A puzzling victory

Remember to always keep an open min on things guys. I'm a little bitter about puzzle games. I want to love a lot of them, I really do. But they go wrong so easily. Of course there's always an audience for it that loves it just the way it is, but personally I say it often as too binary, too complicated, and unless its got a level editor there's probably no replayability. This combination leads to frustrations, a feeling of lost potential, and ultimately I feel like I took a wrong turn and always need a better game to remedy it. Puzzle games are often some of the most colorful and imaginative games out there, providing what are usually the most unique or interesting settings, sometimes amazing stories, and feel like you just want to be a part of them to feel all happy and fuzzy inside. Then you get to the part where logic gets turned upsidedown and you're expected to work with constantly increasing variables that just suck the fun out of these things for me. I'm not just saying this as a guy that sucks at those games, and maybe I do, but its just not that fun sometimes. Lets say Portal for examples, its actually a lot better than most but lets just focus on this point as it still serves a good example. You show me this mechanic that I can warp portals out of a gun, and as long as there are no more than two portals needed and a clear wall for each portal I can essentially use that connection and a great power is put into my hands. Then you have me.... chasing science experiments in cold hard uninspired corridors of some underground lab facility with the only functioning character being one I can't see. Now its fine to tell me you need restrictions to give me a fun challenge and for the simple fact of developer practicality, but is there really nothing else you could do with this concept? No natural environments to give me, no true enemies or active conflict to work against, no characters to discuss this ability help out or use it on, no exterior objectives that I experiment with solutions to get to? In most of the genres I truly get hooked on, there's some sense of freedom and self-fulfillment you can get with the mechanics you're given in a more open feel, but in puzzle games you're simply completing lab tests to proceed. Now even though this may be a bit of an extreme comparison lets contrast it to how "puzzles" may work in a sandbox-like stealth game. They give you all sorts of powers and tools in those games, give you usually multi-pathed level designs, and steadily increase the difficulty with security or limit your resources rather than bottling up the entire game. There's no definite right answer, they're a natural sense of risk and reward in your powers as well as the choices you make, and there's a natural feeling of challenge and even more challenges the player can impose on themselves. Its also worth noting that its not about using your devices because you have to, its about using them for clever solutions and experimentation to get better results to an exterior goal. Its an incredible feeling that I kind of wish puzzlers could lean towards more often. Imagine throwing a portal gun into that mix! Like I said its a bit extreme compared to the state they are in, but that's why I say lean towards. It doesn't have to be that open, just more closer to it. I'm not hard to please with open gameplay, my favorite kind of FPS is an older format of corridor shooters and that's mostly a matter of variety and decisions with what weapons work in what situations. I just want more depth, choice, and to see the mechanics go somewhere beyond simple right and wrong puzzle solutions. That also helps grow a community around seeking new ideas and experiences from each other, people showing off cool tricks or funny glitches, and just letting it be more accessible without that being a bad thing. Instead most puzzlers insist on taking the most amazing worlds, settings, mechanical concepts, and bottling them up to very tight and binary level designs that over-complicate themselves over time. Well at least with portal it had big 3D rooms where you could distract yourself with a little before proceeding, I guess between the concept and that tiny bit of leverage I was enjoying (and excited to complete) the game more so than the average puzzler. Its a step more to the right direction. What's the next big step though? Its actually in a game with a couple face value similarities called Quantum Conundrum.

I've got to admit I'm moaning a bit too much, this article was more about how awesome this game is rather than why I don't play puzzles often. Still I felt that explanation was necessary, because its shocking to find myself loving a puzzle game so much. It just does more right though! At least to me, others will be turned off by its hybrid nature. Few puzzle games are ever just puzzle games, they usually combine with some other genre in order to wire in the mechanics. Countless 2D platform puzzlers exist, but how many are 3D platformers? Portal didn't have hardly any true platforming in it but may have been close, but with Quantum Conundrum its a massive part of what the game is. However it has a few other things in common with portal. Your trapped in a place by yourself (sort of) with the scientist talking to you, you've got a device that can help shape the world around you thus leading you into puzzles and solutions, and you have a general atmosphere of science. Oh yeah and its all in first person. See that's the weird thing that throws some people off with this game, but personally reinforces my enjoyment of it; First person platforming. I love it for some reason. While it shares many face value elements in common with portal, it feels like a step closer to releasing the chains and letting your imagination enjoy the game. You get 4 different powers, each of which are physics based ensuring a sense of experimentation and trial and error, mixed in with an encouraged sense of platforming, springy level designs, extras & collectibles, and you have a formula for a playful environment with natural experimentation to solve these puzzles.

Oh yeah, and Ike is there to have some fun with you to

The game just does something to hook you in with this line. Sure its not perfect, the ending is lame, and there's one or two moments where you may hit a frustrating moment, but I played this game through thick and thin for hours on end. I just had trouble getting away from it, and in less than 24 hours of buying it I passed the finish line. Its short I admit, but finishing it this soon was more due to my amusement. Meanwhile I took like 4 days for portal if my memory servers me well, which was still fun but not quite as engaging and I found myself breaking away more. The game here was just stimulating my brain constantly. I was building bridges slowed down by time, spent around 30 minutes building a ladder out of furniture to try and stack it up against a hidden collectible and reach it just right, tested multiple solutions and even tried breaking the ideal solution several times (and I think it may have worked in a couple cases, but I'm not quite sure because the game is open enough to leave me feel like I genuinely found a way), and in between the right idea I would stop to just throw things around or toy with a room. Each new puzzle had me thinking as well as just bouncing around, figuring out what I could climb or jump on, and taking in the thrill of warping things around and the working sciencey gadgets. I got into tiny spaces I didn't think were possible just to say "Cool!" and leap back into the main puzzle. It also had moments where the puzzle factor took a short break and you were put on a conveyor belt or something similar and just tasked with surviving to the next stage, basically reinforcing that platformer vibe that was enjoyable. It was just an amazing experience of trial & error experiments, playfulness, and fun. Oh and with that said, the little Ike character, machine faces spitting useful supplies, and the little details like the painting were all awesome little touches that let me enjoy a world that was honestly aiming around a low budget PS2-like mark.

I remember when the demo first came out and I laughed as the theme music and background of the game's highlight took me for a delightful surprise, and I had the feeling something interesting was in this game. I think I played the demo like 3-5 times, enjoying the physics, jumping, colorful environments, and the witty feel to it all. It was actually something worth replaying and experimenting with... but I felt like it would fall into the typical trap of complexity, and restrictions. I'm glad I kept an open mind because towards the end of this Square Enix sale I took a chance and grabbed this gem, and its been the few things of recently to glue me to the screen and just game on as time disappears. I should have been in on this sooner like back when I loved the demo, but whatever the case I really found this game to be a delight. I just really wish it had a level editor or more to the game, its a shame its kind of over to me now. I may go back for the extras I've skimmed over, but honestly most of that stuff feels a bit like it'll take the fun out as I stress perfect time runs, shifts, and no deaths. Anyways if anyone is reading this, skeptical about puzzlers, and has yet to try this game... do it!