The most interesting puzzle games released in 2015
All the best and most popular games of the year, upcoming releases, and hits from the past. Use filters to narrow down search.
Hero Emblems
Puzzle
January 7, 2015
A successful combination of an RPG and a match-three puzzler - Hero Emblems is a game set in a fantastical world facing destruction. It can be saved by only four daredevils, who continue the legacy of old heroes, maintaining the peace and order all over the world. They have to use the force locked in four magic artifacts in order to stop the god of evil returning life. In Hero Emblems, the player has to fight groups of opponents and powerful bosses. Combat is turn-based and performing an action – e.g. launching an attack, activating defensive techniques, selecting a special ability, and healing others – is possible after joining a group of same objects set on the board composed of 56 fields. The enemies are very diversified and unique, making the gameplay entertaining. In between the battles, one can explore the in-game world, interact with NPCs, and develop their characters.
Khaba
Puzzle
January 12, 2015
A logic adventure game, in which the player travels through the dark corridors of pharaoh Khaba’s pyramid, who ruled in Egypt in 27 BC. The player assumes the role of Michael, a traveler and treasure seeker who becomes imprisoned in the ancient construction. His only chance for survival lies in a small ray of light that helps him in traveling through the corridors and chambers of the pyramid. He solves puzzles and discovers the story of the pharaoh and of his own past. The campaign is divided into 28 missions with gradually increasing difficulty level. The main mechanic used while traveling through the pyramid is reflecting the light from selected objects like mirrors and prisms. The action is presented by using a top-down perspective and the gameplay is intertwined with cutscenes that explain the story. It is worth mentioning that the title features several alternative endings that make it an interesting challenge for all fans of puzzles.
Shadowmatic
Puzzle
January 14, 2015
An unusual logic puzzle production by Triada, resembling the popular shadow play children's game. In Shadowmatic, your task is to solve over 70 increasingly difficult puzzles. The puzzles involve manipulating objects that cast shadows on a nearby wall so that they'll assume a given shape (e.g. an animal or a household object). The task becomes increasingly complicated, since you have to rotate objects consisting of several parts each. If you have trouble, you can ask for hints or try a different challenge, as the campaign is non-linear and allows you to reach your goal in various ways. The game features well-made, artistic 3D visuals.
HOOK
Puzzle
January 19, 2015
A two-dimensional logic game developed by Polish studio Rainbow Train. The title features minimalistic visuals and gameplay mechanics. The latter focuses on unraveling twines with hooks at their ends. The presence of hooks forces the players to unravel the lines in the right order and to use various switches that change the situation on the map (they can either make the task easier or much more complicated). The developers, Maciej Targoni and Wojciech Wasiak, created 50 challenges with gradually increasing difficulty. Completing the game takes 1-2 hours.
8bitMMO
Puzzle
January 27, 2015
An unusual MMO game that offers players a lot of options in creating a virtual world. The game was developed by an indie studio called Archive Entertainment, under the direction of Robby Zinchak, and it took 12 years to complete it. The game gives the players almost complete freedom. After creating our character only we can decide what we want to do and what will happen to us – those choices are not only regarding the content that was prepared by the developers. This is because the players can create their own missions, build castles, establish cities and design dungeons. They can also organize PvP and PvE arenas. What is more, the players can even flood the world with hordes of undead. To ensure that there won't be too much chaos on the maps, the game's servers have space for up to 250 people. Those maps were created using Google Maps technology. When it comes to graphics the developers took us back to 8-bit era.
Evolve: Hunters Quest
Puzzle
January 29, 2015
A logical match-3 game featuring elements typical for fighting games – Evolve: Hunters Quest, developed by 2K games is a production based on the free-to-play business model with optional microtransactions. The player gets to visit the world known from the popular shooter called Evolve. The plot of Hunters Quest goes in line with its original – a squad of futuristic hunters have to fight beasts inhabiting an alien planet, exept the gameplay mechanics are slightly different. During the missions (there are over 100 of them), the player fights the monsters on maps divided into 56 fields filled with multiple symbols representing attacks and both offensive and defensive actions. The player is tasked with connecting these symbols into groups of three or more. The results of one’s actions can be seen in the 3D preview of the battle. For each victory, the player is awarded a number of experience points that can be spent on developing the hunters and unlocking new abilities for them.
