortunately, it seems you can't do that on the GoG version (the version i own), since there's no .hold file to export. I think the Steam version has them, but i'm not so sure. For any help, they have a forum: http://forum.caravelgames.com/index.php

Words can't describe how addicting this series is. As of now, i'm half way through the last game, and i'm continuously blown away from new mechanics they keep introducing. Highly recommended.

Thanks for this interesting first post of yours. As I'm one of the few Codexers who plays and champions DROD, I mostly agree with your words. But not completely.

The first two games are well worth playing, as they both introduce new elements and then play around with them well enough to make an enjoyable experience, and also have well-crafted levels. But to me the third (and subsequent) games all felt like they were trying too hard to add new stuff simply for the heck of it, and didn't go far enough in making the levels entertaining. Tar, for example, is interesting because you can only attack it at the concave corners and is introduced in the first game. Mud is the inverse of it so you can only attack it on the straight edges, and is introduced in the second game. But the third game introduces gel, and gel can only be attacked on the convex corners. Introducing a new enemy with an opposite effect makes sense, but adding a third variation is just too much, no matter how appropriate it is. It's the same thing with the three types of snakes.

By the time I reached the end of the third game I was feeling pretty burned out because there were so many monsters and items to worry about, to the point that I didn't bother going for the 100% completion rate, but then the two sequels decide to add more: I played the fourth game about 80% through before I realized that I just didn't care anymore and walked away. What little I played of the fifth was like a triple dose of the feeling of the fourth, there is too much going on and not enough time spent ensuring the player digests each new feature.

(The DROD RPG is best not mentioned, even on this forum.)

And I recently bought the DROD series on Steam, but I ran into some problem with them and couldn't get them to talk to the Caravel servers, so I asked for a refund on the lot. :(

Now, as for games with the most intelligent puzzles... I'd like to mention (but not propose) a few puzzlers that at least strived for something bigger, but ultimately failed in one form or another. The Fool's Errand (1987) has a meta-puzzle that involves assembling a map and arranging the pieces in the right order, so that the Fool can find the Treasure and get rich. To get the pieces the Fool must complete LOTS of puzzles, and they cover a wide range. Word games, spotting the odd one out, minor action sequences, navigating mazes, and so on. The two main gimmicks of the game are the Tarot theme that permeates the whole game, and the overall narrative that actually is essential to solving the game's myriad puzzles. It's been many years since I played it, but it's certainly a game to remember. The same guy also made a numeric/math-based game called 3 in Three (1990) and then many years later released A Fool and His Money (2012) as a sequel to his fool's errand.
 
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Joined
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The first two games are well worth playing, as they both introduce new elements and then play around with them well enough to make an enjoyable experience, and also have well-crafted levels. But to me the third (and subsequent) games all felt like they were trying too hard to add new stuff simply for the heck of it, and didn't go far enough in making the levels entertaining. Tar, for example, is interesting because you can only attack it at the concave corners and is introduced in the first game. Mud is the inverse of it so you can only attack it on the straight edges, and is introduced in the second game. But the third game introduces gel, and gel can only be attacked on the convex corners. Introducing a new enemy with an opposite effect makes sense, but adding a third variation is just too much, no matter how appropriate it is. It's the same thing with the three types of snakes.

By the time I reached the end of the third game I was feeling pretty burned out because there were so many monsters and items to worry about, to the point that I didn't bother going for the 100% completion rate, but then the two sequels decide to add more: I played the fourth game about 80% through before I realized that I just didn't care anymore and walked away. What little I played of the fifth was like a triple dose of the feeling of the fourth, there is too much going on and not enough time spent ensuring the player digests each new feature.

(The DROD RPG is best not mentioned, even on this forum.)

If i had to describe each game, i would say that the first game was the most 'raw' in terms of design, with many puzzles having too little or no checkpoint and probably the one with the most combat heavy puzzles, and variety, which as you said is not a bad thing (although some of the levels, like the tar theme and the horrible maze, made me 'sigh' alot). The second game definitely hit the sweet spot of well-designed puzzles, being fair and usually not long, and continuing adding puzzle elements and doing great use of mixing them up (and Ralph was awesome too). I actually like the many (and oh boy... there are so many) new puzzle mechanics after the second game. I have to agree they added these way too fast. And to be honest, i didn't enjoy the whole story and world building. I wish they kept the low key, funny quips like the second game with Ralph.

