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What are the best puzzle games on PC?

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Considered

890

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Recs.

Jan 9, 2024

Last
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The 1 must play gameWhy?

Best puzzle games on PC	Price	Steam Rating	Genre
92 Portal 2	$19.99	Overwhelmingly Positive	-
87 The Talos Principle	$39.99	Very Positive	Adventure, Puzzle
86 The Room	$0.99	-	Puzzle
86 Infinifactory	$24.99	Overwhelmingly Positive	-
-- TIS-100	$6.99	Overwhelmingly Positive	-

Portal 2

Top Pro

Mind bending puzzling

The game challenges your brain to use portals, cubes, and other mechanics to solve simple or complex puzzles in interesting ways. Trying to figure out the best placement of entrance and exit portals in order to gain access to (perceived) inaccessible places takes a lot of thought, especially in the later game. See More

Top Con

No replay value

Since its a puzzle game, once you know the solution, there is no reason to play again. See More

AffableOcypete's Experience

Not my favorite game, but realy good. Single player mode is a little annoying. Team play I like most. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Top Pro

Cross-platform co-op

As long as both players have a Steam account, the co-op is able to be played even if one user is playing on the PS3 while the other is on a PC. See More

Top Con

Only available on Steam

Not available through other game channels. See More

Top Pro

Larger in scope than the first title

Portal 2 is larger in every way when compared to the first title, from the longer and more detailed story to the larger levels and new game mechanics. This makes for a title that will last 8-9 hours minimum, with many elements that are worth revisiting, not to mention the co-op section of the game, which is separate from the single player story. See More

Top Con

Main co-op campaign is short

The co-op campaign in Portal 2 is about 4 hours long for experienced players, meaning it could be beaten in a weekend. With almost zero replayability this makes the game feel incredibly short. Luckily, there's hundreds of hours of user-generated content available. See More

Top Pro

Co-op does not punish when you want to goof off with or troll the other player

While Portal 2 requires focus and logic, it does not punish players for causing a bit of mischief. The instant respawn system means trolling your friend will affect almost nothing in the game, as there are no in-game setbacks when you die. Being able to stop at any point in the game to just goof around is great for releasing some steam, even when it is at the expense of your co-op partner. See More

Top Con

It's already on every coop list since 2011

haha funny See More

Top Pro

Unique co-op levels with co-op specific tools

In Portal 2, co-op is a completely different set of puzzles than the single player campaign. Almost all puzzles require a high level of teamwork that will leave you feeling proud of what you have accomplished. In a game that requires prefect timing and teamwork, Portal 2 features many tools to facilitate teamwork. One of the most helpful is a 3 second countdown timer that can be initiated and shown to both players to insure you launch that portal or jump at the perfect time. In addition, there is a marker that you can place on certain objects for your teammate to see as well as a setting that shows your partners view super-imposed on the corner of your screen. See More

Top Con

Steep co-op learning curve

Although the single player campaign features a gradual learning curve, co-op gives no mercy. The puzzles start off hard and only get harder. It is very recommended that you play through single player first if your are not familiar with Portals mechanics. See More

Top Pro

Witty and funny character driven story

Four major characters drive the single player campaign and they are amazing. Three of which have explosive personalities, bring humor, suspense, sadness, and empathy, the other being Chell who doesn’t speak but her interactions with the rest of the cast make her all the more mysterious and interesting. Most of the time you don’t even see or directly interact with the characters but that just shows how great they are. See More

Top Con

Late game single player can be quite difficult

While the single player learning curve is quite gradual, late game the puzzles can become quite difficult, sometimes leading to the player being stuck for long stretches of time. While not impossible to solve, some creative thinking will need to be done in order to finish. See More

Top Pro

Both online co-op and local co-op

It is possible to play a multiplayer game for free online using the Steam servers, as well as locally on your machine using split-screen (the second player must use a gamepad controller if playing locally). See More

Top Con

Single player mode is annoying

Top Pro

Humorous voice acting by Stephen Merchant

Stephen Merchant (Extras, The Office UK, Life's Too Short) voices the character of Wheatley the robot in humorous fashion. See More