Bloop Reloaded
Puzzle
February 2, 2015
The game is a continuation to a challenging, though not very complex logic title developed by the independent studio 2SD. The player's goal is to lead an adequate amount of liquid to a test-tube, which is usually located in a place difficult to access. Platforms and walls the player draws are often insufficient to pour the liquid into the tube. In order to effectively complete this apparently simple task, the player needs to take advantage of interactive objects located on the map, such as spinning circles, gusts of wind or portals. At first glance, they seem to be no more than obstacles, but using them with creativity makes it easier for the player to achieve their goal. Over the course of 27 maps, the player will encounter other mechanics as well - for instance, liquids with different colors have to be mixed - such conditions diversify the experience and make it more challenging. The gameplay is complemented by a well-designed level editor.
Pokemon Shuffle
Puzzle
February 18, 2015
Pokemon Shuffle is a free-to-play match-3 game with optional microtransactions. We play as a pokemon trainer who duels wild pocket monsters. if we win, the pokemon we have defeated is added to our collection. Gameplay focuses on aligning three or more elements of the same kind into horizontal and vertical lines. We move small squares with pokemon icons around a small board. In order to attack, we have to align at least three pokemon icons of the same type (i.e. three Pikachus will create an electric attack). The more we use one pokemon, the stronger it gets. However, we have to remember we only have a limited number of moves to use in battle. If we use them all before winning, we automatically loose. Our enemies also have strengths and weaknesses, so it is advisable to plan ahead before battle.
A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build
Puzzle
February 25, 2015
A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build is an unusual logic game developed by the indie studio Draknek. As the title suggests, we will be building snowmen. We play as a monster that rolls balls of snow and sets them in the right order. Each snowman is made of three snowballs. The biggest one forms its base, the medium one works as its torso, and the smallest one is its head. Our task is not as easy as it may seem. There are many obstacles in our snowballs’ way. We have to maneuver them to avoid those obstacles, collect as much snow as possible to make our snowballs bigger, and put them in the right order. It has to be mentioned that we do not always build our snowmen from scratch. From time to time we will have to fix the already existing ones. The game has simple yet charming visuals.
Pneuma: Breath of Life
Puzzle
February 27, 2015
An FPP logic puzzle game with adventure elements, developed by two independent teams: Bevel Studios and Deco Digital. You play as the eponymous Pneuma, a deity, who observes the beginnings of the universe. Like in the other games in the genre, the gameplay focuses on exploration and solving puzzles, which require good orientation, analytic skills, and unorthodox thinking. In addition, Pneuma: Breath of Life features an internal monologue of the self-congratulatory protagonist. The visuals are high-quality, created with the Unreal Engine 4; the game features beautifully rendered locations with advanced visual effects, such as realistic lighting.
ScreamRide
Puzzle
March 3, 2015
A unique simulation game, in which you construct increasingly wacky rollercoasters, and then test them on thrill-seeking people. The game was created by Frontier Development, known for e.g. the latest installment in the Zoo Tycoon and the Thrillville and Rollercoaster Tycoon series. Unlike the latter one, ScreamRide does not feature an economic aspect, and your actions serve science and research on the limits of human beings. The gameplay focuses on completing a series of tasks, in which the key is the fear and scream level among the people riding your rollercoaster. You can also test your tracks yourself, by steering the rollercoaster in the arcade mode. The game features fully destructible environment and advanced physics, apparent in e.g. the spectacular results of your less successful experiments.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
Puzzle
March 5, 2015
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is a 2D logic platform game developed by Nintendo. The game uses the most famous characters from the company's cult games. In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars we have to make our way through a series of levels where reaching the destination requires us to be creative when facing the many obstacles on our way. Characters move by themselves and go in one direction all the time, changing it only when they bounce off the wall. Players will have to build bridges and blockades in order to lead their heroes from one place to another. The amount of points they get depends on how fast they do so. The game has minimalistic 2D visuals, but it comes with a level editor that allows us to create our own levels and share them with other players.