Where did you finish the fifth game? I'm almost 2/3 of the way and if you thought the third and fourth game added too much, the fifth is a dozy. And the amount of dialogue makes many rpgs blush in comparison. Way too much talking, most not even interesting, and now i'm just skipping all of it to get to the actual puzzles.
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
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Like I said, I barely got started, maybe just 10% in. But sadly it was enough.

I agree with you on the rawness of the first game, it includes the most amount of rooms that were just put in there because they were so silly. The maze is a brilliant example (I still have the map for that lying around) and also that room that's 95% tar.

The second game was the most enjoyable one for me, even though the section with the bombs went on for too long and dragged the game down. (I also groaned loudly at the secret room that is 95% mud.)
 

Nerevar

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Make the Codex Great Again! Pathfinder: Wrath
Darkness over Daggerford had some cool riddles at one point. Also Swordflight 3 had a cool puzzle that I got to make a logic table for was nice because I didn't have to think just make logic table and solved.
 
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So, if someone wanted to try DROD, would it be a good idea to skip the first game?

The first game is still worth playing, despite the whole 'rawness' of it. It definitely requires the most patience of them all, since it's the most 'combat' heavy and some of the puzzles have way too little or no checkpoint at all. But the games are quite cheap, if you buy the first 3 games package on GoG. Then if you like them, the last 2 are good too (just ignore the RPG game).

As far as story goes, the order is 4 (a prequel), 1 (close to non existent), 2, 3 and 5. As far as difficulty goes, the 4th is considered the best entry point, then you go from 1 to 5 normally. I would say the first 2 games are the hardest overall and the 3rd late puzzles are nasty, while the 5th is a good mix of challenge.

If you need help, press F1 during a puzzle and there's a link to the caravel forums for help to each puzzle (usually). If all else fails, here's a good (and possibly the only one i'm a moron, there are more channels with full playthroughs...) let's play channel with all games completely done but the 4th. Beware though, its an old channel and some of it's content is the classic 10 minute, very low mic volume and very loud game sound type of youtube videos.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Pearls13a/playlists

edit: found another good channel (better quality videos) for a walkthrough for the DROD series: https://www.youtube.com/user/adiener/playlists
 
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The Great ThunThun*

How DARE you!?
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Puzzles in the Secret world. 'nough said. Most of the puzzles require you to think and read and search online for references. It is a real challenge that you can solve.
 

deuxhero

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Leather Goddesses of Phobos starts(ish. There's a prologue but it's just determining the game's settings and gives you some extra points for washing your hands) with you in a padded cell that has a painting of a cat hanging on a wall, a flashlight, a stool, a blanket, and a tray with food.
The door isn't locked
Which I thought was clever.
 

V_K

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Since it's in general gaming, there can be only one answer to that question: Baba is You. No other game I know manages to both deconstruct the whole notion of puzzle and make that deconstruction the puzzle in itself. Your mind will be properly and thoroughly fucked.
As far as RPGs go, Quest for Glory is the obvious choice because of how puzzle solutions connect with your build. They're not terribly hard though, the ones in Heroine's Quest are harder on average I'd say.
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
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Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
Leather Goddesses of Phobos starts(ish. There's a prologue but it's just determining the game's settings and gives you some extra points for washing your hands) with you in a padded cell that has a painting of a cat hanging on a wall, a flashlight, a stool, a blanket, and a tray with food.
The door isn't locked
Which I thought was clever.

This reminds me of the oldest 'clever' puzzle in gaming: The green dragon in Colossal Cave Adventure.

1*OyBFXeT-OOZF3nAx1DotKw.jpeg
 
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I didn't realize Obra Dinn was so short. Around 10 hours? Hard for me to get excited about a game of that length.

On a related tangent, are there games that make you feel like a real detective (Homes/Agatha Christie characters)?
 
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I didn't realize Obra Dinn was so short. Around 10 hours? Hard for me to get excited about a game of that length.

On a related tangent, are there games that make you feel like a real detective (Homes/Agatha Christie characters)?
I'm the opposite way these days. A good, short game is right up my alley while overlong, drawn-out ones are a hard pass.
 
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I didn't realize Obra Dinn was so short. Around 10 hours? Hard for me to get excited about a game of that length.

On a related tangent, are there games that make you feel like a real detective (Homes/Agatha Christie characters)?

The whole "Consulting Detective" boardgame line is excellent - at least those I've played.

My fav set:

pic318332.jpg


https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/3224/sherlock-holmes-consulting-detective-mansion-murde
 

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