The Puzzling Nature Of Puzzles

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I think that we have all been here before: stuck in a game because the solution to a puzzle often requires us to beat ourselves over the head with a shovel until we get the same exact kind of concussion that the writers had when coming up with a solution to that problem... And, to a certain extent, that's fine. Some of the best games in history have had that kind of rage-inducing moon logic attached to them. Those largely don't bother me, as they encourage some abstract thinking and provide excuses to interact more with the game world, something we likely wouldn't do as much if the solutions were all straightforward.

What I DO take issue with, however, are those games in which the better solution to a certain puzzle is blatantly obvious, yet you don't get to use it because that's simply not the way it was written to be tackled.

I think my favorite example of this sort of thing comes from "Tequila & Boom-Boom", an Italian graphic adventure already plagued with these.

At one point you have to drug your friend with chloroform in order to steal from him, but your character complains that he has nothing to pour the liquid on... Which would be all fine and dandy, except that both of you are wearing neckerchiefs (!). It's like the game is deliberately taunting you.

​

What about you? Do you have any other examples to share? The more infuriating, the better!

 

[Jambhala]

I remember there being some instances in the Ace Attorney games where there's a piece of evidence that would obviously prove the person guilty but it punishes you for choosing it because you're supposed to pick something else to progress the dialogue. Can't name any specific examples though, since I played them years ago, but I vividly remember getting annoyed at a few sections.

 

[Anim8rDude]

I'm more of a fan when puzzles require you think outside the box, when the solutions are not obvious, maybe infuriating, and maybe sometimes break the fourth wall.

Mini Iceberg:

Surface level - Silent Hill's Piano Puzzle (play the dead keys as the poem kinda hints)

Dark Waters - Paranormasight's Prologue Puzzle
(Was absolutely ecstatic when I figured this one out! A visual-novel game without voice acting requires you to lower the "Voice Volume" in the game's audio settings in order to dodge a game over)

Depths - The Legend of Zelda's Phantom Hourglass Sacred Crest puzzle

 

[ciro64]

I'm more of a fan when puzzles require you think outside the box, when the solutions are not obvious, maybe infuriating, and maybe sometimes break the fourth wall.

Mini Iceberg:

Surface level - Silent Hill's Piano Puzzle (play the dead keys as the poem kinda hints)
View attachment 55615

Dark Waters - Paranormasight's Prologue Puzzle
(Was absolutely ecstatic when I figured this one out! A visual-novel game without voice acting requires you to lower the "Voice Volume" in the game's audio settings in order to dodge a game over)
View attachment 55618

Depths - The Legend of Zelda's Phantom Hourglass Sacred Crest puzzle
View attachment 55614

You reminded me of the puzzle where you have to literally blow the candles (in the DS microphone) to open the door lmao

 

[_oBSOLEte_]

Spoiler: If you plan on playing Beneath A Steel Sky but dont want hours spent hunting for a literal POS three pixels wide :

 

[goregoregoregoregoregore]

Idk if it counts because it's not an electronic game per say, but there is something so addictive about doing chess puzzles. I normally can't concentrate or don't give a flying fuck to puzzles in video-games, but chess makes me feel in a trance for some reason.
I use lichess.org many times when i feel like relaxing