What constitutes a “puzzle”?

[StaceyPowers]

I just finished Stray, which has a number of “puzzles” that reminded me of figuring things out in old point and click adventures a bit. In fact, they didn’t really feel like “puzzles” to me—just exploring the environment and seizing opportunities. It made me curious. What actually makes something a “puzzle” in a game? Is it subjective at all?

[Kane99]

Anything that requires a solution to solve maybe? Can be a literal puzzle you put together, a puzzle that requires you to connect wires, etc. I think for me, it's just anything that requires any bit of thought to solve. Like if there is a needed solution to solve it, it imo is a puzzle. At least to me it is. 

[Akun]

I believe it's subjective, but then again, I feel like words are fickle human inventions that could be open to interpretation over time. Many words have different meanings today from what they were originally defined as.

I do see what you're getting at with Stray's scenario, and I guess by its purest definition, it might not be a "puzzle game" in the most obvious sense, but you do still have to figure out the proper mechanism to interact with in the game, and that's what a puzzle is like to me, figuring out things and solving problems. Just because it's an easy puzzle game doesn't make it any less of a puzzle game IMO.

[Withywarlock]

16 hours ago, Kane99 said:

Anything that requires a solution to solve maybe?

I'd say it like that also. But then what's deemed a solution? Is stabbing a rat with a sword constituted as a puzzle because stabbing it solves the problem of there being a rat? There's probably examples of that in point-'n'-click adventure games because combat is de-emphasised.

Like RPGs, they shouldn't be 'defined' or 'constituted': you know them when you see them. It's not simply a matter of "a game where you play a role" because you can stretch that to encompass everything and get into meta territory of what role the player has.

16 hours ago, Akun said:

Just because it's an easy puzzle game doesn't make it any less of a puzzle game IMO.

I like this quote. Recently I was playing the rather amusing first Frog Detective game and it really made me appreciate a simple inventory puzzle that plays on the goofiness of old point-'n'-click adventure games. Not everything has to be Amnesia: Justine.

[Heatman]

Puzzles are not something that's got a straight and direct answer or solution. It's a problem that requires technicalities in solving. It's not like reading A, B, C. If it's that easy, then it's definitely not a puzzle in my book. 

[Reality vs Adventure]

A puzzle is something that has a definite solution. When you solve it, you progress or get an award. Everything else would be strategy as there are different ways to go about something. If you can solve a puzzle more than one way, then you probably broke the intention. 

[Justin11]

Puzzles comes in various forms and style and anything that has a series of clues and you need to give a solution by critical looking at the clues available is a puzzle.

I don't know if this explains the Concept vividly but that's exactly what I understand puzzles to be.

[Empire]

Portal is the best puzzle game. The test chambers are disguised tutorials, which teach you how to beat the game. A good puzzle game doesn't force feed you how to play, you learn to play as you do the puzzles. Talos Principle also gets this part right.

[Kyng]

I would say that it counts as a 'puzzle' if it has these two things: 

1. A test of one's logic skills, and;

2. A definite goal or solution. 

I was going to say "a definite solution" (like some other people here) - but actually, I think that's a little bit restrictive. For example, the levels in Infinifactory don't have one single 'right' solution: each chamber can be solved in many different ways, and it's up to you to invent a solution (and then, if you want, try and optimise it). I'd still classify it as a puzzle game, though!

[Reality vs Adventure]

1 hour ago, Kyng said:

I would say that it counts as a 'puzzle' if it has these two things: 

1. A test of one's logic skills, and;

2. A definite goal or solution. 

I was going to say "a definite solution" (like some other people here) - but actually, I think that's a little bit restrictive. For example, the levels in Infinifactory don't have one single 'right' solution: each chamber can be solved in many different ways, and it's up to you to invent a solution (and then, if you want, try and optimise it). I'd still classify it as a puzzle game, though!

I am pleased you are stretching my mind a bit further. I am not familiar with the game, so I have to ask, do the chambers in Infinifactory offer different rewards for each way you solve the puzzle? If so, that is strategy. (Invent and optimize) that sounds like strategy too. But I see exactly what you are saying how puzzles can be solved more than one way, and we have a good debate going on here. In video games, usually the puzzle is a fixed objective even if you have multiple solutions to get there. It's not really the objective, but the outcome. Try a 1,000 different ways to solve a puzzle and the 1 and only outcome is the same. That is what a puzzle is. A strategy offers different solutions for different outcomes. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[Reality vs Adventure]

This is great debate and everyone should get in on this. Puzzle vs strategy. 

[Justin11]

20 hours ago, Empire said:

Portal is the best puzzle game. The test chambers are disguised tutorials, which teach you how to beat the game. A good puzzle game doesn't force feed you how to play, you learn to play as you do the puzzles. Talos Principle also gets this part right.

Puzzles usually Comes with clue and without those clues it is almost impossible to beat the puzzle, for Portal puzzle games those tutorials that are disguised as test Chambers  are the clues.

[Empire]

On 11/16/2022 at 9:24 AM, Justin11 said:

Puzzles usually Comes with clue and without those clues it is almost impossible to beat the puzzle, for Portal puzzle games those tutorials that are disguised as test Chambers  are the clues.

Portal is not only about solving 19 easy puzzles and boss fight. Portal was so good because it was something other, something special. It was the best 3D logic game with it's story behind the scenes. Playing 2nd Portal game (which is so much longer, has multiple puzzle themes, puzzles themselves are harder

[Justin11]

On 11/17/2022 at 1:33 PM, Empire said:

Portal is not only about solving 19 easy puzzles and boss fight. Portal was so good because it was something other, something special. It was the best 3D logic game with it's story behind the scenes. Playing 2nd Portal game (which is so much longer, has multiple puzzle themes, puzzles themselves are harder

Personally I Haven't played much of portal either but I have seen a few game play videos on it and I have realized that the developers of portal were able to achieve a puzzle game with a storyline that makes it a whole lot interesting and intriguing.

[Empire]

7 hours ago, Justin11 said:

Personally I Haven't played much of portal either but I have seen a few game play videos on it and I have realized that the developers of portal were able to achieve a puzzle game with a storyline that makes it a whole lot interesting and intriguing.

It doesn't cost to much to get your hands on Portal and give it a try and get thinking and take your time. I have got bridge portal that I never got to able to play and do and yet I have watch people playing the game on Twitch many years ago