Best Games That Make You Feel Really, Really Smart

Video games are uniquely capable of evoking powerful emotions because they put players directly in control. Unlike books or movies, where you simply observe a story, games let your own actions drive the experience and determine what happens next, creating a much more personal and impactful feeling.

Puzzle games are often really rewarding because they make you think and problem-solve. The most successful ones are easy to learn but offer a lot of complexity, giving players a great sense of achievement as they overcome challenging puzzles.

Portal 2

The Poster Child Of Ingenious Puzzle Design

Portal 2 is a truly exceptional video game that once again showcases Valve’s incredible talent. It builds on the core idea of using portals to travel between areas, adding new features like surfaces that can either speed you up or let you bounce, making the gameplay even more engaging.

Both the single-player and co-op modes are really fun. The puzzles are cleverly designed, so they’re challenging without being overly frustrating, and solving them feels very rewarding.

Outer Wilds

Exploration Leads To Players Acquiring The Knowledge They Need To Solve The Game’s Underlying Mystery

Outer Wilds is a lovingly crafted game that proves puzzle games can be deeply moving. While the 22-minute time loop might initially feel challenging, it actually encourages players to explore at their own pace and pursue different avenues when they hit a dead end.

This game heavily focuses on exploration; simply moving around the world provides players with the clues needed to solve puzzles. The game’s pacing is excellent, making players feel clever when they figure things out – especially during a key moment that fans of the original game will recognize.

Blue Prince

Even With Some Frustrating RNG, Players Will Feel Very Smart As Their Conclusions Turn Out To Be True

Roguelike games are now incredibly popular, and we’re starting to see them blended with puzzle games. *Blue Prince* is a perfect example of how well this combination can work. While random elements can sometimes be frustrating when you’re trying to solve a specific puzzle, most of the game relies on learning from each attempt and naturally figuring things out as you go.

The game heavily relies on logical deduction, which players will find incredibly satisfying. Successfully solving puzzles and uncovering clues feels rewarding, and it minimizes frustration with random chance. As players piece things together using their intelligence, they get closer to unlocking the mysterious Room 46.

Baba Is You

Players Must Manipulate Statements To Find Ingenious Solutions To Puzzles

Baba Is You is a puzzle game built around a really clever concept: changing the rules of the game itself. Players don’t just move pieces around – they alter how everything works, including what they can control and how different parts of the puzzle interact.

It’s clear why the clever puzzles in *Baba Is You* are so rewarding. While the game gets quite challenging, especially in later levels, players will feel a great sense of accomplishment when they finally discover how to solve each puzzle. The game is well-designed and consistently offers satisfying breakthroughs.

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Manipulating Game Mechanics And Solving Shrine Puzzles Feels Great

Okay, so both *Breath of the Wild* and *Tears of the Kingdom* are amazing because everything in the game just *works* together. You can totally play them normally and follow the path they lay out for you, but if you’re like me, you can also mess around with the systems and find crazy ways to do things your own way. It’s super satisfying when a weird plan actually works!

This applies to how you explore the world, solve puzzles, and fight enemies – the three main parts of the latest *Zelda* games. *Tears of the Kingdom* is especially open-ended thanks to its special abilities, allowing players to come up with creative and often surprising solutions to challenging problems.

Return Of The Obra Dinn

One Of The Most Ingenious Mystery Games Ever Made

Return of the Obra Dinn is a fantastic game that really showcases the talent of Lucas Pope. It’s a clever detective game where you investigate the fate of the crew on a ghost ship that’s been found adrift.

Players investigate the identities of a ship’s crew and the circumstances of their deaths, creating a surprisingly captivating experience. The satisfaction of piecing together the crew’s stories and figuring out how they died is incredibly rewarding, making Return of the Obra Dinn a brilliant example of video game design.

Catherine

A Hard Yet Rewarding Puzzle Game

Atlus is famous for creating long, story-rich Japanese role-playing games, so it was unexpected when their first game built with a new engine turned out to be a puzzle game. In it, players solve puzzles by moving blocks to climb through the levels of a dreamlike nightmare.

While the gameplay feels a bit strange at first, *Catherine* is truly difficult and makes you really think to succeed. The standard levels are tough, but the boss fights are incredibly intense and will test your skills to the breaking point. You’ll likely fail many times, but finally beating them feels incredibly rewarding and makes you feel clever for figuring it out.

Void Stranger

This Sokoban Puzzle Game Is Frustrating And Satisfying In Equal Measure

Sokoban-style puzzle games look simple, but they can be surprisingly challenging and really make you think. *Void Stranger* is one of these games, and it features a compelling story that unfolds as you solve its difficult puzzles and advance.

Okay, so the levels can be seriously tough, especially because you *have* to stay ‘Unvoided’ to actually get anywhere in the story. But honestly, once you start figuring out the really tricky puzzles – and it *does* make you think – you unlock all these awesome abilities. We’re talking flying, new attacks, and all sorts of things that make those puzzle levels way more manageable. It makes doing an ‘Unvoided Run’ a lot less intimidating than I thought it would be, actually!

2025-09-29 03:07