Top Pro

Hundreds of hours of user-generated content

The game has 60.000+ co-op items created by users through the Steam Workshop as well as mods. As it's user-generated content, the quality and size is highly varied. It includes everything from basic one-off chambers to full-fledged expansions with high-quality stories, voice-overs and new gameplay elements, like Mel. See More

Top Pro

Well implemented tools that improve teamwork

In a game that requires perfect timing and teamwork, Portal 2 features many tools to facilitate teamwork. One of the most helpful is a 3-second countdown timer that can be initiated and shown to both players to ensure you launch that portal or jump at the perfect time. In addition, there is a marker that you can place on certain objects for your teammate to see as well as a setting that shows your partner's view super-imposed on the corner of your screen. See More

Top Pro

Allows for harmless trolling

While Portal 2 requires focus and logic, it does not punish players for causing a bit of mischief. The instant re-spawn system means trolling your friend will affect almost nothing in the game. Except maybe your friendship. See More

Top Pro

Huge selection of user-generated content that should appeal to any use-case

The game has more than 60,000 co-op puzzles created by users through the Steam Workshop and through mods. Because it is user-generated content, the quality and size of these puzzles vary widely, including everything from simple, one-off chambers to full-fledged expansions with high-quality stories, voice-overs, and new gameplay elements (for example, Mel). By having such a selection of content, there should be something that appeals to just about anything someone is looking for. See More

Top Pro

Versatile selection of co-op multiplayer

It’s possible to play a multiplayer game for free online using the Steam servers, as well as locally on your machine using split-screen (the second player must use a gamepad controller if playing locally). This keeps the multiplayer options versatile to any players needs. See More

Top Pro

Entertaining and well delivered voice acting

Voice acting for Wheatley the robot is done by Stephen Merchant (Extras, The Office UK, Life's Too Short) in humorous fashion. His delivery is well executed on all dialogue. On top of this specific experience, the rest of the voice acting of every other character in the game is performed just as well, in part due to the fact that the dialogue was written in a smart and entertaining fashion. This makes for a top quality listening experience that shows a lot of care was taken with the voice acting of the game. See More

Top Pro

Creates a sense of accomplishment through a high level of teamwork

Co-op multiplayer offers a completely different set of puzzles from the single-player campaign, which keeps things fresh for those that finished the single player campaign. Almost all co-op puzzles require a high level of teamwork, creating a great sense of accomplishment for the players working together. See More

46 Other Games Considered

The Talos Principle

Top Pro

Difficulty ramp-up

Starts out easy enough, but gets to some truly difficult puzzles by the end. If you get stuck on a puzzle you can skip it and come back to it later. See More

Top Con

Obtuse puzzles, especially with optional content

Mediocre game design all around. Many puzzles are ordered badly or redundant and could have been combined or removed to smoothen the experience, as well as occasionally not exercising the bounds of certain elements (like ranged pickup). The game's optional content is even more worrisome as it often leads you to play hidden object games to look in hundreds of corners instead of using more difficult puzzles. One particularly egregious example is when you have to interpret a message in a very specific way after using a decryption algorithm you may not know about into another questionable input system. See More

AffableOcypete's Experience

This was my favorite game up untill witness came out. Very good game. And it have Additional DLC that expands the story. Recommend. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Adventure, Puzzle

Top Pro

Lots of side content

Many easter eggs and more difficult puzzles as well as an ending in many parts of the game, as well as hidden lore. See More

Top Con

Bland story

The story isn't a story ... it's more of far fetched thin glue between random puzzles. See More

UnbiasedMefitis's Experience

Best ever! See More

Top Pro

Great storyline

The puzzles in the game are great, but they're tied together with a thought provoking story line filled with mystery and intrigue. A story about a robot with human consciousness who is being guided by a disembodied voice, are they to be trusted? As the story progresses the player is drip fed clues which can lead them closer to the truth. See More

Top Con

Ending troubles

After getting the "normal" ending you will have to replay the entire game again if you want to find everything you missed. Replaying a puzzle game isn't that fun when you already know the puzzles. See More

