dakl
Level: Roachling
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Hi Folks,

The DROD forum seems like a good place to ask for recommendations for puzzle games.

Other than DROD, which I'm sure most everyone here is a big fan of, what (PC - or actually, Mac / iOS, if possible) puzzle games would you rate the highest in terms of overall design, level design, quality of experience?

Though I'm sure it's easy for DROD-level puzzlers, I thought Denki Blocks was excellent, right down to it's sound. The length seemed right, the progress was steady and never overwhelming. I loved the added replay value in the time / shape challenges too. Spacechem is another favorite of mine, though I still haven't finished it. Both of those games just feel incredibly solid.

That's what I'm looking for. Puzzle platformers are okay - I'll take any recommendation - but not my first choice.

Thanks for your suggestions.

stigant
Level: Smitemaster

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Laser Tanks has a lot in common with DROD, though its a bit more like Sokoban in that each board is stand alone - no story elements. Lots and lots of boards to play through, though. Logical thinking, no reflexes necessary.

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Dischorran
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Stuff coming immediately to mind; they're probably already mentioned in some older topic.

Heaven and Earth.
The Smart Games Challenge series (if it still exists). Same goes for the Incredible Machine series, especially the first one.
English Country Tune, still on the first page here.
Obulis is somewhat nice, if more on the casual end.

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Oneiromancer
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One of my very first posts on this message board, posted almost exactly 9 years ago, was about other good puzzle games. Over 4 years the thread grew to 10 pages long so I'm sure there's a lot of good games in there, although they won't be the most recent.

Anyway, to add something to this thread, I would recommend Fish Fillets and Fish Fillets 2. The first one is free, and the second one is well worth a purchase. The only complication is that a few fundamental gameplay characteristics changed between the two, which makes it a bit tough to transition from one to the other, but both have some extremely well-designed puzzles and pretty good production values as well. I believe the sequel is on Steam as well.

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"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

Nillo
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Here is a nice list of high-quality, independently made puzzle games. You can easily adjust the search to only show freeware games if you want to, as well.

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“Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the 'Ellie May,' a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests.”

Tim
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Here is a link to a list of really good puzzle games (amongst other games).

Or are you just suggesting that that list is not good at all?

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lakibuk
Level: Delver

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Portal 1 & 2
Armadillo Run (physics puzzles): http://www.armadillorun.com/
Braid
Bridge Builder (neat & free physics puzzles)


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Karl
Blueskied Games (main site) - Gratis Spiele (german site)

Snacko
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Fez is wonderful.

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Nillo
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Snacko wrote:
Fez is wonderful.

It's also not available on the computer, if I remember correctly.

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“Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the 'Ellie May,' a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests.”

Timo006
Level: Smitemaster

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Registered: 07-19-2006
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and don't forget to add Spacechem to those lists!!

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Drod Number: 3034; 8th person to see the Second Sky