Puzzle games of 2024

As the year draws to a close, I want to share my favorite puzzle games from 2024. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive review or ranking of all puzzle games released this year, but rather a personal reflection on the games that captured my attention. If you’re new to the puzzle genre, I recommend starting with the essential thinky games list - all of those titles are excellent.

Patrick’s Parabox

This game had been on my radar since its 2022 release, but I only got around to playing it this year. While the core mechanics of zooming in, zooming out, and recursion were fun and somewhat expected from the trailers, I was pleasantly surprised by the infinity paradoxes and creativity in the later levels. The developers really went the extra mile while staying true to the core concept, making the experience of completing the game thoroughly enjoyable.

14 Minesweeper Variants (1 and 2)

I randomly discovered versions 1 and 2 through Steam recommendations. While the bare-bones graphics take some getting used to, these games offer fascinating explorations of what classic Minesweeper could have been. The games feature an “expert mode” (which is really how they should be played) where each mine or non-mine click is validated by an internal SMT solver to check if there’s at least one possible counter-example. If a counter-example exists, it means the player is guessing rather than using logic, which counts as an error. It took me time to grasp this concept, but I now find it brilliant as a way to eliminate guesswork. Notably, each puzzle still has only one solution, but it can only be discovered iteratively by revealing additional clues through non-mine clicks. This differs from traditional pen-and-paper logic puzzles like Sudoku, which don’t have a clue-revealing mechanism. In Sudoku, guessing a number for any cell results in either:

1. A correct guess that’s part of the only possible solution
2. An incorrect guess that makes the puzzle impossible to complete

Since there are no hidden clues in Sudoku - only initial clues and logical deductions - these Minesweeper variants represent something uniquely suited to digital media rather than just a digitization of pen-and-paper puzzles. This makes them particularly intriguing to me.

The numerous variations also provide interesting ways to diversify the experience, with some variations proving notably more challenging or entertaining than others.

Taiji

Taiji shares similarities with The Witness (though in 2D) in that puzzle rules aren’t explained but rather revealed through examples. The process of revising incorrect rule assumptions is both challenging and rewarding. Some puzzles proved quite difficult, but surprisingly, even larger grids of 100-200 cells remained solvable with enough determination.

[Note: While I played this in 2023 (as confirmed by Steam Replay), I’ve kept it on this list due to its exceptional quality.]

Gridspech

A free online game I discovered after completing Taiji while searching for more puzzles with discoverable rules. Its minimalism is particularly appealing. I generally favor games that represent “the distilled essence” of larger games (perhaps due to my limited gaming time), and this one effectively captures the essence of The Witness and Taiji.

Honorable Mentions

• Lok - While the puzzles are charming, they become repetitive. The game features only four or five mechanics that don’t combine in particularly surprising ways.
• Chants of Sennaar - Outstanding artistry, though the puzzles lack depth.
• The case of the golden idol - Creative concept and impressive art, but the puzzles require minimal logical reasoning.
• Human Resource Machine - Enjoyable, but later levels feel more like programming exercises with subpar editing and debugging tools.
• A = B - From the Minesweeper Variants developer, it presents an interesting concept but shares Human Resource Machine’s limitations. It effectively demonstrates how string replacement constitutes computation (see Post systems).
• Cocoon - Visually stunning, but I frequently struggled to remember the map between sessions. Since I typically play in 10-15 minute increments, larger world games don’t suit my play style.