Top Pro

Rewards exploration and out-of-the-box thinking

It's hard to explain this without spoiling anything, but there are lots of "aha!" moments you will encounter on the areas if you get invested into the story, making the game deeper. See More

Top Con

Working with the level editor is difficult (no documentation)

There is not much documentation for the level editor in the game, as the creators primarily use it for themselves. There are of course many hotkeys you could accidentally press as well. See More

Top Pro

Great original soundtrack

The soundtrack is very pleasant to listen to and fits perfectly with all the areas and themes present in the game. It varies from calm music, for those heavenly areas where you are solving puzzles, to more misterious and epic pieces for moments when things get... real. It's good to have some nice music playing while your brain is melting from solving the puzzles, or just appreciating the scenery. See More

The Room

Top Pro

A good variety of puzzle types makes sure that the game never repeats or gets tiring

You'll have to find clues, interpret symbols, use correct items in appropriate places to unearth the mystery of the room. See More

Top Con

Ends abruptly

The Room is relatively short. Experienced players will be able to beat it in less than two hours. And it ends abruptly. Luckily there is a sequel. See More

VersatileNootaikok's Experience

Great graphics and puzzles. Some easy, some hard. Fast pace, long playtime and more. See More

Specs

Controller Support:No

Top Pro

Great atmosphere is set by the wonderful music and well done design

Due to an excellent choice of music and incremental telling of a dark story, the game creates a nice bit of tension and a creepy vibe in an otherwise simple and calm game. See More

Top Con

The control scheme can get slightly frustrating

The touch controls of navigating in 3D can be difficult at times. See More

JollyTyphon's Experience

I have this on my android phone. It's a great series of puzzle games. The graphics are beautiful, too. See More

Top Pro

Immersive

Top Pro

Amazing graphics allow for a level of detail not always found on mobile games

The Room has very detailed graphics that show the intricacies of all the items. See More

Top Pro

Soothing and relaxing

The actions of searching without time limit combined with music and light creates a soothing experience. See More

Infinifactory

Top Pro

Sticks with you

The puzzles that you don't finish right away stick with you when you aren't playing. You end up trying to solve them in your head. See More

Top Con

Not many convenience mechanics near lategame

In the second part of Infinifactory the game starts focusing on large inputs and large outputs. This means trying to get them welded in the proper order takes more effort (to build AND to test), and this stretches and pads the game when you want to get to the part where you are trying to figure out your unique solution. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Top Pro

Gives feeling of accomplishment

The puzzles in game are challenging and once solved the satisfaction of being able to watch a completed machine work correctly is quite addicting. See More

Top Con

Puzzles become difficult really soon

The difficulty curve is pretty high for Infinifactory in that once the user learns the ropes of gameplay the puzzles start getting really difficult and do not ease up. See More

Top Pro

Incremental puzzle solving that creates lasting gameplay

The majority of puzzles can not be solved by just looking at the level. It will take a lot of trial and error to get the puzzle solved in slow single steps. This makes for longevity of each puzzle. See More

Top Pro

User created gifs upon finish

The game allows the user to create a gif of the working machine upon completion that can be shared with friends or uploaded to websites. See More

TIS-100

Top Pro

Teaches actual coding

The game is basically text based which means users will have to actually type in code in order to play. This makes for a learning experience for those unfamiliar with coding due to actually having to code in order to play. See More

Top Con

No in game tutorial makes it difficult to learn

There is no hand-holding with this game, no in-game tutorial makes it difficult to know how to play. Though there is a PDF manual that can be printed out. See More

Jakub “RF” Kalemba's Experience

I learn basic programming with that See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Top Pro

Competitive score comparing

TIS-100 has a leaderboard function for all 45 puzzles in the game which allows users to compare score with friends and random online players. This way people can see how high they rank in comparison to all other players. See More

Top Con

Style of interface to a certain expense of your comfort

Somehow related to "no tutorial" con: this game won't feel as robust as it does if it felt like a game, but it manages to feel almost like an obscure machine that you've found in your attic. This could be off-putting to some of us. See More

