The 10 Best Puzzle Games of 2023
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- 2023 was the best year for puzzle games in a long time! If you're a puzzle newbie or seasoned veteran, there's a game in this list I guarantee you'd love. These are my top 10 puzzle games, ranked by how happy they made me.
Written and directed by: Tyler
Edited by: Ben Ranger and Dan White
Thumbnail by: Ben Ranger
#aliensrock #puzzle #puzzlegame
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I hope you all enjoy! This video is a blend of jokes and opinions, and if you want to learn even more about the games before buying them, I'd recommend checking out my playthroughs down below. If you played the games already, these playthroughs should be a fun watch!
#10: th-cam.com/video/O4kOC6Ih0CA/w-d-xo.html
#9: th-cam.com/video/nt8HZYA7el0/w-d-xo.html
#8: th-cam.com/video/fplNlBrm6JU/w-d-xo.html
#7: th-cam.com/video/1GxeqAeY2ak/w-d-xo.html
#6: th-cam.com/video/a13sm4tX3NU/w-d-xo.html
#5: th-cam.com/video/0VBo2RmKoxc/w-d-xo.html
#4: th-cam.com/video/veVtoq3bZ8M/w-d-xo.html
#3: th-cam.com/video/_rmPOfqp4hs/w-d-xo.html
#2: th-cam.com/video/O_g2zO9CW1Y/w-d-xo.html
#1: th-cam.com/video/o5vQzOlVG7E/w-d-xo.html
EXTRAS:
th-cam.com/users/liverlvdGwT7HCo
th-cam.com/video/QkiGv59KKGQ/w-d-xo.html
tyler!
Honestly your usual style of humor doesnt work as well for scripted videos
This video is so good! Had a great time watching it.
Tunic was a lot of fun when I played it and the final puzzle was a lot of fun
@@PotofGlue Couldn't agree less, i loved the humor on this one
Heya, Bunburrows dev here 🐇 Thank you so much for this, we're insanely proud of bunburrows and heck we're glad it resonated with so many people!
Also dropping to say this: the grind being too grindy is probably the top 1 feedback we got and hearing you say it finally did the job of convincing me lol On top of adding hints and missing babies help system, we'll probably lower that one requirement so everyone can enjoy the new update when it drops!
However do not expect to be free of The Grind™️ just yet, there's still so so many more baby bunnies on the way~
Was Bunburrows always planned to be an insane meta-puzzle game, Or did it start out as a simple bunny-chasing game and accidentally gained sentience?
I really love Paquerette Down the Bunburrows. Like, a lot. Like, a whole lot. You have no idea. I love it so much that it is inexplicable, and I'm ninety-nine percent sure that I have an unhealthy obsession. I will never get tired of listening that sweet, angelic soundtrack of it. It is my life goal to 100% the game.
I fall asleep at night dreaming of playing the game, and that the bunnies would be so tired that they come and cuddle up to me while we sleep together. If I could just hold the bunnies for a brief moment, I could die happy. If given the opportunity, I would lightly nibble on their cute long ears just to hear what kind of sweet squeaks they would let out. Then, I would hug them while they cling to my body hoping that I would give them carrots, but I only continue to catch them in my traps.
I would give up almost anything just for Paquerrete to look in my general direction. No matter what I do, I am constantly thinking of her. When I wake up, she is the first thing on my mind. When I go to school, I can only focus on her. When I go come home, I go on the computer so that I can watch and learn how to catch bunnies that escaped to endlessly deep and convoluted caverns. When I go to sleep, I dream of her and I catching bunnies together. The game is my pride, passion, and joy. If she were to call me to help her hunt down and breed the last few bunnies, I would probably get diabetes from the sweetness of the little kitties (baby bunnies) and die.
I wish for nothing but your happiness. If it were for Paquerette Down the Bunburrows, I would give my life without any second thoughts. Without it, my life would serve no purpose. I really love Paquerette Down the Bunburrows.
