Outstanding individual puzzles - an IFDB Poll
by Jeremy Freese
RSS FeedI'm interested in examples of excellent individual puzzles in IF. In other words: not 'Spider and Web' so much as 'getting out of the chair' in 'Spider and Web'
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| Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin 6 votes "Getting out of the chair" [+]"Getting out of the chair" --Jeremy Freese... "Chair puzzle" [+]"Chair puzzle" ( ) --zer... "Yes, getting out..." [+]"Yes, getting out of the chair." --Victor Gijsbers... "Escaping the..." [+]"Escaping the chair and thereby turning the tables. The solution is so magnificent that I jumped up from my own chair when it actually worked. No kidding." ( - Full review) --Simon Deimel... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol...  Vote for this game | |
| The Edifice, by Lucian P. Smith 6 votes "The language puzzle" [+]"The language puzzle" --Marius Müller... "The language puzzle" [+]"The language puzzle" ( ) --Emily Boegheim... "The language puzzle." [+]"The language puzzle." () --Dave Chapeskie... "the language puzzle is the best" [+]"the language puzzle is the best" () --Divide... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sam Kabo Ashwell... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| All Things Devours, by half sick of shadows 5 votes "The time travel puzzle." [+]"The time travel puzzle." ( ) --Dave Chapeskie... "The entire game..." [+]"The entire game is a single, excellent puzzle." ( - Full review) --Victor Gijsbers... "The time-travel..." [+]"The time-travel puzzle." --Christina Nordlander... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams and Steve Meretzky 5 votes "The babelfish puzzle" [+]"The babelfish puzzle" --Jeremy Freese... "Babel Fish" [+]"Babel Fish: There's nothing like a multi-stage puzzle when it's done well..." --Mike Sousa... "Babel fish" [+]"Babel fish" ( ) --four1475... "Great fun!" [+]"Great fun!: The legendary Babel fish puzzle. I DID get the babel fish! I didn't get the t-shirt, though." () --Puddin Tame... "Navigating the..." [+]"Navigating the sensory void -- and I don't mean merely reaching reality's shore the first time, but choosing which shore to land on." --David Welbourn... Vote for this game | |
| Enchanter, by Marc Blank, Dave Lebling 3 votes "The puzzle of redrawing links" [+]"The puzzle of redrawing links" ( ) --Emily Short... "The "Magic Pencil" puzzle" [+]"The "Magic Pencil" puzzle: I wanted to vote for Zork Zero, because there were plenty of interesting puzzles there. But of all the puzzles in any IF game, I remember most vividly being in that network of caves that would change by writing or erasing marks on the map, and having a close encounter with the Unseen Terror." --mjhayes... "Unlocking the..." [+]"Unlocking the VERY-locked and guarded door." --David Welbourn... Vote for this game | |
| The Lurking Horror, by Dave Lebling 2 votes "The chain puzzle" [+]"The chain puzzle: The complexity and mechanics behind the chain puzzle makes it pure joy to solve. Extremely rewarding." --Lester T Hobbs... "The chain puzzle" [+]"The chain puzzle: An unexpectedly rich use of the world model." ( - Full review) --Mike Ciul... Vote for this game | |
| Sorcerer, by Steve Meretzky 2 votes "The time travel paradox in the coal mine. It is really mind-blowing." [+]"The time travel paradox in the coal mine. It is really mind-blowing.: A true masterstroke. The logic of the puzzle is brilliant while at the same time being completely illogic by its very nature. Requires some good thinking, and once solved it will stick in your mind. There was even a forum discussion on it: http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.int-fiction/browse_thread/thread/c4d47a4ee8acfc0b/2a17cbf697aa4447?lnk=raot" --Lester T Hobbs... "The..." [+]"The three-dimensional glass maze" --Gemma Bristow... Vote for this game | |
| Curses, by Graham Nelson 2 votes "The slide projector puzzle" [+]"The slide projector puzzle: The slide projector puzzle is not at all the hardest puzzle in the game, but is surely one of the most captivating and beautiful ones I remember." ( ) --Mark V.... "Solution to the hedge maze" [+]"Solution to the hedge maze" () --Emily Short... Vote for this game | |
