By William Baker III

It wasn’t easy. But I took the editorial challenge of coming up with some excellent and unique puzzle games for your purview. Here’s my list!

Viewfinder by Sad Owl Studios:

If you’re familiar with Superliminal, you’re sure to have a great time with this gem. Viewfinder is a game about taking pictures. Using the power of virtual realities (no headset required), you can add landscape pictures to picturesque landscapes. Everything in the photo will be blown up to life size, and you can walk into the new area seamlessly, no matter the angle from which it was superimposed onto the rest of the map. This leads to some truly mind-bending puzzles, with mechanics ranging from “place this picture while looking sideways!” to “YOU’VE GONE TOO DEEP AND ARE NOW DESTROYING REALITY ITSELF” to “this picture changes the art style!” Grab your camera, get cozy, and get ready to make yourself a whole new perspective.

Also… you can pet the cat.

Pâquerette Down the Bunburrows by Bunstack:

This recently-released puzzle game has one simple goal: grab the bunny. With some incredible tileset puzzles and a very elusive bunny standing in your way, however, this task may not prove as easy as it seems. Travel down to the depths and discover that the bunnies may be catching on as you are. This game is very deep (literally), and chock full of meta puzzles and cross-map madness waiting for you to get through! But that doesn’t stop it from being cute, and there’s nothing cuter than stacking bunnies. The art style is so retro in the best way, and the low skill floor and high skill ceiling leave endless hours of fun just waiting for you to fry your brain with. Fans of Baba is You will recognize not only a cute game about a tiny white creature, but ALSO a ton of confounding and interconnected levels that are sure to leave you burrowed into your device for hours on end.

Q REMASTERED by liica inc.:

Q REMASTERED is a puzzle game unlike any other. It has no set solution. There is no one “right way” to do its 1000+ levels. Yes, you are informed that you can draw, and sometimes restricted from certain areas. That is it. The objective will change. The area will change. Your tools will not. You’ll be graded, using the IQ system. I still remember when I was given the stamp of “Meathead” in big letters. It was certainly motivating. Be warned now: if you play this game, you will feel dumb. That said, you’ll have fun doing it! The soundtrack is great, the atmosphere is unique. And the premise is constantly changing. I highly recommend you Q it up.

Transmogrify by Odyssey Entertainment:

Transmogrify is the best of both worlds: a puzzle game and a platformer. You’re stuck in a laboratory filled with dangerous technology and even more dangerous creatures, and you play the role of the janitor. But you’re a janitor armed with a gun that has the power to transmogrify your alien enemies into helpful objects. You’ll need to stay on your toes, as your surroundings aren’t likely to let you take all the time you want to plan out a solution. You must master both action and attentiveness to escape alive. Once you climb into the 2-D, side-scrolling roller-coaster with cartoony art style, you’ll have no trouble enjoying your time traversing the world and transmogrifying your way to victory. With mouse aim for your gun, you may expect this game to handle poorly in the platforming department. Fortunately, the controls are intuitive and responsive, so you’ll stay locked in on the alien blasting action and perplexing puzzle progression.

The Ouroboros King by Oriol Cosp:

The Ouroboros King is a spin on everyone’s favorite puzzle game: Chess. I mean, think about it! The only difference between a purely strategic multiplayer game and a single player puzzle game is that someone is controlling the pieces on the other side. In this game, the only enemy is the an AI boss. And this is like no other game of chess you will ever play. Follow a map resembling that of games like Slay the Spire as you advance your army towards the evil queens’ doors. Collect never-before-seen chess pieces with powerful abilities. Upgrade and grow your small army, to a more powerful but still pretty small army! Yet this game is incredible because it takes serious chess knowledge to the next level. There are items with single-use and lasting effects, pieces that can permanently die or transform, alternative victory conditions, so many ways to play. My tips: Make your next move carefully, and never underestimate a piece you don’t know the name of.

William Baker is an Intern who attends Hunter College High School in Upper Manhattan.

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