Standpoint
Puzzle
March 5, 2015
Standpoint is a first-person logic game developed by Unruly Attractions, inspired by the movement mechanics of Xenomorphs in Alien vs. Predator. In Standpoint, we will explore the game's location and solve logic puzzles and riddles using the aforementioned mechanics. Each surface can become the floor, and each obstacle can turn into a useful object if we just change the orientation of the scene in the right way. A mysterious narrator leads us around the rooms. As we progress, he will uncover new important facts about the compound which we are exploring and our role in the game's plot (the way it works here brings Valve's Portal to mind). The game uses Unity engine and has a rather mediocre visuals. Standpoint uses the cel-shading technology which gives the game a characteristic, comic book-like visual style.
Parallax
Puzzle
March 10, 2015
A first-person perspective logic game/platformer. Parallax offers 25 challenging levels that see us create a safe path through a set of intricate platforms consisting of various mechanisms and challenges. Each level has two parallel dimensions – black and white, both characterized by different rules and accessed through fixed portals. The player can manipulate most objects through numerous triggers that activate the often complex mechanisms, while some of the platforms defy the earthly physics or are connected through energy streams that are used as a means of traveling between the zones. All these elements comprise a title that requires thought as well as good reflexes. The game is characteristic for its monochromatic visuals.
Card Crawl
Puzzle
March 12, 2015
Card Crawl is a mobile fantasy card game developed by Arnold Rauers from the German studio Tinytouchables. The game takes us to a fantasy land where we take part in a card game against a mighty Minotaur who is our croupier, shuffling and dealing our cards. Card Crawl is a single player-only game. While we play, we see two rows of four cards. We will find our character, two item slots (weapon, shield, healing potion, etc.), and an additional slot for a card which we would like to use later in the lower card row. The upper row is made of Minotaur's cards: monsters we have to fight with, items, and spells. Our goal is to scrape through all 52 of Minotaur's cards without losing all of our health points. If we win, we get gold which then we can spend on new cards between the matches.
SwapQuest
Puzzle
March 19, 2015
Independent puzzle game with RPG elements by German studio Rebusmind. In SwapQuest we play as one of two available characters: Prince Wilbert or princess Wilma, distinguished by different fighting skills. Our goal is to find the legendary sword Aventuril, thanks to which we can save our kingdom from the evil Horde. The gameplay combines the features of puzzle and role-playing games. The action was shown from above and the player's task is to move the elements of the ground in such a way as to create a path for our hero.
Alphabear
Puzzle
March 20, 2015
A mobile puzzle/educational game from Spry Fox studio, in which the players must assemble words out of blocks with letters. After aligning one, the titular bears appear in slots where the block were, unlocking more blocks and giving various bonuses in points. As the game progresses, bears become bigger and bigger, greatly increasing our score. The whole difficulty of Alphabear comes from the fact that letters stay on board for limited amount of rounds, and failing to remove each results in it turning into an immovable obstacle that blocks part of a board and prevents enlarging of said bears. There are several varied game modes, changing each day, and the title is distributed as free-to-play production. Alphabear stands out with its colorful and good visuals, something rather uncommon in puzzle games.
