What are your top 3 (or more if you want) puzzle games of all time?

[Zed Clampet]

In the monthly thread, @Pifanjr posted about how well-respected Stephen's Sausage Roll (80 percent off right now) is, so I thought maybe a list of our top puzzle games would be fun.

In a top 4, I'd list both Portal games and both Talos Principal games. Portal 2 would be first for me. After that I'm not sure of the order.

 

[Pifanjr]

I really like both Portal games, but not necessarily for their puzzles. Without the story I wouldn't have played either game. As far as I can see I don't have any other puzzle games I've played in my Steam library.

The only puzzle game I can think of that I enjoyed purely for its puzzle gameplay is Sherlock from Everett Kaser Software, released in 1994.

EDIT: I also remember liking Mystery of Time and Space (MOTAS), an old escape room game.

 

[Colif]

I don't play them but I have watched a few

This was big last year

Save 34% on Blue Prince on Steam

Welcome to Mt. Holly, where every dawn unveils a new mystery. Navigate through shifting corridors and ever-changing chambers in this genre-defying strategy puzzle adventure. But will your unpredictable path lead you to the rumored Room 46?

store.steampowered.com

This is likely to be next, made by same people as above. Has a demo out now.

Rivage on Steam

Rivage is an immersive sci-fi puzzle adventure set aboard the A.R.E.S. space station trapped in a space phenomenon. Wake up as Miranda, forced to explore, solve intricate puzzles to unravel the fate of your missing crew.

store.steampowered.com

There is this series

The Room on Steam

A mysterious invitation leads to the attic of an abandoned house. In the room is a cast-iron safe laced with strange carvings and on top, a note from your distant companion. It promises something ancient and astonishing concealed in the iron chamber - you need only find a way in.

store.steampowered.com

this one is really big - up to 10k puzzles

Islands of Insight on Steam

Seek out and solve 10,000+ puzzles at your own pace across this sublime puzzle game.

store.steampowered.com

Could say I cheated, just listed games from this guys channel

Aliensrock

Hi I'm Tyler, and I have a puzzle game addiction. I upload Friday-Monday on YouTube and Wednesday on Patreon.

www.youtube.com

there is also The Witness but this is its less serious cousin

 

[Zed Clampet]

I really like both Portal games, but not necessarily for their puzzles. Without the story I wouldn't have played either game. As far as I can see I don't have any other puzzle games I've played in my Steam library.

The only puzzle game I can think of that I enjoyed purely for its puzzle gameplay is Sherlock from Everett Kaser Software, released in 1994.

EDIT: I also remember liking Mystery of Time and Space (MOTAS), an old escape room game.

You don't necessarily have to rank puzzle games only for their puzzles. Of course, if you didn't actually enjoy the puzzles, that's a big factor in a rating. How do their puzzles relate to the rest of the game? is another way of looking at it. Were the puzzles fun or too easy or too hard? For me, the Portal games "had it all" and were just amazing video games in the puzzle genre. Same for Talos Principle games, which were much harder than the Portal games (at least the first one was. the puzzles in the second game were much easier)

 

[Zed Clampet]

Just for the record, I prefer easy puzzles. Anything harder than the first Talos Principle I'm not likely to enjoy. That may have been different when I was young, but I've lost so much brain power over the last 10 years, I need EASY puzzles. 😆

 

[BeardyHat]

Just for the record, I prefer easy puzzles. Anything harder than the first Talos Principle I'm not likely to enjoy. That may have been different when I was young, but I've lost so much brain power over the last 10 years, I need EASY puzzles. 😆

I feel this. I was loving Curse of the Golden Idol until I got to the Spider of Lanka, where I set the game aside, because while it was challenging in the first parts, I still felt I could figure it out. The second puzzle in Spider of Lanka has me wanting to look up a guide, which tells me I'm all done and it's too tough for me at this point.

Far as puzzles go, I'm not big on "traditional" puzzle games. I like Portal and stuff, but Zachtronics games are too much for me. What I really appreciate in a puzzle game is deduction.

Return of the Obra Dinn still lives rent free in my head and I'm tempted to play it again, but I'm waiting for enough time to pass that I've largely forgotten about it.

Anyway, I don't play too many of these style of games, but stuff like Her Story is still on my list to play, as well as a few others I'll get around to someday.

 

[Zed Clampet]

I feel this. I was loving Curse of the Golden Idol until I got to the Spider of Lanka, where I set the game aside, because while it was challenging in the first parts, I still felt I could figure it out. The second puzzle in Spider of Lanka has me wanting to look up a guide, which tells me I'm all done and it's too tough for me at this point.

Far as puzzles go, I'm not big on "traditional" puzzle games. I like Portal and stuff, but Zachtronics games are too much for me. What I really appreciate in a puzzle game is deduction.

Return of the Obra Dinn still lives rent free in my head and I'm tempted to play it again, but I'm waiting for enough time to pass that I've largely forgotten about it.

Anyway, I don't play too many of these style of games, but stuff like Her Story is still on my list to play, as well as a few others I'll get around to someday.

I truly loved Her Story, but it kind of has a problem in that how much you enjoy it depends on your guesses. After really being blown away by it, I got my wife and daughter to play it, and they decided to play it together. Early on, they made a guess that bypassed some scenes that really increased the mystery and tension. They still liked the game, but I think if they had watched those other videos that they would have liked it more.