Top Pro

Replayability through a never ending sandbox creation mode

Users can create their own puzzles in the 3 available sandbox modes in game. This allows for users to come back to the game over and over to create custom puzzles and experience something different each time making for a lot of replayability. See More

Inside

Top Pro

Unparalleled creepy yet intoxicating atmosphere

This game's world is colorless and soundless, which makes the bright player character really stand out. Occasional sound cues add to the tense and creepy atmosphere. See More

Top Con

Arcade Game

Can you TECHNICALLY call this a 'Puzzle Game'...perhaps, BUT: This is more of an arcade game. You remember those games that you had to dump a ton of quarters into in order to 'figure out' What the developer Wanted You To Do?? Those games were designed to make you Try things Over and Over AND dump more quarters into the machine<<<period. A Puzzle Game, on the other hand, is just that...A Puzzle Game.<<You Don't have to just Keep Trying Things until you finally stumble onto what the developer wanted you to do. A Puzzle Game just gives you a puzzle to solve. A true Puzzle Game just gives you a puzzle that can be LOGICALLY solved. You wouldn't, necessarily, even have to be playing the game at the time to solve the puzzle. You could work it out in your head. Those puzzles can be incorporated into a mystery, adventure, etc. etc. but they are still just PUZZLES like the ones at miller world inc. The second that you have to start 'Trying Things' to see what works, you aren't ACTUALLY playing a puzzle game. You are back into the Arcade Game genre. See More

AffableOcypete's Experience

It is not so much of a puzzle game, but nice atmosphere, graphics. Enjoyed playing. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Puzzle-Platformer

Top Pro

Remarkable storytelling via environmental navigation

The story is told through exploring and there is no written exposition or dialogue, so the story is left up to the player's interpretation. See More

Top Con

Very short

Only from 2 to 3 hours long. See More

WiseTelipinu's Experience

i really enjoyed this little gem. See More

Top Pro

Awesome atmospheric graphics

The graphics convey a rich atmosphere that will make your skin crawl. See More

The Witness

Top Pro

Thought provoking world

Even if some of the puzzles are rage-inducingly hard, the world of the Witness is really peaceful. It's an uninhabited island littered with stone statues and mismatched environments. Yet none of it feels out of place. It is really intriguing to explore each new area, especially because you can find voice recordings in them. At first these may seem like simple audio logs, but each one contains essential clues to gently shift your thought process. To succeed you need to shift your perspective and think outside the box. See More

Top Con

Some puzzles might be impossible for the colorblind and hearing impaired

Certain puzzles use colors to hint at the solution. If you're not able to tell them apart it may be impossible to solve the puzzles. There are also that puzzles require you to listen to the sounds in the environment and use them for the solution. Some of them are masked with sound effects such as car horns or birds chirping, making the puzzles hard to solve. This becomes a lot more difficult if your hearing is impaired. See More

AffableOcypete's Experience

My favorite game ever! See More

Top Pro

Cleverly designed puzzles

All of the puzzles use a simple concept where you draw a line from point A to point B to solve them. This could get old really fast, but the developer has thought of many ways to keep it fresh. While the regular variants are just maze puzzles, they gradually get new layers added to them. It can be symbols you have to separate, panels you have to look at from different angles or clues in the environment. Even after solving around 300 puzzles, the new puzzles you encounter will still feel exciting. See More

Top Con

A mistake

At the quarry, there is a mistake when you trigger the platform to move in the second part of the quest to activate a laser, it won't stop and it can't return. so if you missed the platform you will probably have to restart the game and try again. Edit: this has been patched out as soon as it was released, so if you're a dirty pirate, you might have a problem with this. See More

MotivatedIrpa's Experience

the game is really cool to play, since it's free till 18th april i got it and i regret nothing. the graphics are amazing, the riddle are cool and the map is full of secrets. ;) See More

Top Pro

Mysterious world with no tutorial

There is no tutorial in the beginning of the game about anything, hints can be found by exploring in the island. See More

Top Con

May cause nausea

Puzzles are fun, but some people might get motion sickness with first-person games that involve walking around. See More

Top Pro

Vivid graphics make you want to explore

Everything about this game leads you toward exploration, even the graphics. They're very vibrant and feel alive, invoking in you a sense of wonder. This is thanks to a great variety of colors, ranging from wild, hot pinks to more subdued ocean tones. The colors are also used contrast the environments and make them stand out. For example, there's a location painted orange autumn colors next to a grayish-white quarry. See More

Top Pro

Challenges

Each area has some kind of challenge to solve to unlock something (most of them activate a laser and the laser is the only thing to activate). See More

Top Pro

Deeply interconnected puzzles, environment and narrative

Top Pro

Non-linear gameplay

You can do the puzzles in any order you'd like and you can explore the island any way you'd like. If a puzzle becomes too hard you can almost always find another one. See More

Top Pro

Enchanting graphic design

The simple but colorful graphics create an enchanting and immersive atmosphere. See More

Syberia

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

Antichamber

Top Pro

Brilliant puzzles

The primary theme to puzzles in Antichamber is that things aren't how they appear. If you walk down a hallway and turn around, you might be in a totally different area. This leads to some incredibly interesting and difficult puzzles, forcing you to think about the world around you in a totally new way. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Wise quotes

Top Pro

Unique minimalist visuals

Using stark white halls with glowing colors there is a minimal beauty to Antichamber. One room houses great abstract art which changes depending on which way you are looking at it. See More

Top Pro

Good for speed running

A great game to put your speed skills to the test! Great for those who love any percent speedruns! See More

Top Pro

Lateral thinking

Myst

Top Pro

Depth, aesthetics, and Worldbuilding

Myst had beautiful (for its time, astounding) art direction and music/sound design, and puzzles that had a real logic to them in most cases, that felt like a plausible part of the world, not just tacked onto it. Riven was even more this way. Riven was incredibly hard at times but really, really well thought out. in wordbuilding and credibility terms. The designers at Cyan clearly cared about building rich gameworlds with a real sense of history behind them, and it shows. See More

Top Con

Tech of 1993 Myst is now 28 years old. There are more modern versions of it though.

Myst is now -as of fall 2021 - just over 28 years old. There are remakes however, the 2021 VR version actually looks quite nice for the most part even by modern standards. But the original 1993 UI and visuals are of course dated and not ideal as a Myst experience for new players aside from being a good history lesson. See More

NeighborlyAmechania's Experience

The one that started it all for me in this genre. (Close second would be "Obsidian".) See More

Top Pro

Depth

Every single element of the game is thought of, and while it's a puzzle, it doesn't feel like it. Nothing seems out of place or there for the sake of the puzzles. See More

Top Con

Graphics

Being more than 25 years old, the graphic of Myst are not the sharpest ones out there. See More

Matthew Hornbostel's Experience

Myst was, for me, a formative gaming experience and remains among my favorite puzzle games - along with Riven. It was amazing in 1993 (for certain types of people who like richly detailed and imaginative puzzlers, anyway) and at that time had a real novelty. But it and its follow-ups (later Myst titles) have unavoidably aged since their original time of release. Technically, they're archaic, but some aspects - storytelling and lore, art direction even if not graphics tech, and the sound design, sill hold up wonderfully. The game's also able to retain some relevance due to the occasional overhauls of it every 7 years or so, most recently the [realtime 3d] 2021 remake that supports VR. See More

CaffeinatedGalene's Experience

This game built my childhood. An ahead-of-its-time masterpiece and one of the most classic point and click. See More

The Cave

Top Pro

Cheesy jokes of the best kind

The Cave has a good sense of humor within, something expected when considering the game was created by the same people as The Secret of Monkey Island. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:2D platformer / Adventure

Co-Op:3 Player Couch

Controller Support:Full

Human: Fall Flat

Top Pro

Levels have multiple paths, encouraging discovery

As you make your way through the game world, you will encounter a variety of different environmental puzzles that block your path to the exit. However, getting stuck or stumped is rarely a problem as most levels have multiple paths that you can find. With a little exploration, you should be able to discover an alternate route to bypass the environmental puzzle that is giving you problems. This gives the player an opportunity to replay levels in a different way, and discover each level in its entirety. See More