Gunpowder
Puzzle
March 31, 2015
Gunpowder is a puzzle game set in the Wild West where players have to carefully plan and create an explosion. The game's plot loosely refers to the legend of Robin Hood. A rich businessman called Grimshaw intends to build a railway all the way through a small town, not caring about the fate of its citizens. A lone vigilante Incendio, equipped only with a barrel of gunpowder and his cunning, stands up for them. The game offers 150 diversified levels, each of them being split into 5 chapters. On each of them we will have to arrange and carefully create an explosion that will destroy Grimshaw's wealth and estates. Speeding trains and their carriages, mining carts, cannons, even fireflies, can work as a catalyst for our explosion. It creates many opportunities for the more creative players. The more creative we are, the more points we get. Gunpowder has colorful, cartoonish visuals and is filled with humor.
Hearthstone: Blackrock Mountain
Puzzle
April 2, 2015
Another pay-to-play expansion pack for Hearthstone - an online card game developed by Blizzard and set in the world of the popular Warcraft series. The expansion focuses on the titular Blackrock Mountain, featured in the World of Warcraft MMORPG. The DLC is divided into five smaller chapters - so-called "wings". The player can buy them for real money or the in-game credits they have earned while playing. Each of the wings grants access to subsequent bosses and cards (17 bosses and 31 completely new cards in total) received for defeating subsequent enemies. Furthermore, the expansion comes with 9 new class challenges, associated with specific types of characters - achieving success is rewarded with previously unavailable class cards. After winning all the boss fights in a given chapter, the player unlocks a very difficult game mode named heroic. All the battles take place on a special map which made its first appearance in the core game.
Boxboy!
Puzzle
April 2, 2015
A 2D logic puzzle platform game for Nintendo 3DS. In Boxboy!, you play as a nice, square protagonist called Qbby, who can create exact copies of himself. There are many logic puzzles to complete — in every level, you have to arrange special blocks in a given order to form a certain configuration to progress. There are 17 levels and they vary in terms of challenges. Later levels feature such dangers as lasers or deadly spikes. The biggest challenge in Boxboy!, however, is the fact that there is a limit on how many squares you can create in a single level. Given that every map features special collectibles and that most solutions can only be found by trial and error, you can quickly run out of blocks. Boxboy! features minimalist black-and-white visuals utilizing simple shapes such as squares and triangles.
Dreamals
Puzzle
April 21, 2015
A 2D logic puzzle platform game by XINESS Games. You lead a group of animals, which can only move in one direction: the parrot can move up, the raccoon can move left, and the goat can move right. When two of them meet, they merge into a new creature, who possesses the abilities of both of them. Dreamals consists of eighty levels, each of them set in one of four varied environments. In every level your task is to reach the key, which opens the passage to the next stage. During the game, you have to not only use your brain, but also reflexes, as the levels are full of traps, such as spikes or cannons.
Battle Odyssey
Puzzle
April 22, 2015
Battle Odyssey is a mobile puzzle-RPG developed by Gameloft. The game takes place in Pondera, a fantasy world filled with magic and threatening evil. We play as heroes who will fight with many enemies in order to save the world. During combat, we drag our finger on the device's screen to link as many orbs of the same color as possible. That is the way we attack and deal damage to our enemies. The longer the orb line, the more damage our enemies will take. During our adventures we will recruit new companions and level them up. That will allow us to face more powerful and dangerous enemies. Battle Odyssey features colorful, manga-inspired visuals.
Cube Creator 3D
Puzzle
April 23, 2015
Cube Creator 3D is a Minecraft-inpsired sandbox game developed by Big John Games for Nintendo 3DS. The game allows us to create our own kingdom in a randomly generated world. Cube Creator 3D has two primary game modes. In the Creative mode we explore the stereoscopic 3D fantasy world and modify it as we please. We use various tools and resources to do so. Survival mode, like its name suggests, focuses on survival. In it, we start empty handed and we have to find resources as soon as possible and use them to craft basic tools. We will need them to build shelters and create weapons, which we will definitely need to face the monsters living in the game's world. Like in many similar games, Cube Creator 3D's visuals are based on voxels.