I think you should actually make ×%
i never thought i will get addicted to a game about bunholes
You are awesome keep the good work
@Lenophie I think the worst part of the grind is not about not knowing what to do, but to do the same puzzle over and over again just to be able to follow a different path. Like you added the auto-solve thing, maybe you can add an auto-solve for stacking bunnys you already stacked before.
we are so back
We are soooooo back
We are sooooooo back
It's not Joever, we're so Barrack
We are sooooooooooo back
We are quite back 🧐
“Tyler and most of his editors do not endorse crack” Alright fess up. Who’s the one endorsing crack
👉👈
It's the one dentist out of ten
The guy at the end clearly 19:52
I'm not one of his editors, but I also endorse
@@BenBenRanger ITS HIM
Terra Nil actually being a puzzle game make so much sense looking back at it.
Goes to show how much impact properly understanding what your game is, and marketing it correctly, can have on a game's success.
I still wouldn't see Terra Nil as a puzzle game. More of a meditative game. It's too open ended to have any dominant solutions as a traditional puzzle and lacks the interconnected systems needed to be in the problem variety.
tyler has been a known closeted memer in his videos before, but it's only really here in this video essay where we get to see his true sense of humor and meme taste. I never knew he was a level 7 memelord until now and it's such a unique and different take on his usual video style. I love it
Hell yeah, thought it'd be fun to let everyone know I've got the shitpost gene
@@Aliensrock "Shitpost gene" 😭
@@AliensrockNow I understand why you’re apart of Puzzleholes Anonymous
Uses the nickname dildo bike ffs lol
Back when I watched him stream bloons I knew he was a shitposter so seeing this was a hit of nostalgia from his old content
You were NOT joking about you guys going all in on editing. (I am only 20 seconds into the video and can still tell)
Just by the intro alone, i can tell that the editors but a lot of effort into this video, can't wait to see it all
At first I was curious why Patrick’s parabox was only a mention and then I looked up it came out in 2022, man last year was a blur.
I'd like to thank Tyler for keeping my interest in the puzzle game genre going. So much so that I finally pushed myself to finish Infinifactory and TIS-100 after he started playing the former on Patreon. I only asked for help in TIS a single time, which, given how crazy difficult that game is, I would say is impressive. He's introduced me to so many good games that I might never have known about otherwise.
can of wormholes is the ultimate puzzle game in the world. I especially love that "what the fuck I could have done that the whole time???" moment near the end of the series
I'm glad you liked it!
@@muntedfinger You've knocked it out of the park, people may make better games but that one moment is truly unbeatable. What puzzles did you take as inspiration for can of wormholes I wonder?
@@ThatNerdGuy0 Stephen’s Sausage Roll was the primary inspiration - I strongly recommend it!
0:00 Finally, after several years, Aliensrock finally has a pilot episode.
2:12 Come on, strike me down, Zeus! You don't have the- **dies** Numbah noine. Numbah noine. Numbah noine.
9:47 Hopium.
19:52 Anyone want some crack?
finally finally indeed
First thing i thought of when starting to watch the video was the "Can of wormholes". Literally that was the most fun series to watch in a long time and i agree a lot with it being on top 1. Thanks tyler for your content.
-someone with a pc bad enough to not be able to play puzzle games
real
Wow, i knew your videos would be better after the break but I didn't expect such a jump in quality! It's good to see you back
Void stranger was probably my favourite puzzle game of last year, i understand how the meta stuff not being immediately obvious could put someone off though.
The problem with Void Stranger is largely that it doesn't respect the player's time, and doesn't care at all if the player does the exact same floors multiple times. Even after discovering the meta stuff, you'll still be seeing the same floors and repeating the same motions again and again. The developers really should've examined the floors they created and scrapped the boring ones. I think this game is a testament as to why other Sokoban-type games like Eggerland and Little Magic are just levels you complete once and that's it. Hopefully the developers of Void Stranger learn this lesson, and try a different sort of game genre that's more complementary for what they were going for.
meta stuff should never be obvious, that's not the problem. the problem is you need a zen-like amount of patience to really get to the good stuff.