Top Con

Not much visual appeal

This game doesn't contain much in the way of vibrant colors, interesting shapes, or textures. Mostly everything in the game is a shaded, blocky object that only consists of a few plain colors. Having an entire world populated by boring shapes and washed-out colors results in an environment without much visual appeal. See More

Top Pro

Very funny

The playable character in this game moves around like a boneless blob of jelly learning to walk for the first time, making for some silly animations and awkward movements. Animations and interactions are over animated and cartoonish which can lead to some hilarious - whether intentional, and most oftentimes unintentional - consequences such as falling off edges, flailing around, and knocking yourself over. See More

Top Con

Short

The game is too short and will leave you wanting more. The solo campaign clocks in at about 6 hours of game play. See More

Top Pro

Oddly rewarding control scheme

Being able to maneuver your bloblike character efficiently takes some skill, and as a result, feels rewarding once it's mastered. One of the things players will initially notice with the controls is that walking and jumping work as one would expect, however there is a very pronounced wobble and bounce to it. The playable character controls like a boneless blob of jelly, making each step and interaction look cartoonish and overly-animated in nature. These controls take some getting used to, but add a level of charm to the animation. Additionally, your left and right arms are controlled separately which is very unique among games. This is utilized in many of the game's puzzles such as holding yourself against a column with one arm, while using the other to move or manipulate another object into place. See More

Top Con

Can cause motion sickness due to camera shaking

The excessive camera shaking causes a lot of players to experience motion sickness, and at the time of this writing can not be modified to a lower setting or disabled. Even if you aren't considered sensitive, you should still take precautions. Perhaps this will be solved in a future update. See More

Top Pro

Fantastic physics

Objects can be pushed, pulled, swung, and dragged around in a variety of ways as they collide into each other, fly through the air, spin, and twist - often with a low-gravity type effect. Pushing, pulling, and dragging objects just has a satisfying feel that makes you feel like each object has mass and density, and is a part of the world. See More

Top Pro

You can personalize your avatar with colors and textures

Included with the game is a basic paint option which allows players to customize their avatar. Selecting colors from a palette, you can paint your avatar's head, hat, and body using a variety of different brush sizes. Additionally, you are able to upload your own pictures (such as your own face) and apply them to areas of your personalized avatar as a texture. It's a great way for players to give their avatar a personal touch and make themselves stand out during co-op games. See More

Top Pro

Good progression of difficulty

The levels gradually become physically bigger and more challenging as you progress throughout the game. This gives us time to get used to how the character controls as well as how the puzzles operate. As you advance, the puzzles become increasingly more difficult, and the levels become increasingly wider. By building upon what you are learning in previous levels, there's a distinct sense of progression from one level to the next. See More

Top Pro

Playing co-op with your friends adds a whole new experience to the puzzle solving

Playing co-op with your friends allows you to reach new areas and solve puzzles that you can't do in solo play. Puzzles can be overcome and solved differently based on the number of players. For example, when playing alone you may find something you can't possibly lift or move yourself. However, add a friend into the mix and now you're able to work together to lift and move that object. Ledge you can't quite reach yourself? Have a friend give you a boost! See More

Top Pro

Hilarious co-op mode

Playing co-op is where the hilarity and fun in this game truly shines. It's quite satisfying to push and bump your teammates around, even if that includes sending them plummeting over the edge of tall structures. There's nothing quite like slapping your friend's character, only to see them fall, slip, and bounce around the levels. It's funny to watch them struggle to get their bearings back, only to give them another good slap and watch them flail around all over again. Solving puzzles with your friends can result in some humorous situations as you accidentally slap and knock each other over trying to accomplish even the simplest of tasks. See More

Human Resource Machine

Top Pro

Can optimize your solutions

The game's replay value increases as solutions can be beat in two metrics: Commands and Steps. See More

Top Con

Short for price (especially for people looking to learn)

