Puzzle Adventure Games?

[Ogremindes]

One of the games I picked up on sale the other day is one of the newer versions of Myst, and that got me thinking about other puzzle games of the sort. Not the first person slideshow, but the sort of game where you're exploring a big, interesting world, finding scraps of information that you put together to solve puzzles and meta-puzzles. I haven't played that many, at least not many of large scale. The last one I got into was Fez (that number system should've been Hex-based, dammit).

Anyway, I was wondering if you guys knew of other interesting games of the sort. I honestly don't even know how to start looking for the things, given how many types of game are classed "puzzle".

[BannedInSchool]

West of House

You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here.

>


-----

I'd think you'd be able to pick up the old Infocom text adventure/interactive fiction games either free or for just a couple bucks. They're not exactly that large, but they are solving puzzles in a world you wander around in.

Show door tea and not-tea.

[Ogremindes]

West of House

You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here.

>


-----

I'd think you'd be able to pick up the old Infocom text adventure/interactive fiction games either free or for just a couple bucks. They're not exactly that large, but they are solving puzzles in a world you wander around in.

Show door tea and not-tea.

While I'm sure there are text adventures of the style I'm thinking of, I don't think there's that much of it, particularly in the classics. Myst and Fez are a different style of puzzle game to the lineage that leads into the SCUMM games and such. (I think they're descended from a style of richly illustrated puzzle book, which would explain them not showing up in text-era games). In this style the factor that limits advancement is primarily what the player has learned about the game world, not inventory objects or narrative progression. Myst can be won in minutes once you've learned what needs to be done. Getting to that point can take months.

[BeerMug Paladin]

Toki Tori 2 might work for what you're looking for. I've only played the original, but from what I know, it sounds similar to your request.

[Cespenar]

Legend of Grimrock 2, perhaps? Sure, there are some combat and "RPG elements" in it too, but its main attraction are puzzles and exploration, which are designed in not small detail, in my opinion.

[Starwulf]

Hmmm...Penumbra and it's ilk?(Amnesia and the newest one set underwater) spring to mind.

[Togath]

For a sort of puzzle/jrpg thing, there's the Golden Sun series(gba/ds).
Not sure if it's what you're looking for or not.

[Ogremindes]

What I'm looking for is a specific type of sub-genre. I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, but it's the sort of puzzle game that both the Myst series and Fez (once you get past the the puzzle platformer candy coating) occupy.

Obviously, the specifics of how you interact with the world are irrelevant, but what they have in common is a very open style of world, a lack of inventory, little-to-no narrative progression and lot of the puzzles hinge on the player learning the world, sometimes in the sense of deciphering alphabets and number systems, but also in the sense of observing how the world works and when small details can impact on whatever you're trying to achieve. The gating of these games is mostly player knowledge rather than lock-and-key or storyline, like how the critical path of Myst can be achieved in under 2 minutes and the rest of the game is learning what that critical path is. They're the sort of games where you need notes to keep track of the scraps of information from all over the game world that you need to pull together.

Maybe someone else familiar with both and how they're similar can elucidate further.

[Cespenar]

I have played both, though I couldn't get far into Myst back when I first tried it.

That said, the Myst-based requirements remove almost every game out of the list, and Fez itself as well. My example, Legend of Grimrock 2, is closer to Fez in that regard.

Also, Knytt Underground, or another Nifflas game might be to your tastes as well.

[Ogremindes]

Um... I guess what I'm looking for is an open world puzzle game where the game is working out how everything works. Myst games are that, Fez is that once you get deep in, Antichamber is another I can think of. All are very different games, but all of them focus on exploration and player discovery. All of them use a mix of discrete and open-ended puzzles.

It's hard to describe, made harder due to the mode of interaction not being a factor. I mean, I could say "Myst like", but that more conjures the slideshow presentation that the style of puzzling. But maybe that's just what I should say: A Myst(series)-style game, in the sense of the types of puzzles presented and scope of the world, and not nessisarily in the sense of a first-person slideshow game.

[factotum]

The only game I can think of that's even close to this, and it's not really all that close, is Puzzle Agent. This is essentially a point-and-click, but instead of inventory puzzles it has actual puzzles you have to solve to advance the plot in each location. It's a long way from the Myst look and feel, though.

[gomipile]

Portal and Portal 2 both have the sort of feel I imagine when I read your post. They're not open world, though.

Hmmm. Open world Portal 3 sounds mighty tasty.

[Ogremindes]

The only game I can think of that's even close to this, and it's not really all that close, is Puzzle Agent. This is essentially a point-and-click, but instead of inventory puzzles it has actual puzzles you have to solve to advance the plot in each location. It's a long way from the Myst look and feel, though.

The puzzle agent games are good, but a long, long way away what I'm looking for.


Portal and Portal 2 both have the sort of feel I imagine when I read your post. They're not open world, though.

Hmmm. Open world Portal 3 sounds mighty tasty.

Portal did scratch that itch a little, but sadly I know too much about 2 for it to do the same for me. It's that sense of exploration and discovery I'm looking for, along with satisfying puzzles that tie into that.

[Brother Oni]

Antichamber maybe?

There's also The Talos Principle, but I believe it may be too linear for your requirements with a 'solve this puzzle room to progress' style advancement.

[Ogremindes]

Antichamber maybe?

There's also The Talos Principle, but I believe it may be too linear for your requirements with a 'solve this puzzle room to progress' style advancement.

Antichamber does fit! But I played it before and mentioned it above. As for Talos, well, my PC wallpaper is the robot holding a cat. I do need to play Road to Gehenna at some point, but it's not what I'm feeling now.

[Ogremindes]

Well, I think what I'll do is start playing the Myst games. I've played most of them some, but I think I never got into the meat of any of them. I've also ordered a nice unruled notebook for my notes, and I kinda want to make my "Myst Journal" nice, pulling out old coloured pencils and a set square for my diagrams.

[Wookieetank]

Kairo should be a good fit for what you're looking for. It's kind of a mix of Myst and Antichamber. There's also NaissanceE, but I haven't played it myself (yet), it does look along the same lines though.

Edit: Looking through steam it seems Rememoried, FRACT OSC, and Mind: Path to Thalamus are of a similar vein as well (and now my steam wishlist is 3 games longer XD)
I also just remembered Miasmata, its more of an exploration game with some survival elements, but its full of mysteries and puzzles (and I need to get back to finishing it one of these days).

[gomipile]

I just found out about a game coming out on Steam this January called "The Witness" which claims to be exactly what the OP asked for. It's supposedly a modern open world game with a focus on exploration and puzzle solving, set on a mysterious island.

[factotum]

You know, it's just occurred to me--would Amnesia: The Dark Descent fit the bill? It's a bit on the linear side, maybe, but it's pretty much all about solving puzzles and piecing together the story of what happened in the castle you find yourself in.