Watching Tyler appear on my home screen again legitimately brought me joy.
At this point it’s so weird that Can of Wormholes has only been out a year. It’s been engrained in my brain so hard as a legendary puzzle game that it feels like it’s always been there
Well that just means the devs made a very good game
Edit: apparently it was one dev, amazing
Same lmao
@@BaconNuke DEV singular. absolutely insanely, can of wormholes was made by 1 australian dude as his first game.
@@mothy4310 WHAT?! One dev's *first* game?! Damn that is impressive
I love the effort, I love the top 10 choices and mostly agree with their placement on this list (mostly), even my joke-o-meter is screeching from how stacked this video is with well edited and thought out jokes! If this is the beginning, then gosh darn it all we're in for one heck of a year!
Nice to have you back, Tyler! And the editing team, of course. Banger video
This is an excellent way to kick off this new era of Tyler & Co. Engaging, thoughtful, funny, informative, creatively-edited, well written-this is incredible!
Haven’t watched the video yet but I can’t wait to watch a nice, peaceful puzzle game tier list without any innuendos or references to segregation!
Tyler can be so predictable sometimes...
i knew from the start can of wormholes would be #1. i rewatch that series on the regular, the way it guides players through new understandings and ah-ha moments is unmatched
Nice list, I've played most of the games on the list and completely agree!! The only thing I would change is that mosa lina was one of my favorite puzzle games of 2023
Such a refreshing video essay Tyler, i loved the jokes and your insights on the games + the editing is what we are used to from your videos but enhanced for video essay.
Just i want to critique something that i hope will help you since this is your first video, it's that you're clearly reading from a script xD and tbh you can't escape doing that the first time and it needs time to get used to it. I felt more connected to your jokes and game discussions in your regular videos since you let your personality shine there and speak from your heart which you can't put on a script. But i know you can nail this for the next video essay since you're one of the few youtubers who constantly work on improving themselves and not just repeat what works.
So good to see you back, no wonder it took so long to make this video, it is amazing. I love watching your channel grow and you are definitely my favorite TH-camr. I am so excited to see more videos from you and I am so happy you seem refreshed and ready to make more content. I hope you have a wonderful day because you deserve it.
yeah this list seems pretty much perfectly accurate for me. Can of Wormholes was so good that I was paying attention to the pattern of uploads so I could watch it as soon as the next video came out. My only complaint is that it ended
For me, Talos Principle 2 was my GOTY. I'm a sucker for environmental puzzle design, so I loved playing this. Chants of Sennaar, Can of Wormholes and Paquerette down the Bunburrows I also adored due to their wonderful puzzle designs, amazing mechanics and moments of inspiration.
Also my shout-out from 2022 is Rethink 4. I love this series and I really enjoyed the step-up from the previous games. I would recommend this game to anyone who likes the idea of solving laser puzzles in 3D environments.
I already know the number 1 is either can of wormholes or the bunny thing, i watch every single episode of the puzzle, and i love it
Such an awesome first video after the break! So much effort! Thank you!!
Video essays have always been one of my favourite video forms, and having them come from my favourite TH-camr is just sick.
Great video! Really enjoyed your perspectives and watching these throughout the year, even though my preferences are different (which you highlighted fairly). For example, 4 of these games are what I'd call "box pushers", which for me lose my interest after a couple levels. I was fortunate to play Talos 2 on a huge curved monitor, and some of the landscapes had me in awe of what they'd built, while the story kept me hooked. Anyway, thanks for this - a couple on here I'll need to check out!
9:19 the clip of the people walking in that game with the gold statue named goldy whose name i forget fits that line so perfectly
Humanity! Yeah, the clip choice and editing in this is top notch.
This was such a good video, I absolutely loved it
This is by far the best Top 10 video I’ve ever seen, hands down.
this video is absolutely phenomenal, kept me engaged throughout the whole tihng
editing was extremely good
Man I forgot how much I missed these. Welcome back my man
great video! 2023 was definitely a stacked year for puzzle games, and ive been enjoying your playthroughs of them a lot. here's to a good 2024!