This game contains about 5 hours of content for many players, and is composed of 3 "chapters" of about 11 levels each. Most of that is taken up by tutorials. Each chapter 'dives in' a little bit into a topic. But if you're looking to learn programming it'll likely be too short. It also has many mini levels where it shows a little topic, but those are not explored that much (one of the worst moments with it is when it asks you to "use a friendly search box" as a serious recommendation). (Note: This game actually is appearing in a Humble Bundle for $1 by the time of writing.) See More

AffableOcypete's Experience

Realy chalenging. Very good game. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Good graphics and sound

The game is very reminiscent of World of Goo's graphics, being very consistent and sort of cartoony, and all sounds are synthesized. See More

Top Con

Lack of optimization accuracy

One pro about games like this are the fact that you can optimize your solutions. But the marked "Best" solution is almost always inaccurate. Some levels are tens of blocks and hundreds of steps away. You'll have to go to other places to challenge yourself properly. See More

Top Con

Levels are unoriginal

Related to the game's story not doing much, the gameplay also does not integrate itself with any cool story events that may happen, as they don't happen. You don't lose abilities, nothing gets 'screwed up', and the game doesn't last long enough to be able to explore the game's concept in depth. What this means is that the levels are more by-the-book as if they were programming puzzles in a book, and if you've played many games of this similar genre you've already seen about 80% of the puzzles in the game, in which most of the remaining ones are early tutorial puzzles. See More

Top Con

Frustrating interface at later levels

The game does not show you every part of your program at once. At later stages, even about 20 instructions will require scrolling to reach parts of your program. Even with about 30, it quickly becomes tedious to move around your instructions as you will either have to wait for scrolling or spam the scroll wheel. Many of your solutions will also be using one of the 'blue' commands, which has two arrows, so you cannot just delete the key instruction and add a copy to where you want it to go. See More

Top Con

Awful debugging

The game's debugging features consist of a step forward button, a step back button, and fast forwarding (up to about 4x). However, these are not enough. In many levels you could find yourself noticing your program is stuck in a loop, then having to repeatedly click "Step back" dozens of times just to find the key moment, which is even worse if you were fully fast forwarding. In later levels, where solutions start taking some more time, it might take minutes to find the key moment in your program that failed to work, just to wait more to figure out if the change you made was enough to get it to work. See More

Top Con

Story is disappointing

The game's story does not progress very far. With a premise as interesting as tying into the "machines taking over jobs and humans", you'd expect gameplay and levels as unique. But the game plays as stock as a programming game can get, even just on the story standpoint. Many details are shown around the game, but the game doesn't go deep for anything involving it. See More

Mini Metro

Top Pro

Soothing gameplay

Minimalist design and relaxing music makes this a very different experience from the bustle of some others. A minimal zen like game that allows one to relax while playing. While gameplay may get hectic there are modes of play that do not allow for losing meaning that you can relax and just play without worry. See More

Top Con

Casual gameplay

There is less depth than in many of the games listed which may not be quite what is required here. See More

AffableOcypete's Experience

It looked nicely designed and I was wondering how it will evolve and what chalanges will face you, so decided to try but it was not interesting. I like puzzles taht allow to think without time limit. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Deep open ended puzzle mechanic

With each station that appears and line you get, the amount of combinations increase exponentially. With so many combinations it's impossible, even for a computer to guarantee an optimal solution. This creates very deep puzzle gameplay with many ways to solve and improve the metro system. See More

Top Con

Takes a while to get the hang of

Learning the game may take some time, though the mechanics are not too difficult to grasp, the gameplay itself can be frustrating. See More

Top Pro

Very minimal puzzle sim aspects

Very basic and abstract in design and gameplay the user uses limited resources in order to create the most effective routes for a transportation system. See More

SpaceChem

Top Pro

Light on the system

The system requirements are quite low at only requiring a 2Ghz processor, 1G of ram and 300MB of hard drive space. Basically this game should work on just about any computer from the last 10-15 years. See More

Top Con

Late game is difficult

In later levels some players may reach a point where the game has become too difficult or frustrating, which may discourage any more play time with the game. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Top Pro

