Puzzle Games

A broad collection

This is the widest category in the catalogue, gathering the puzzles that don't belong to a single family. Physics puzzles give you a small world with gravity and momentum, and ask you to get an object from one place to another by cutting ropes, removing supports or drawing shapes for it to roll along. Drawing puzzles ask you to sketch a line or shape that solves a situation, such as a barrier that shields a character or a ramp that carries a ball. Stacking and balancing games test how carefully you can build. Idle and incremental games, where you gather resources and buy upgrades that earn them faster, sit here too, since they are more about planning than reflexes.

Physics and drawing puzzles

These are the most inventive puzzles in the collection, because most levels have more than one solution. The game checks whether you reached the goal, not how, so experimenting is part of the fun. Watch how things behave before committing to a plan: how far a swinging object travels, how quickly something falls, and what bounces and what doesn't. Many levels hide a bonus that needs a cleverer route than the obvious one, which is where the real challenge lies.

When you are stuck, try the simplest idea first. Players often overthink a level whose answer is one well-placed cut or a single short line.

Idle and incremental games

Incremental games reward a different kind of thinking. Early progress comes from clicking, and later progress from upgrades that earn for you. The key decision is almost always which upgrade gives the best return for its cost, and the common mistake is buying whatever is cheapest rather than whatever is most efficient. Save for the upgrades that multiply your earnings, because their effect compounds.

Finding your kind of puzzle

Because this category is so varied, the best approach is to try a few and notice which kind you enjoy. If you prefer pure reasoning with no physics or chance, the logic puzzles will suit you better. If you like fitting shapes together, try the block puzzles, and for words, the word games include our own daily Lexo.