Number nine being announced to Revolution 9 got a big pop out of me. You are truly the greatest to ever do it
Void Stranger is a strange one. It's full of "holy shit" mind blowing moments but it doesn't advertise itself.
You have to dig for them and solve mysteries you didn't even know were there at first.
It is grind, but holy crap it delivers and in such an unique way
I'm a big fan of Void Stranger. Takes about 30hrs for the Stockholm Syndrome to kick in and you realize it's less puzzle and more meta narrative.
Beside that, great to have you back. I'd like some of that crac... I mean Islands of Insight if you have any more.
I disagree on that. I see it as a puzzle game with two layers. Each level is its own puzzle, but the game's overarching mechanics add an unexpected depth to it.
I played 20 hours and disliked literally every thing about it
@@acblook why on earth did you play longer than 3? If you hated it you should have given up. No point torturing yourself.
@@csidesummit had a bunch of friends who kept telling me it gets super crazy good eventually and it's all about taking notes and deducing a grand mystery of an interesting world
I basically thought it was going to turn into a completely different game but when I finished everything in act 1 and then it restarted and act 2 was the exact same thing except all the puzzles are worse i gave up on it
@@csidesummit had a bunch of friends who kept telling me it gets really good after a while and that it turns into like a grand mystery and it never did
The Arbys nearly made me spit out my coffee lmao
video essays are my favorite thing to watch on youtube, i hope that you will make more of these
damn these aliens really do rock (glad to have been here for these puzzles and i can’t wait for what’s yet to come on this channel)
I think what hooked me most on Tyler is Can of Wormholes so I'm so glad it's first on the list. After the end of the series I had a semi depression where I was just so bored of everything I watched wanting more Can of Wormholes
I am so happy that Tyler is back.
Love the videos and this Tierlist was amazing. Couldn't agree with you more
I hope tyler would make it less obvious he's reading from a script in future essays. Its really eerie ngl
Yeah that's something I only realized after recording most the lines. Lesson learned, should be better for the next go at it!
omg you played tunic holy shit
I wish we could've seen your playthrough but I understand why not. very glad that you played it at all and hearing it was your number one game of 2022 is so cool, it's possibly my favorite game of all time
“A puzzle is meant to be fun only once”
As someone who forgets how they solved puzzles a year later, puzzle games have a lot of replayability for me. Still fun to solve multiple times!
You can make a tier list of puzzle games based on the difficulty, so begginers can progress from easier to harder
Also great video, very funny, good to have you back 👌
Nice list, I'll have to check out some of these games, several games I haven't heard of and one I have spent many hours with.
Hello Tyler. This video was worth the wait. Amazing editing as well!
Can of wormholes was the game that got me interested in this channel. I could not wait even the day you uploaded a different game. I am so happy it is on the number one spot. I even stayed up untill 11 to watch it as soon as the episodes came out.
can't wait how 2024 develops. Islands of Insight came out the same time you uploaded so I'm watching this while its downloading. Also, you've been a big reason why I started getting into puzzle games.
Can't wait for the following videos this week, with Islands of Insight dropping a few hours ago.
Very good list.
And the "tyler takes 1 break and becomes an expert" bit was golden.
back with a banger like this as his first vid back is crazy
I loved the Hugbeez-esque humor combined with great opinions and explanations of the games! I would love to see you do videos like this every year. together with with one for upcoming games in a year. Your scripted humor really is great
I’m currently playing through The Witness and I am enjoying it greatly. I am actually likely going to finish it unlike Baba is You, Patrick’s Parabox, and The Talos Principle. Getting stuck on a puzzle feels less frustrating.
N step steve is by far my favorite. I have also been having an incredible time building mini worlds for my friends in the level editor after beating the three games
Ok. I am in utter awe of the effort put into this video. The team should be proud.
Suprised Chants of Sennar wasn't higher. And I'm surprised Cocoon is so high - it was visually stunning, but it was more of a walking simulator than a puzzle game. Can of Wormholes was the obvious number 1, probably the best puzzle game since Baba is You.