Endless gameplay through user created solutions

An individual players choices of components, arrangements or factories used will result in completely different experiences and problems/puzzles when compared to another users experience. A truly individualized experience that expands the games replayability. See More

Top Pro

Allows for short or long play sessions

The gameplay allows for a player to come in and solve a single puzzle in a short amount of time or to sit and tinker with a puzzle for hours trying to devise the perfect solution and contraption. It all comes down to what one want to put into the game but the free form of the puzzle solving is what makes it great for anyones playstyle be it short or long. See More

Top Pro

Easy to learn, hard to master puzzle

Spacechem's mechanics are pretty simple to learn and only takes minutes to understand how the game works. Of course mastering the gameplay is a whole different matter. See More

Top Pro

Could help with real life programming skills

In particular, abstraction and concurrent programming skills could be gleaned from the game as it uses broad techniques often used by computer programmers. See More

Gorogoa

Top Pro

Beautiful artwork

Gorogoa feels more like a picture book than a game, containing many colorful hand-drawn stills. From interiors of houses, to foggy cityscapes, to even parks decorated by statues, there's just so much detail everywhere, making your journey through the world of Gorogoa much more enticing. See More

Top Con

Really short

A single playthrough will last you a little under 2 hours, which might feel even shorter because of how captivating the game is. There are no hidden bonuses or anything else but the artistic value to make you replay this game. See More

AffableOcypete's Experience

Short game, but enjoyed playing. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Top Pro

Simple yet effective storytelling

Instead of using text and dialogue to convey the story, Gorogoa uses moving pictures to show a boy's journey to meet a godly being. Each picture contains various nuances such as paintings, statues, and symbols that shed light on the story. This gives hints about the game's world and even manages to touch upon themes of religion and spirituality. Gorogoa is the prime example when a single picture tells more than a thousand words. See More

Top Pro

Captivating puzzle mechanics

Your goal is to create the path for a boy's journey by moving, zooming, connecting, and superimposing pictures on a 2x2 grid. For example, in a picture where the boy stands inside a closet, you can overlap the doorway with the picture of a rooftop exit, allowing the boy to step outside on the roof. It's simple but creative puzzle mechanic, which let's you feel like a reality-bending wizard, making it a really enjoyable experience. See More

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

Top Pro

Bomb defusal manual is easily accessible

The manual can be viewed as a PDF download as well as a static webpage, which gives easy access to any mobile device as well as PC. On top of this the manual can be printed out for those that would rather navigate tactically, which is often the easier way to go due to touch and ease of flipping pages (over a tablet or phone). Basically you are able to pull up the manual in any way you prefer, which requires little preparation, even on short notice. See More

Top Con

Morse code section difficult for those with dry or bad eyes

There is a morse code module section of the game that relays morse code through visual cues, in order to understand the code the player will need to not blink for 3 seconds straight. While for most players this is not an issue, those that have chronic dry eyes or any other condition that requires blinking a lot, the code will be difficult if not impossible to understand. An optimal solution would be a setting to change this to audio cues, but sadly that is not an option. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Puzzle / Indie

Co-Op:2 Player Local / 2 Player LAN

Controller Support:Full

Top Pro

Hilarious situations arise as tension increases

Both sides in the game can not see what the other does, this creates a situation of confusion that needs a good bit of team work. Of course there being a bomb that needs defused adds to the tension of this difficult communication situation. See More

Top Con

Puzzles may become stale after repetitive play

Particular modules in the game may be seen after playing repeatedly, which will make for easier play and quicker puzzle solving. This will have a tendency to make the gameplay feel stale due to ones familiarity with the puzzles. See More

Top Pro

Great for parties due to its communication-based asymmetrical puzzle gameplay

One person has the bomb on screen, 1-5 "experts" need to consult the PDF manual. Thing is, the bomb defuser doesn't see the manual, the experts don't see the bomb with its various modules. As many people as you want can participate in the game when describing what is in the manual, which makes it great for parties in unison with its communication-based asymmetrical puzzle gameplay. See More

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