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
Puzzle
April 29, 2015
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition is a spin-off of a popular match-3 puzzle game developed by GungHo Online Entertainment. It was released in a package with Puzzle & Dragons Z on the western markets. Unlike in the original game, this time we play as Mario, and our job is to save princess Peach, who was kidnapped by the evil Bowser. Gameplay mixes elements from match-3 puzzles and RPGs. We will explore the game's world and fight with the encountered enemies. During combat, we will have to arrange three or more identical icons into vertical and horizontal lines to deal damage. We can ally ourselves with some of the defeated foes so that they can aid us in forthcoming battles. Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition features eye-pleasing visuals stylized after other Super Mario Bros. games.
Wedding Escape
Puzzle
April 30, 2015
A unique match-3 game by Firebird Games. The protagonist of the game is a bridegroom, who changes his mind on marriage at the altar. He quickly escapes, but the wedding guests and the priest do not intend to just let him go. Your task is to successfully avoid capture. The gameplay in Wedding Escape utilizes the basics mechanics typical of the genre, but to connect three matching elements you simply click them instead of moving them around the screen. By clicking an icon, you change its color (gold into silver, blue into purple, etc.), which can be used to get a high score. Wedding Escape features funny cartoonish visuals and humorous cutscenes shown over the main game window.
Earthcore: Shattered Elements
Puzzle
May 21, 2015
Earthcore: Shattered Elements is a card game developed by Tequila Games, an indie Polish studio. The game takes place in a classic fantasy world, where the players create their own decks and take part in card duels. The combat system is based on the "rock-paper-scissors" rules, with fire, water, and nature replacing the hand gestures. Combat is also spiced up with special combat abilities and the Risk mechanics: each cards has its own Risk value, and if a given card looses the elemental duel, its Risk value is deducted from its owner's health. The game also offers a crafting system, where we can merge cards to create new, more powerful ones. Earthcore: Shattered Elements offers a plot-driven single player campaign and a multiplayer mode.
Magnetic: Cage Closed
Puzzle
May 26, 2015
A first-person perspective logic game developed by Guru Games, an independent game developer from Sweden. Magnetic: Cage Closed was inspired by the genre classics, including Portal and The Talos Principle. The player assumes the role of an inmate of a futuristic prison called Facility 7. As can easily be imagined, our job will be to escape the facility. Getting out means completing numerous puzzles and avoiding various dangers and traps laid out along the way. Fortunately, our hero is left with a magnetic propulsion device, an item enabling us to pick up and carry objects – environment manipulation can lead to unlocking new passageways or paths leading to new rooms. The game is characterized by dark, heavy atmosphere and randomly generated locations which offer new experience with each new playthrough.
Queen: Play the Game
Puzzle
May 27, 2015
A mobile app by Soshi Games, targeted at the fans of the legendary band Queen. Queen: Play the Game is an official program related to the work of the famous band and featuring various types of activities with optional special prizes to earn. There are three main gameplay modes: jigsaw puzzle, word games and interesting facts. Each of the modes is further divided into categories, such as music, texts, albums, etc., ordered by their difficulty. In the first mode, you try to put together a picture out of scattered fragments, in the second mode you look for the right words on a board with letters, and the third mode is similar to a quiz show, in which you answer questions regarding the work of Freddie Mercury and the rest of the band.
SubaraCity
Puzzle
May 28, 2015
A puzzle game in which our task is to build a city and fill it with the tallest and most prestigious buildings. The SubaraCity game brings to mind the renowned Tetris - by combining colourful blocks of the same colour, we increase the size and splendour of the structures located on them.
Alpha Betty Saga
Puzzle
June 4, 2015
Alpha Betty Saga is another game developed by King, a studio known for Candy Crush Saga, among others. This time, the developers decided to try their hands at word puzzles. Alpha Betty Saga takes place in a world of mice, in which professor Alpha, Betty, and Barney go on a journey to collect new words to the Encyclopedia of Everything. Our task is to phrase the words from the letters scattered on a small board. The longer the word we create, the more points we get. If we phrase a word from at least five elements, we will get a special letter which will get us additional points when used. There are also various power-ups we can use that will ease the gameplay a little. Additionally, every mouse has a special ability. The developers created over a hundred levels, on which we need to collect the specified number of points within a limited number of moves. Alpha Betty Saga is a free-to-play game with optional microtransactions that shorten the renewal time of the energy needed to continue playing.