He mentioned that cocoon was a game that he didn't like like, but maybe you would
I loved Void Stranger. I just could not stop playing it.
About damn time. Welcome back!
WOOOO Aliensrock video essay!! I'm so excited! Welcome back Tyler!
I was so surprised by Chants of Sennaar, I really expected the ending to blast it off into the void as one of the worst puzzle games. (I'm really glad you included N-step Steve tho it was one of my favorites)
Sad to see Void Stranger dropped at < 10% completion and damned with such faint praise. It's got a very Paquerette-style execution, and IMO its puzzles and layers shine just as bright, well worth the larger amount of repetition. The game's atmosphere is unrivaled too. Ah well. Lower lows aren't worth the higher highs for everyone I suppose.
Seriously amazing video Tyler!
LMAO the end is so valid, Islands of Insight is like 95% dopamine
Somehow straight-up guessed the top 1 LOL
Great video incredible work
Tunic is such a good game glad you mentioned it here
did he ever stream it/make videos?
Surprised that Magicube was so low. In the videos on it, to me it seemed like you enjoyed it more than the ranking would show. It also surprises me how high you had Chants of Sennaar, given how much you justifiably critiqued the last parts. Otherwise, the rest seem about right. I do wonder how the rest of your favorites would do against the top ones here.
For Magicube, it was simply a little too dry in a couple ways. A lot of the a-ha moments were more subtle and not fully unique to this game, especially when contrasted to a game like Can of Wormholes.
For Sennaar, if the final world was exactly like the first four and they didn't do the Exile thing, it would've been a 10/10 and quite likely #1 on my list. I enjoyed the first four worlds that much.
TYLER IS BACK! This is the best Valentine's day of my life and I'm single!
First off I love this sort of content and would love to see it from you on occasion. This was a great look back on many of the same games I love from last year. I have one thing with the video that diminish my enjoyment a bit. It was distracting as you frequently had to look down to what I assume was read a script. This eye movement frequently pulled me out of the enjoyment of the video. I know some people use teleporters to tackle this problem. Alternatively others just don't show their face much at all allowing them to delivering a verbal performance. I hope you take this a minor critique to a wonderful video. Thank you for all the fun videos last year, and I can't wait to see all you do next.
God damn your editing is crazy
To whoever put the Revolution 9 edit in there, it do not go unnoticed!
thanks for the mention!
really glad you didn't hold back :))
damn great video! the joke/minute ratio is a bit high but all the other things are just what I like to hear from a reviewer. looking forward to more!
You are a gem of a human being and a gem of a content creator
I loved Can't Live Without Electricity. Thanks for including it on the list.
Tyler this was an amazing video. ive been excited about this since you first mentioned wanting to make a puzzle game video essay. i do have one note, and this is coming from someone who has watched tens of thousands of hours of youtube videos and many of them were video essays so i hope you take this as constructive criticism. I think it was distracting whenever we see your eyes shoot back and forth to the scrip and camera. it would be best if your were clearly looking straight in camera OR off to the side. it doesnt matter which. as humans were are very good at noticing peoples eyes and that tiny amount of inconsistent movement can be distracting from what your saying. but seriously the fact that the first one is this good makes me super excited for all your future video essays about puzzle games. also goat editors of course.
but also maybe im just crazy and its not a problem at all.
Tyler hasn't been able to make innuendos for over a month. I can't say I'm surprised the video turned out the way it did.
Day 1225 of telling Tyler that he never finished his minecraft series and that he should finish it.
We are so back bois
Day 1185 of agreeing
wooooo yeaaaa
Me when I can't partake in puzzle solving when operating heavy machinery:
For a moment I was really sad because Islands of Insight didn't make it on then I remembered that it technically came out today.
18:42 huniepop is a puzzle game confirmed, you heard it here first bois, the big man said so himself
Now do a tierlist.