| Adventurer's Consumer Guide, by Øyvind Thorsby 2 votes "Several, especially the gambling puzzle and the puzzle involving an opening between rooms" [+]"Several, especially the gambling puzzle and the puzzle involving an opening between rooms" ( - Full review) --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Leather Goddesses of Phobos, by Steve Meretzky 1 vote "The Sultan's Riddle" [+]"The Sultan's Riddle: I'm not a big fan of riddles, as a rule, but the Sultan's Riddle turns the whole idea of the riddle sideways through the fourth dimension, complete with several good responses to wrong answers (because, until you figure out what the riddle is really doing, there's gonna be some wrong answers ...) The other LGoP puzzle that I remember fondly is the swordfight in space (which, despite the racy nature of the game, isn't nearly as racy as the phrase "swordfight in space" might suggest)." ( ) --Ghalev... Vote for this game | |
| A Mind Forever Voyaging, by Steve Meretzky 1 vote "Stopping the..." [+]"Stopping the saboteurs" ( ) --Gemma Bristow... Vote for this game | |
| Cragne Manor, by Ryan Veeder, Jenni Polodna, Adam Whybray, Adri, Andrew Plotkin, Andy Holloway, Austin Auclair, Baldur Brückner, Ben Collins-Sussman, Bill Maya, Brian Rushton, Buster Hudson, Caleb Wilson, Carl Muckenhoupt, Chandler Groover, Chris Jones, Christopher Conley, Damon L. Wakes, Daniel Ravipinto, Daniel Stelzer, David Jose, David Petrocco, David Sturgis, Drew Mochak, Edward B, Emily Short, Erica Newman, Feneric, Finn Rosenløv, Gary Butterfield, Gavin Inglis, Greg Frost, Hanon Ondricek, Harkness Munt, Harrison Gerard, Ian Holmes, Ivan Roth, Jack Welch, Jacqueline Ashwell, James Eagle, Jason Dyer, Jason Lautzenheiser, Jason Love, Jeremy Freese, Joey Jones, Joshua Porch, Justin de Vesine, Justin Melvin, Katherine Morayati, Kenneth Pedersen, Lane Puetz, Llew Mason, Lucian Smith, Marco Innocenti, Marius Müller, Mark Britton, Mark Sample, Marshal Tenner Winter, Matt Schneider, Matt Weiner, Matthew Korson, Michael Fessler, Michael Gentry, Michael Hilborn, Michael Lin, Mike Spivey, Molly Ying, Monique Padelis, Naomi Hinchen, Nate Edwards, Petter Sjölund, Q Pheevr, Rachel Spitler, Reed Lockwood, Reina Adair, Riff Conner, Roberto Colnaghi, Rowan Lipkovits, Sam Kabo Ashwell, Scott Hammack, Sean M. Shore, Shin, Wade Clarke, Zach Hodgens, Zack Johnson 1 vote "Zarf's room and Jeremy Freese's romos come to mind" [+]"Zarf's room and Jeremy Freese's romos come to mind" ( - Full review) --MathBrush... Vote for this game | |
| Hard Puzzle, by Ade McT 1 vote "The hard puzzle." [+]"The hard puzzle." ( - Full review) --CMG... Vote for this game | |
| Beyond Zork, by Brian Moriarty 1 vote "The lighthouse monsters" [+]"The lighthouse monsters: Beyond Zork's puzzles frequently fit a specific theme, which is considering the very ordinary properties of things in lateral ways. The challenges in the lighthouse (particularly the dustbunnies and the dornbeast) show this off to excellent effect, since they reward thorough, flexible thinking without relying on obscure information. Or maybe I just like them because I managed to solve them without hints (but there's something very special about the image of rolling a giant onion up a cliffside road). Another puzzle worthy of note is the reading-the-amulet puzzle beneath the Rusty Lantern tavern, and the temporal reversal of a standard transmogrification puzzle (you need a caterpillar, so you catch a butterfly ...)" ( ) --Ghalev... Vote for this game | |
| Plundered Hearts, by Amy Briggs 1 vote "The..." [+]"The drinks-pouring puzzle." ( - Full review) --Emily Short... Vote for this game | |
| Lock & Key, by Adam Cadre 1 vote "Working out the..." [+]"Working out the correct sequence of traps. (Most of the game, that is.)" ( ) --Sam Kabo Ashwell... Vote for this game | |
| Delightful Wallpaper, by Andrew Plotkin ('Edgar O. Weyrd') 1 vote "Opening the doors" [+]"Opening the doors" ( ) --Emily Short... Vote for this game | |
| The Frenetic Five vs. Mr. Redundancy Man, by Neil deMause 1 vote "The final puzzle is one of my favorites" [+]"The final puzzle is one of my favorites" --Bernie... Vote for this game | |
| The Tiny House, by Dan Doyle III 1 vote "Saving the Three..." [+]"Saving the Three Little Pigs. Getting the Celuxed spell. Establishing the Past." ( - Full review) --tggdan3... Vote for this game | |
| The Black Lily, by Hannes Schueller 1 vote "Unlocking the..." [+]"Unlocking the bathroom cabinet." ( ) --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Being Andrew Plotkin, by J. Robinson Wheeler 1 vote "The recursion puzzle" [+]"The recursion puzzle" --Emily Short... Vote for this game | |
| Zork III, by Dave Lebling, Marc Blank 1 vote "the royal puzzle" [+]"the royal puzzle" ( ) --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Hard Puzzle 2 : The Cow, The Stool and Other Animals, by Ade McT 1 vote "Excellent single puzzle" [+]"Excellent single puzzle: This game takes place on a farm. You have one objective. The solution may not be obvious, but then again, it is called Hard Puzzle (2)!" ( - Full review) --Deboriole... Vote for this game | |