You Must Build a Boat
Puzzle
June 4, 2015
A mobile match-3 logic puzzle game with role-playing elements, and the successor of the well-received 10000000. Your main task in You Must Build a Boat is, as the title suggests, building a boat, which will eventually become a home for the protagonist and the monsters he catches. The game begins on an old boat, barely staying afloat. In time, however, you earn funds, which you use on improving it. In the story campaign, you travel through various lands and dungeons in search of treasure, and encounters many enemies on his way. The gameplay of You Must Build a Boat focuses on the match-3 mechanism. You attack your enemies by combining three right icons; this way is also how you also use a shield, cast spells, avoid traps and open treasure chests. Like its predecessor, You Must Build a Boat features oldschool 2D visuals.
Green Ninja: Year of the Frog
Puzzle
June 10, 2015
A humorous logic puzzle game, starring a warrior frog, which can defeat the strongest of enemies with only one kick. Green Ninja: Year of the Frog was created by Nitrome, famous for its non-serious productions: Cooped Up, Sausage in Meat Land, Platform Panic or Roller Polar. There is no direct combat in the game; instead, you lead the protagonist to ninja warriors, who are hiding from him. The game features an unusual control system. By pointing a direction with you finger, you make the frog leap and extend his foot, ready to deliver a kick. If the frog hits an enemy, they lose. If he hits the wall, he sticks to it, and if he hits gold, he falls. There are more things to be careful of, such as trapdoors, lava, etc. Your objective is to kick every enemy in a given level with the least moves possible. Green Ninja: Year of the Frog features fitting colorful 2D visuals.
Angry Birds Fight!
Puzzle
June 11, 2015
A mix of a match-3 logic game with basic RPG features, similar to titles such as Puzzle Quest or 10000000. Angry Birds Fight! is a multiplayer-oriented title in which players from all around the world challenge themselves to duels, taking place on tile boards that see the players group bird tiles into lines of three or more. Depending on the color and the type of the connected tiles, we charge various attacks that enable us to deprive our enemy of health points. As a reward for wins, the players receive experience points and coins. Both items enable us to develop our account and unlock useful abilities, acquire equipment (e.g. weapons, pieces of clothing, helmets), or upgrade the boat used to move around the game world.
Fort Meow
Puzzle
June 25, 2015
An original hybrid of a logic and arcade game, developed by Upper Class Walrus. In Fort Meow, the player assumes the role of a red-haired girl that visits the residence of her mysterious family. In one of the rooms, the girl finds a journal kept by her grandfather, who used it to describe his adventures. After his death, grandma has begun to feed and shelter numerous cats – for some reason, the animals are persistent on not letting the girl read the journal. To hide from four-legged assailants, the girl has to build simple strongholds from the objects found around the house. Be warned – the attack lasts a while, while the difficulty level quickly increases, forcing us to build durable and stable constructions - otherwise, our stronghold can collapse under its own weight and hurt our heroine.
Infinifactory
Puzzle
June 30, 2015
An unusual logic game developed by Zachtronics, an independent studio known from niche titles such as Ironclad Tactics or SpaceChem. Infinifactory is an attempt to expand upon the ideas found in Spacechem, with first-person perspective and in a three-dimensional environment. We assume the role of an employee of an unusual factory owned by an alien race. Our job is to create various items from parts appearing on the assembly line. We can manipulate the plant through pushing, moving, rotating, or connecting various elements. If needed, the manufactured element can be stamped or discarded, however, be warned – failure to deliver orders may end with the player’s death. Aside from the story mode, the authors introduced a sandbox mode that enables us to create our own projects which then can be shared with other players.