Which games did you particularly like in terms of the puzzles?
I'll throw "The Talos Principle" including the expansion "Road to Gehenna" and "The Talos Principle 2" as my hat into the ring. The puzzles mainly revolve around guiding red and blue light beams from the "Emitter" to the "Receiver", but the tasks are surprisingly varied thanks to the numerous helpful items... and sometimes extremely tricky due to the restriction to a limited selection of these items and various obstacles (different energy walls/grids that block light beams, items and/or the protagonist).
In TTP1, there were only two colors of light beams (whose beams must not cross), three enemy types (bombs, buzzers, turrets) with predictable behavior and a manageable number of auxiliary objects: boxes, pressure plates, wall switches, ladders, fans, connectors, jammers, platforms, recorders (the position of the robot and all objects can be recorded for a maximum of 5 minutes, and these temporary clones can be used during playback). There are also the "Sigil puzzles", in which you arrange "Tetris pieces" to fit.
You can find explanations of the items (and opponents) here: https://talosprinciple.fandom.com/wiki/Gameplay_elements
In TTP2, a third light beam color and many other helpful item have been added: Inverter (converts between blue and red), RGB Converter (two different colored beams create the third color), Driller (creates a temporary hole through which light beams and objects can fit), Accumulator (can store and reproduce one of the three colors), permanent robot clones (you can switch between them on sight), magnetic walls (practical for metal feet), Teleporter (portable, destination for protagonist + item in hand), GravShifter (creates gravity beam), rotating platforms and probably more items on the three islands that I haven't gotten to yet.
Together with the previous game elements, this allows countless new possible combinations. The "Sigil Puzzles", are now embedded in the game world to create bridges.
My favorite quote also comes from "The Talos Principle", which I completely agree with:
"Every human society in recorded history has games. We don't just solve problems out of necessity. We do it for fun. Even as adults. Leave a human being alone with a knotted rope and they will unravel it. Leave a human being alone with blocks and they will build something. Games are part of what makes us human. We see the world as a mystery, a puzzle, because we've always been a species of problem-solvers." (Alexandra Drennan)
I look forward to your game tips with your favorite puzzles, also with explanations.
Last edited by Conina - on 10 March 2024
