This year I finally decided to play Case of the Golden Idol, a mystery game that takes you to the scene of a murder immediately after it occurs in 2022. You look at multiple screens, absorb every detail you can, collect clues in the form of nouns and verbs, and make logic-based deductions by filling in the missing details from passages that tell the story that happened there. There are systems in place to point you in the right direction, and the game starts out quite simply, but by the end you’re pushed to your absolute limits. The first few instances all took about 10-25 minutes, but the final instances of the game seemed to last all night. My mind was positively exploding with possible motives and culprits, and I was applauded for the Golden Idol case for allowing me room to be wrong about these events until I eventually figured out the right permutation of terms and deciphered the events. It was one of the most disappointing endings in gaming history and I was mesmerized by the entire experience.
I mention the Golden Idol example and this frustration because an overwhelming number of the best games of 2024 have left me feeling the same way. Excellent titles like Animal Well, Rise of the Golden Idol, and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes feature some of the most vicious and confusing puzzles I’ve ever encountered, some of which still irritate and elude me. today. But despite the recurring headaches I get from constantly hitting my head against the wall, I wouldn’t trade my experience with them for anything.
In Rise of the Golden Idol, the follow-up to the aforementioned events, I was very wrong. I frequently confused names and aliases, and as levels grew in scale (and scenarios grew more complex), I missed many small details in the perfectly rendered environments that were planted to provide insight and direction. I misunderstood the events of the game several times, and was more surprised than usual by what was revealed at the end of a level. Rise of the Golden Idol was a total disappointment, but it was one of the best games I played all year because it pushed back when pushed.
The increasingly challenging cases of Rise of the Golden Idol have forced me to think harder about the conclusions I’m trying to reach. My favorite example is a man living in an apartment complex washing what appears to be a bloody stain on his shirt, which leads me to believe that he was at the epicenter of a recent incendiary incident that has affected this community. After taking the bait, I pretended I was right until the game cruelly rejected my conclusions and required me to make actual deductions rather than being guided to a specific point via an obvious travel path. They trusted me to solve the problem.
Some of my favorite games of the year similarly refused to give me easy, clear answers. I’m not entirely sure Animal Well has anything remotely resembling proper resolution. What I mean is, there’s an ending to strive for, but the game has a lot more secrets hidden that I’ll never see. Having a 100% completion guide available online within days of finishing the game is a thrilling and distinct connection to the game. release Animal Well never seems to be satisfied, even if its mysteries are completely solved. Instead, I find myself groping through that dark cave for what seems like an eternity, poking at objects of curiosity and interest.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is perhaps the most enigmatic of the works. The contents of every door are locked behind another puzzle. The television is connected to a video game console that contains directions and clues hidden within the low-poly video game. Every line of dialogue is an esoteric journey. The walls are lined with posters that obscure the pattern that is the key to the box. The written note contains a password and a supernatural portal that takes you through an elaborate maze. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a truly challenging game. It absolutely refuses to level with the player, choosing instead to frequently require the player to rise to a level, a feat it is certain they can achieve in order to unlock its secrets.
I’m grateful for the space this title and others have given me this year, as it feels increasingly rare. Games these days are often criticized for having too many tutorials or milestones, a trend that often keeps players hooked. This year alone, there have been countless conversations about yellow paint in level design. Yellow paint is used to guide players towards their goals, and depending on who you ask, it can be either a blessing or a curse. There’s no right way to think about this design philosophy, but I truly believe that the industry has erred on the side of holding too hard a hand, flattening the playing experience, or at least the emotions of being able to play. induce Of course, it’s worth thinking about what type of game I’m talking about when I propose such a radical change. Open world games have different responsibilities to the player than puzzle games, and this can hinder developers from bucking the trend I’m describing. Still, I hope that by talking about the merits of exemplary design in puzzle and mystery games, games in more genres will have the courage to pursue similar philosophies. I think it could have a dazzling effect, and in fact it already has.
I always come back to The Legend of Zelda and its famous “hidden” bomb wall. The NES couldn’t really afford the space to apply different textures to these walls, so they made them look like different surfaces. However, they are actually hidden throughout the game world, encouraging players to go out and discover them by any means necessary. Eventually, players discovered that by planting bombs in certain parts of the walls, hidden rooms and treasures could be found. There’s no doubt that this was truly annoying, but I also like that the game asked players to be thoughtful and in return rewarded them with more wonder than they ever thought possible.
I don’t think enough games, or at least many of the titles that occupy the general public awareness and often dominate the conversations we have about the medium, are actually that challenging to players. That’s why these three games, all entering the mainstream, feel like a breath of fresh air. With so many titles taking me from set-piece to set-piece and leaving me with little room to explore experimentation, I’m starting to feel like an observer rather than a driving force in the games I play. The same can’t be said for Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Animal Well, or Rise of the Golden Idol. This game made me feel like the best, most capable version of myself. Each of these games is different. They occupy different genres and use different styles, but are united by their complete faith in the player. Let’s hope that subsequent games, regardless of genre, scale, or developer, can take a cue from these notable titles and make strides in cultivating a sense of wonder and discovery again.
Best results for 2024:
