Puzzle games make for some fun headaches. They can be quite puzzling, as you’d expect, and force you think in ways you’d never dream of. Unsurprisingly, figuring out how to design a puzzle game can also be quite puzzling itself. So, if you want to get into that world, there are some things you should keep in mind.
Developing a puzzle game can be quite a bit easier that usual games in some aspects, but is quite a bit harder in others. You don’t need to have a story or multiplayer or even top-notch graphics. On the other hand, the game mechanics can make or break the game, so they should be your focus right from the start.
What are puzzle games?
Puzzle games are a type of game that requires the player to think outside the box to solve them. Puzzle games often involve matching objects, creating a puzzle, or even just one puzzle that needs to be solved. Puzzle games can be easy or difficult depending on the game mechanics and how creative the creator was when making the puzzle.
The mechanic of a puzzle game is usually similar across all types of puzzles, but there are some variations between them. To create a great puzzle game, you need to make sure it has enough challenge for players and requires them to think creatively in order to solve it.
Puzzles can also be used as teaching tools for children and adults alike, helping them learn new concepts, develop problem-solving skills, and become more cognitively flexible. Whether you’re into classic jigsaw puzzles or something more modern like escape rooms, there’s something out there for everyone who loves a good puzzle!
Puzzle mechanics
Puzzle game mechanics are the various elements of a puzzle game that help to create different puzzles and challenge the player. A game designer needs to carefully design a puzzle in order for it to be interesting and give the player an enjoyable experience. This can involve making a good puzzle that has enough difficulty to challenge the player but not so much that it is impossible to solve.
Different mechanics can be used such as timed puzzles or hidden objects which require players to think outside of the box in order to solve them. It is important for a game designer to consider all aspects when designing puzzles as it will determine how difficult or easy it is for players to solve them.
Players need to have enough information and clues provided in order for them to understand what they need to do in order to complete the puzzle. With careful game design, a game designer can create engaging and entertaining puzzles that will keep players engaged throughout their experience.
How to design a puzzle game: some important tips
Before setting out to make your puzzle game, it’s important to think carefully about the game mechanics it should have. They’re the most important part of a puzzle game, so they’re the ones you should focus on designing and developing first and foremost.
Less is more
You need to start with the basics. What is the mechanic that’s going to move the game forward? The basic one that you’ll use in every level?
In the classic game Portal that mechanic is, of course, the ability to create a pair of linked portals. In The Witness, it’s drawing a path. In The Talos Principle, it’s the ability to carry items like the jammer, one at a time.
This basic mechanic sets the tone for the rest of the game, and defines how the player will think about the challenges you implement, and what you should add on top of it in order to make it more interesting.
The basic idea is: easy to learn, hard to master. Puzzles should be challenging, not frustrating.
Think outside the box
Having an original idea is crucial to make a successful puzzle game. There are already lots of different of puzzle games out there, with the most different styles. You don’t really need to have amazing voice acting and life-like graphics, but you need interesting mechanics.
And “interesting mechanics” can mean anything. It can mean something completely new, something that nobody had heard of before and that will blow people’s minds. But it can also be a new take on something common, or a subversion of it.
For example, Zachatronics, a game company that specialized in puzzles, is famous for the great solitaire puzzles they tended to embed into their games. So much so that they’re currently working on launching a solitaire collection!
The important thing is that the mechanics shouldn’t feel like they’re just a repetition of something from another game. They should feel different, even if deep down they aren’t really that different.
Execution is everything
You may have amazing mechanics, but if you’re not able to teach the player how to use it well, they’ll never know how amazing it is.
Puzzle games are not about making people reach their limits. It’s not really a competition between the puzzle designer and the player. If the player can’t figure out how to solve a puzzle, that doesn’t mean that the designer wins.
Puzzle games are about solving puzzles. Whenever the player reaches a new level, they should have the ability to figure out how to solve it, based on what you showed them before.
That doesn’t mean that every puzzle needs lots of hand-holding. The puzzles also need to be challenging for the game to work. But you need to think about progression.
In any puzzle game you play, you may notice that they follow a standard progression path: they start small, with a single mechanic (the most basic one), and then let the player play with it for a bit.
A good mechanic can stand out on its own, so you’re able to make challenging levels while relying only on it. After a while, the player becomes more comfortable, and now you can introduce them to another mechanic.
Slowly, they’ll be comfortable with all the tools they have available, and you’ll be free to throw your most challenging levels at them.
The important thing is to focus on making challenging levels, not frustrating levels.
Practice, practice, practice
It gets much easier to design a puzzle game if you’re already used to designing puzzle games. The more you work on making puzzles and developing interesting mechanics, the better you get at it, and the more polished will be your puzzle games.
That also means getting feedback! Get your friends to play them, or publish simpler versions on itch.io and get people to play it. You can continue working on your game until you get something you can call finished.
Playing puzzle games by other people is also a great way to learn more about designing puzzle games. See what mechanics they use, how they play around with it or even subvert it, how the game progression works, how the levels are designed, among many other aspects.
Practice is a very important part of designing puzzle games, so get to work on it!
We can help you design your puzzle game
Do you feel like cutting to the chase?
If you have an idea for a puzzle game, we can help you turn it into reality!
Here are MainLeaf, we’re a team of experienced game developers that work with games on-demand.
You bring us an idea, and we turn it into a real game.
Do you want to know more? Head to our main page and get a quote! It’s that simple.
