The best puzzles that nobody knows about *
*nearly
Cheerful day, ladies and gentlemen. I finally decided that it was unbecoming for me to sit in a read-on, when there are so many useful and useful comments in my head that it is time to get an invite. So, you need to write a post. About what? Of course, about what I love and know - about games. Specifically - about puzzles.
A huge drawback of the puzzle compared to any MMORPG - very low replayability. I always thought that the technology of erasing memory in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was used for other purposes. Instead of getting rid of a woman from the memories, is it not better to forget your favorite game passing and then go through it again? Unfortunately, so far this is fantastic. Therefore, all that I can - languishing from nostalgia, remember in writing all these beautiful things, to which I, alas, was not destined to return.
')
Given the "one-timeness" of puzzles, it is all the more strange and even criminal in some ways that you learn about the most remarkable representatives of this genre almost by accident. My post has the goal of correcting this injustice, and I’m just completing the lengthy preface and getting to the point.
The game, casually disguised as an Action RPG, but a puzzle of the highest standard. It all starts with the elements of sokob, but rather quickly you find that you need to cover a piece of wall with ice so that the charge of the portal rod is reflected, which must then fall into a bomb that you set fire to with a fiery sword and froze with an ice rod, and teleport it like this so that when it defrosts, it explodes exactly at that moment when ... However, there are enough spoilers.
In addition to puzzles, in this game everything is fine and everything else (except, perhaps, boevki). Unique graphic style; seemingly ordinary music that doesn’t go out of the head for weeks; The story, written in collaboration with Lewis Carroll and Gregory Auster, while they were playing Zelda and eating cupcakes with hemp. In my perverted worldview, this is one of the best games ever created by man.
Recently, the second part was released under the unexpected name Ittle Dew 2. They made a good interesting boevka, but, unfortunately, the puzzle part became more boring. I still recommend this game, but I will refrain from loud statements about its best.
Well, in this case, the words “no one knows” is an exaggeration. The Talos Principle is a fairly well-known game in its genre ... but not well-known. While Portal doesn’t know about the dilogy, perhaps my grandmother, in undeserved oblivion, remains a creature that is inferior to her and in many ways superior. “Her” is about dilogy, not about grandma. My granny is incomparable.
Puzzles in Talos are not based on physics, as in the Portal, but rather on the geometry of space and time. From which point you can aim the deactivator at the force field, how not to cross (or vice versa, cross) the "laser" rays, what path you need to go in, so that suicidal roborages will not notice and not rush at you with a shout "Elohim akbar!". A separate depth measurement adds the ability to “record” your actions in some puzzles, and then act simultaneously with your copy.
All this orgy takes place in the most beautiful locations, stylized as Hellas, Ancient Egypt and medieval Europe, and is accompanied by such a steep and deep philosophical and sci-fi plot that the guys from Croteam specifically hired two separate indie developers for it.
Separately, I want to praise, firstly, the addition of Road to Gehenna, in comparison with which the levels from the original game are puzzles like "which object will fit into what hole." Secondly, the quality of the Russian version: I usually spit with poison and put the English version, but this time the localization was so good that I even found a voice acting actress in Vkontakte and expressed my personal gratitude with feeling.
But this is a game that is really unlucky. Despite the quality performance, this puzzle-platformer remained in the shadow of its predecessors, not the best, but more famous. Perhaps a significant role in her failure was played by the fact that she was too good, that is, she was too complicated. Platform lovers were frightened by the non-illusory need to think, puzzle lovers — the precision of the fingers they demanded.
There are many interesting elements in the game, but its main feature is the alternating direction of gravity. In conjunction with the ingenious level design, this creates a situation where the same elements of the same level perform completely different functions depending on which orientation to approach them.
The set also comes with good graphics and nice sound. Unfortunately, valerian and corvalol are not included in the kit, therefore it is possible that the monitor can be accidentally broken by the keyboard. Or vice versa. It depends on your strength.
Play with deceptively childish graphics. I suspect that not one child fell asleep on a pillow that was wet with tears, because the damn snake-birds did not want to go into a beautiful rainbow portal. Amazing things happen if you add gravity and all kinds of other bells and whistles to the good old "snake".
The first levels may seem simple, but when you find yourself building a structure of three snakebirds and a movable block, which with the help of the devil moves to the exit, hanging between spikes and a precipice, you will understand that this impression was deceptive.
A minimalistic game, as it were, about chemistry, with elements (as the name suggests) sokoban. By controlling one atom, we link it with others until the desired chemical compound is obtained. Knowledge of chemistry is not required, but slightly acquired.
I have nothing more to say about this game, except, perhaps, the fact that I came across a mention of it in the SpaceChem community - another game, as it were, about chemistry. About SpaceChem I already wrote here .
There are many more games that I would like to talk about - I think too much for one post. Therefore, it is necessary to finish something. And I will finish, perhaps, on how it all began. Safe Box Cracker is a game that started my love for computer puzzles. Before meeting her, I used a computer for programming in Pascal and Rubilov in Diablo, and I took puzzles from books. Gardner's Mathematical Leisure, Dewdeni's Canterbury Puzzles ... well, you understand what I mean.
However, I digress. For the world outside my head, Safecracker can hardly be considered a special, outstanding game. But it is objectively a good collection of puzzles, both classic and invented specifically for him. Nowadays, such puzzles usually include objects in the “hidden object” genre in order to at least somehow dilute their dullness . If you still prefer burgers without flies, perhaps Safecracker is just what you need. A company of three slightly drunken students of technical specialties runs the game in about three and a half hours, I guarantee it.
That's it for today, girls and boys. Hope to see you soon.
upd : At the request of workers - links to games.
Cheerful day, ladies and gentlemen. I finally decided that it was unbecoming for me to sit in a read-on, when there are so many useful and useful comments in my head that it is time to get an invite. So, you need to write a post. About what? Of course, about what I love and know - about games. Specifically - about puzzles.
A huge drawback of the puzzle compared to any MMORPG - very low replayability. I always thought that the technology of erasing memory in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was used for other purposes. Instead of getting rid of a woman from the memories, is it not better to forget your favorite game passing and then go through it again? Unfortunately, so far this is fantastic. Therefore, all that I can - languishing from nostalgia, remember in writing all these beautiful things, to which I, alas, was not destined to return.
')
Given the "one-timeness" of puzzles, it is all the more strange and even criminal in some ways that you learn about the most remarkable representatives of this genre almost by accident. My post has the goal of correcting this injustice, and I’m just completing the lengthy preface and getting to the point.
Ittle dew
The game, casually disguised as an Action RPG, but a puzzle of the highest standard. It all starts with the elements of sokob, but rather quickly you find that you need to cover a piece of wall with ice so that the charge of the portal rod is reflected, which must then fall into a bomb that you set fire to with a fiery sword and froze with an ice rod, and teleport it like this so that when it defrosts, it explodes exactly at that moment when ... However, there are enough spoilers.
In addition to puzzles, in this game everything is fine and everything else (except, perhaps, boevki). Unique graphic style; seemingly ordinary music that doesn’t go out of the head for weeks; The story, written in collaboration with Lewis Carroll and Gregory Auster, while they were playing Zelda and eating cupcakes with hemp. In my perverted worldview, this is one of the best games ever created by man.
Recently, the second part was released under the unexpected name Ittle Dew 2. They made a good interesting boevka, but, unfortunately, the puzzle part became more boring. I still recommend this game, but I will refrain from loud statements about its best.
The talos principlele
Well, in this case, the words “no one knows” is an exaggeration. The Talos Principle is a fairly well-known game in its genre ... but not well-known. While Portal doesn’t know about the dilogy, perhaps my grandmother, in undeserved oblivion, remains a creature that is inferior to her and in many ways superior. “Her” is about dilogy, not about grandma. My granny is incomparable.
Puzzles in Talos are not based on physics, as in the Portal, but rather on the geometry of space and time. From which point you can aim the deactivator at the force field, how not to cross (or vice versa, cross) the "laser" rays, what path you need to go in, so that suicidal roborages will not notice and not rush at you with a shout "Elohim akbar!". A separate depth measurement adds the ability to “record” your actions in some puzzles, and then act simultaneously with your copy.
All this orgy takes place in the most beautiful locations, stylized as Hellas, Ancient Egypt and medieval Europe, and is accompanied by such a steep and deep philosophical and sci-fi plot that the guys from Croteam specifically hired two separate indie developers for it.
Separately, I want to praise, firstly, the addition of Road to Gehenna, in comparison with which the levels from the original game are puzzles like "which object will fit into what hole." Secondly, the quality of the Russian version: I usually spit with poison and put the English version, but this time the localization was so good that I even found a voice acting actress in Vkontakte and expressed my personal gratitude with feeling.
BLACKHOLE
But this is a game that is really unlucky. Despite the quality performance, this puzzle-platformer remained in the shadow of its predecessors, not the best, but more famous. Perhaps a significant role in her failure was played by the fact that she was too good, that is, she was too complicated. Platform lovers were frightened by the non-illusory need to think, puzzle lovers — the precision of the fingers they demanded.
There are many interesting elements in the game, but its main feature is the alternating direction of gravity. In conjunction with the ingenious level design, this creates a situation where the same elements of the same level perform completely different functions depending on which orientation to approach them.
The set also comes with good graphics and nice sound. Unfortunately, valerian and corvalol are not included in the kit, therefore it is possible that the monitor can be accidentally broken by the keyboard. Or vice versa. It depends on your strength.
Snakebird
Play with deceptively childish graphics. I suspect that not one child fell asleep on a pillow that was wet with tears, because the damn snake-birds did not want to go into a beautiful rainbow portal. Amazing things happen if you add gravity and all kinds of other bells and whistles to the good old "snake".
The first levels may seem simple, but when you find yourself building a structure of three snakebirds and a movable block, which with the help of the devil moves to the exit, hanging between spikes and a precipice, you will understand that this impression was deceptive.
Sokobond
A minimalistic game, as it were, about chemistry, with elements (as the name suggests) sokoban. By controlling one atom, we link it with others until the desired chemical compound is obtained. Knowledge of chemistry is not required, but slightly acquired.
I have nothing more to say about this game, except, perhaps, the fact that I came across a mention of it in the SpaceChem community - another game, as it were, about chemistry. About SpaceChem I already wrote here .
Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure
There are many more games that I would like to talk about - I think too much for one post. Therefore, it is necessary to finish something. And I will finish, perhaps, on how it all began. Safe Box Cracker is a game that started my love for computer puzzles. Before meeting her, I used a computer for programming in Pascal and Rubilov in Diablo, and I took puzzles from books. Gardner's Mathematical Leisure, Dewdeni's Canterbury Puzzles ... well, you understand what I mean.
However, I digress. For the world outside my head, Safecracker can hardly be considered a special, outstanding game. But it is objectively a good collection of puzzles, both classic and invented specifically for him. Nowadays, such puzzles usually include objects in the “
That's it for today, girls and boys. Hope to see you soon.
upd : At the request of workers - links to games.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/401243/
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