Personally, Bunburrows is my top 1 puzzle game for 2023. Probably because I stopped before the grind so I don't have any negative feedback and really enjoyed the game mechanic. It is also the only game I purchased from Taylor top 10 lists (Although I did watch them all and enjoy almost all of them)
I’m glad you mentioned mosa lina even though you didn’t like it. It’s very fun
the moment tyler got to top 2 while still having *SPOILER*
Poply bridge, n step steve, and can of wormhole make me go hold up.... did he forget one of 'em?
Mustache Tyler is something I didn’t realize I needed.
Tyler turning into a DILF-esque in 2024 is totally NOT on my 2024 bingo card but here we are
It's unfortunate you didn't care for Void Stranger, but, yeah, I get it. Game definitely doesn't put its best (or most difficult) foot forward, and even if there's an intentional design and narrative reason behind it, "It gets good after 260 levels, trust me, bro" is a tough sales pitch.
Please give Void Stranger more of a try the puzzles and meta puzzles do get much harder if you stick with it, but the main reason to play is the great story and lore.
Great vid, would love to see one of these for roguelikes!
This was awesome! Very much enjoyed! Here's to 2024
Im very glad Void Stranger got a (dis)honorable mention here. Its something that upon playing I knew you would absolutely not enjoy, but for those who can enjoy the semi-sokoban main gameplay and who are willing to note down *every detail* you come across, it is a golden game with so much depth and meta twists. Take no mechanic at face value and look for all the secrets, if you do play. Absolutely not a game for everyone, but it has many of those "Aha" and "I could have done that the whole time?" moments. I will say it has...not drawbacks, exactly, as these are intentional design choices that add to the experience, but would absolutely make it less enjoyable to plenty of those who would try it. You will have moments where you lose plenty of "progress", the puzzles will get exceptionally hard and taking too many tries is punished, if you dont question the right details you may miss out on progression, and finding *what* to do next can be very difficult after beating the obvious track of puzzles.
Very good video overall, and thank you for an excuse to ramble about this game.
How long have you been playing puzzlers ? I am asking because this list has some games that are really good but this thing that 2023 was one of the best years for puzzlers is just hype. I don't know, maybe I played too many over the last decade or so. I played demos for Mosa Lina, Viewfinder and some others and I wasn't over the moon on any of them. Oh I did like the bunny game and I just started Magicube....now that is a real puzzler I can get behind. I don't like tech demos like Viewfinder, Superliminal.Manifold Garden etc and these Dorfromantiklikes are also a new thing I can't get behind. I am playing an older game called Parcel so maybe check that one out. Cheers ! BTW Check out the demo for a game called Ligo, great stuff.
Some games I'd love to see are contrast, Ib, and Mad Father
Happy to see Void Strangers get a call out! It's a great game, but I agree that it can get a bit tedious at times (especially at the beginning).
I'm glad he at least checked it out. game takes a heavy investment but it's worth it
The editing on this is fire
I understand this is a new type of video for you and your team, so if I may offer a little constructive criticism as a long time viewer...
First off, I did enjoy the video overall. I think this video essay format is absolutely something you can do, and you didn't even need a British accent! But there were a few things that needed ironing out, particularly in the first half. The first of two things I think it suffered from is a bit of over editing. Your editors have been doing a stellar job throughout 2023, but when the edits start to become the main focus of the video it begins to feel like someone is jangling keys in my face. I do get that puzzle games aren't exactly the most action packed thing that anyone can watch and be entertained, but I wouldn't have been opposed to some of that editing work being used to maybe show more clear examples of the games mechanics.
The second issue I had was an overabundance of s*x and substance jokes. I get that this is probably falling on deaf ears when your steam username is literally "d*ldo bike", but these sorts of jokes are funny when inserted into situations that you aren't expecting them to be, and that requires a level of restraint. When that restraint isn't used, it quickly becomes obnoxious, and you came dangerously close to that in the beginning. That's not to say there weren't good jokes, the segregation joke ironically fit in quite naturally, but when used too much it feels forced and can even make you seem less credible.
Overall though, I did like the video, and your top 5 especially was done very well. I look forward to seeing other videos of this type in the future!