Video games have always been seen as a form of escape from the real world, providing players with a virtual environment to explore and discover, whilst still maintaining the laws of physics within reason. But some games go the complete opposite direction, giving players the tools or powers to break reality down in order to solve puzzles and progress further within the world.
Puzzle Games Where The Rules Constantly Change
Players have to stay sharp when it comes to the following puzzle games – the rules are constantly changing!
There is just something deeply satisfying about creating a new path out of nothing or solving a series of conundrums to reveal a new location that should never exist, yet it against all reason, it does. Some of these games take an abstract approach, transporting players to strange and mysterious places and allowing them to warp physics to their will, while others are simpler yet still capable of bending minds in all kinds of ways.
8
Superliminal
Looking At Things From Another Perspective
Details:
- Core mechanic of shifting objects and using perspective in creative ways
- Distances become smaller or larger, and simple objects can become tools for progressing on
Superliminal is a mind-boggling puzzle game that allows players to break more than a few conventions from the moment the story begins. From the moment they load in, players can begin to play around with perspective in a big way by rotating and placing objects closer or further from themselves to increase their size and unlock different areas and rooms that appear far from reach.
Things start slow, but they quickly ramp up, as players are tested mentally beyond belief and forced to use every creative ounce they have to solve the various puzzles before them. What makes the game so great is how effortless the solutions feel, as there is never any panic or awkward solutions, only beautiful puzzle pieces all fitting together to create the perfect path for players to follow.
7
Manifold Garden
Finding Beauty In The Surreal
Details:
- Using gravity to navigate platforms and solve puzzles
- Infinite geometric repetition makes simple structures seem enormous
Manifold Garden presents a universe where gravity is not a static force but one that can be used and moulded to the player’s will. Every surface becomes a potential floor or ceiling for players to use, and by flipping planes and dropping between areas, otherwise inaccessible locations become accessible in a matter of seconds.
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For players who have had their fill of mindless shooting and endless skill trees, these philosophical games will challenge their intellect instead.
Also, because the world repeats itself forever, the environment itself feels more like a mathematical equation than a backdrop to the gameplay, immersing players in a world that only exists to be solved. The rules may be consistent, but they are nothing like reality, forcing players to think out of the box to figure out the challenging yet deeply satisfying puzzles before them.
6
Antichamber
Get Ready For A Headache
Details:
- Reconfiguring rooms and corridors to reveal new routes and objects
- Non-Euclidean geometry allows surfaces to bend along with the player’s movements
Antichamber treats every space as something fluid and moldable rather than static. Rooms can rearrange behind the player’s backs, corridors, and change depending on which way they turn, and every puzzle solution requires a good eye for detail and a sense of intuition, as otherwise, it is very easy to feel trapped in the madness.
The entire world is in a constant state of motion, and those movements mirror the player’s, allowing them to feel one with the surfaces that they are traversing. The minimalist design also allows the physics breaking to seem even more extreme, as without any distractions, players are instead forced to watch the entire world around them shift as if by magic.
5
The Entropy Centre
Moving Objects Through Space And Time
Details:
- Time reversal allows objects to retrace previous paths
- Blends space and time seamlessly to give creative solutions to simplistic puzzles
The Entropy Centre lets players reconstruct reality by reversing time on specific objects, platforms, and structures. The puzzles revolve around tracing the past states of the environment and using time manipulation to restore pathways or even create new ones, which makes the world feel as though it is in two states at once.
This mechanic allows for intricate sequences where the past and present blend into one perfect solution. In a lot of ways, the game feels like a love letter to games like Portal, using humor and some light storytelling to guide players on a journey that tests their mind more than their skills.
4
Universe Sandbox
Bending Everything to Your Will
Details:
- Simulating everything from cosmic collisions to black holes
- Encourages experimentation without the risk of failure
Universe Sandbox does exactly what it says on the tin. Players have pretty much all the power they could ever want to bend gravity, control the forces of nature, and create entire realistic solar systems full of planets. The game is all about testing and trying new things, as even if players get the balance of forces wrong, they can always try again or move on to something completely new.
There are so many different tools in the game, and rather than just placing present objects around empty space, players can instead control every finer detail, from mass to size, to gravitational pull. The result is a near limitless sandbox that feeds into every childhood question, answering many but leaving the door open for plenty more to be asked and solved.
3
Viewfinder
Images Become Reality
Details:
- Images become 3D environments in an instant
- Flat images can become tools for traversing seemingly impossible areas
Viewfinder allows players to turn images frozen in time into manipulatable pieces of reality that can function as anything from bridges to entirely different areas to traverse. Photos, drawings, and printed out scenes can be placed into the environment, overwriting the existing locations and birthing a new blend that is equal parts beautiful and bonkers.
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By treating pictures as different dimensions that can be fused together to create a single world, the game forces the player to think about perspective in more creative ways than ever. And, thanks to the colorful and vibrant aesthetic, every location feels like a magical alternative version of the real world, only with a few laws of physics removed from the equation.
2
Maquette
No Object Too Small
Details:
- Objects can be resized to unlock different areas between worlds
- Miniature objects can become huge platforms and crossable bridges
Maquette centers around using size to alter locations between two different worlds, one large and the other small. Players can shift a tiny ramp, the miniature model, and suddenly, a giant path will appear for them to use in the larger one, forcing players to think less about what’s in front of them and more about the possibilities of every single object.
Having this constant relationship between worlds makes the two places feel like parts of a single whole, with the only difference being the scale that separates them. The puzzles themselves can get quite tricky later on as well, meaning that players need to think about size in a completely different way, as even the smallest objects can have a massive impact.
1
Portal/Portal 2
Kickstarting A Puzzle Revolution
Details:
- Colored portals that link together in real-time
- Momentum and objects carry through to give movement opportunities
The Portal series is widely considered to be one of the most influential in the entire gaming world, introducing players to a simple yet perfect mechanic that has influenced countless other games over the past few decades. In the first game, players are introduced to the iconic portal gun that can be used to create separate pathways that link together, creating a real-time door between locations that can be used to walk, jump, or throw objects to the other side.
The idea may be basic, but it allows for so many different creative puzzles to be possible, both within the base game and thanks to the support of the community. The sequel upped the ante by throwing a second player into the mix, making the solutions more complex and requiring players to work together to make it through alive. Despite nearly 20 years passing, Portal remains a cornerstone of the puzzle genre, and a must-play for anyone who likes the idea of breaking physics down right to the core.
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