Disenchanting Puzzle Games

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tentive.</li><li>The slow pace and simplicity of the games makes you just want to race it to the end since the levels are so mundane.</li></ul><h2 id="b018">My thoughts on LEGO Builders Journey</h2><figure id="c8be"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*WduPu0PATBFYP5li.jpg"><figcaption>Title screen of Lego Builders Journey</figcaption></figure><p id="31a7">Don’t get me wrong but the visuals are great and it really has a nostalgic feeling to it, but here are some points I would have liked differently:</p><ul><li>The level design was again too <b>easy </b>and made me <b>rush </b>through the game since it often was the same procedure to get through a level.</li><li>I think it is a missed opportunity to not use harder puzzles like in other Lego games.</li><li>You even get all steam achievements by just completing the story, which takes all the joy away of trying hard to get them.</li></ul><blockquote id="79e8"><p>Still I would greatly recommend the two games to try for yourself.</p></blockquote><p id="8ced">If you know any great puzzle games, please share them as a comment and leave some claps if stories about games are at the right place on medium.</p><p id="1916">Consider following ;)</p><p id="e5d9">Links to both games:</p><div id="4db5" class="link-block"> <a h

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ref="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1544360/LEGO_Builders_Journey/"> <div> <div> <h2>LEGO® Builder's Journey on Steam</h2> <div><h3>LEGO Builder's Journey is an atmospheric, geometric puzzle game that asks us to sometimes follow the instructions…</h3></div> <div><p>store.steampowered.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*aFXanQrDYOKHl0ZP)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="80b9" class="link-block"> <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927740/Monument_Valley_2_Panoramic_Edition/"> <div> <div> <h2>Monument Valley 2: Panoramic Edition on Steam</h2> <div><h3>Discover illusionary pathways and delightful puzzles as you learn the secrets of The Sacred Geometry. Follow the heart…</h3></div> <div><p>store.steampowered.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*9ROjll9X0bBWLjss)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Why aren’t there tricky puzzle games anymore with multiple ways of completing them and challenging complexities, but a lot of “relaxing” games?

I recently played through the successor of the popular game Monument Valley and Lego Builders Journey. Both of them seemed to have ended abruptly and didn’t really make use of their great basis and possibility to create challenging puzzle levels.

Instead of the riddles to spend some good brainpower on they were just simple click here, click there and swipe over here again levels which could be solved in no time without even thinking twice.

Now of course these games are also meant to be relaxing, displaying beautiful scenery and not really trying to be that riddle that keeps you awake in the evening. In our online interconnected and stressed world such game concepts might sound nice.

But.

I don’t see games as relaxing in general because of these points:

Everything that you do by watching into a screen, be it a phone, monitor or tv, gets you automatically attentive and doesn’t really slow you down.

A game is interactive it makes you do stuff and also stay attentive.

The slow pace and simplicity of the games makes you just want to race it to the end since the levels are so mundane.

My thoughts on LEGO Builders Journey

Title screen of Lego Builders Journey

Don’t get me wrong but the visuals are great and it really has a nostalgic feeling to it, but here are some points I would have liked differently:

The level design was again too easy and made me rush through the game since it often was the same procedure to get through a level.

I think it is a missed opportunity to not use harder puzzles like in other Lego games.

You even get all steam achievements by just completing the story, which takes all the joy away of trying hard to get them.

Still I would greatly recommend the two games to try for yourself.

If you know any great puzzle games, please share them as a comment and leave some claps if stories about games are at the right place on medium.

Consider following ;)

Links to both games: