Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, spatial recognition, and word completion.
However, in the modern era, puzzle games have evolved beyond our wildest imaginations. In this article, Gurugamer is going to showcase the top 5 best puzzle games to play on PC in 2022.
1. Stray
Stray is a third-person, adventure, puzzle, walking simulator type game that is set in a dystopian cyberpunk world, in which you control a cat, that tries to go back to the surface after some unfortunate events happened.
The player controls a cat that has fallen into a walled and isolated city populated by robots and small metal eating creatures called Zurks. The cat is being led to a lab in which it ends up finding a new companion called B-12. During the journey back to the surface the player meets new robots, helps out friends and tries to survive whilst doing cat stuff like pushing objects to the ground and meowing.
Gameplay is fun and its short length prevents it from becoming boring or tedious. Still, I would have loved to play more in this wondrous world along with this smart feline. I clocked 9.8 hours at a leisurely pace, exploring the detailed environments and enjoying the experience. I managed to collect every object on my first run, and only missed a couple of memories. The puzzles are simple but effective, completely logical in its solving requirements, and make sense within the story needs. There is an adequate mix of platforming, puzzle-solving, NPC-interacting, exploring, sneaking and fighting to keep everyone entertained.
This game nails the experience of being a cat. You can meow, purr, climb, fit through tight places, scratch various surfaces, push things off tables and shelves, walk on keyboards to produce satisfying gibberish, mess around with board games, sleep on surprising spots—even on top of people—and destroy stuff; and, most importantly, steal a smile from NPCs when you nuzzle up against them.
2. It Takes Two
Undoubtedly, It Takes Two is a coop masterpiece. Its extremely diverse gameplay is held to such a high standard from beginning to end. The visuals are stunning, the story is immersive, and the sound is memorable.
The task of describing the gameplay of It Takes Two is a difficult one. It is perhaps one of the most varied, dynamic, and energetic games I have come across. Featuring too many genres to name, it masters everything it includes. Every level is a rollercoaster and seamlessly transitions through each element. From a top down section similar to Magicka, a fighting short scene akin to Tekken, and gravity fuelled puzzles, reminiscent of Crash Bandicoot. Each area almost feels and looks like a brand new game, it was just that unique.
New weapons and abilities are constantly introduced throughout the game. These elements are only ever used temporarily, before being replaced with something else. Shoot down foes, reduce or enlarge your size at the click of a button, defy gravity with magnetic boots, slice enemies with a sickle and use a magnet to grip onto surfaces (or your partner). This is only a small selection of the differing aspects experienced throughout the game and the creative ideas do not stop here. Players also get to swing, fly, grapple and grind rails through the air with ease. Ride frogs, deep sea creatures, make friends and enemies, verse your partner in a variety of minigames and work together to solve puzzles. I was aptly blown away with the amount of sheer creativity seen in each and every level. Whilst the title shares a lot of similarities with other renowned games, the differing concepts are seamlessly combined, providing for a fresh and engaging experience.
3. The Room 4: Old Sins
The Room 4: Old Sins is an incredibly beautiful game. As the 4th title in the series, Fireproof Games continue to bat the proverbial ball out of the park.
You arrive at the Estate of Edward and Abigail, in search of an artifact. They have disappeared and your search has revealed nothing, until you enter the attic and find a dollhouse. This is where the game begins. Using your special eyepiece, you enter each room of the doll house, solving puzzles until all rooms have been explored.
Like the previous Room titles, all puzzles are mechanical (opening boxes, replacing missing parts, fixing machinery, restoring power, etc.). The individual puzzles are fairly simple but the game is complex due to all the moving parts in the various rooms that must be worked through. A 'gentle' hint feature is available if you get stuck. These are helpful in terms of pointing you towards the next area to work through or reminding you of something you might have missed.
4. Escape Simulator
Escape Simulator is structured in very small one-room levels that are all available to play from the beginning (there are no requirements to unlock them) and which are grouped according to their theme. At the moment of the release, the game features 16 levels in total (a tutorial, and 5 levels each, belonging to an Egypt / space / Victorian mansion theme) with more to come in the near future (5 more levels have been announced as a free port-release path). Aside from this, players can create their own rooms and share them with the community, since the game also has a Steam-integrated workshop.
There’s a lot of exploration involved, perhaps more than in other escape room puzzles. All items are 3D and can be freely rotated and inspected on all sides, and in multiplayer there is also a shared view of these. You can join your partner when they are inspecting an object and see real-time how they rotate it, or you can also read a book together. The puzzles can also be viewed in co-op mode, but there is always only one person who can interact with a puzzle, while the others are only spectating.
However, apart from a 2-people lever that has to be pulled by both players at the same time, the game does not feature puzzles whose completion require more than one person - likely because these would have to be completely rewritten to support single-player mode (like it happened with this special case: in single-player, the levers can be pulled separately, while in multiplayer not). The inventory is also player-specific, but you can see the objects that your partner carries, since they are displayed as a toolbox around their waist.
5. Poly Bridge 2
There might be other bridge constructors out there, but none have interested me, even oddly the first Poly Bridge, but I’m glad I waited, this game seems to be the truest form of bridge physics simulator in terms of polish, mission variety, simplicity while offering the standard leaderboard in these type of puzzles games to see how you stack up and find out you suck.
There are a ton of bridges to build, and each level is harder than the next. I did well until the last level, then I hit a wall because too many thinkybits were needed and I ran out halfway into the level before that. Then there are the Challenge level versions of everything, which are even harder.
After a bridge is planned out, it is time to see it in action. By pressing the play button, a bridge will spring to life and it will do its best to do the job it was designed to; to get a car from one side of a hap to another. This is the tensest step as it can be daunting to see what one thought would be a well planned out bridge fall apart under its own weight. It is an enjoyable step and it is the best feeling watching a bridge be successful.
>>> Read more: Top 5 Most Popular Sandbox Games On PC in 2022