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Summary
Complexity doesn’t have to require hundreds of hours within a game.
Beautiful visuals don’t have to mean the latest graphics engine with the largest development team.
And engaging gameplay doesn’t necessitate online multiplayer with constant updates.
We’ve parsed Xbox Game Pass' diverse library to find you the best roguelikes available.
Our favorites are ones that you might easily pick up but can only put down with difficulty.
After all, you have to solve plenty of puzzles during the adventure.
You don’t do so alone, as this is an enforced co-op experience.
One player controls Mio, while the other plays as Zoe.
Both of the characters are struggling writers who attempt to work for a big publisher.
Yet, that publisher attempts to stick them in a special machine and steal their ideas.
The protagonists end up in the same one and have to play out different stories they’ve written.
This means a varied selection of levels, each with slightly different gameplay mechanics.
This means looking for clues and piecing things together.
The gameplay largely consists of clicking through menus and crime scenes.
It’s a clever and in-depth game that also boasts a beautiful art style.
As them, you must make your way through levels resembling signs.
Within these signs are a bunch of hazards that you have to get past to reach the end.
The actual puzzle is in 2D, but the background is 3D.
This creates a unique visual, which helps establish that the puzzles are meant to be road signs.
It makes The Pedestrian stand out among others in the genre.
One way it pays tribute is by including a bunch of puzzles.
Much of this involves finding and combining the right items.
It really tests your brain power at times.
You use this hole to suck up everything in sight.
Figuring out how to get everything in the ever-expanding hole in the ground is the games main goal.
It isnt a challenging puzzle title, but it is very charming.
Whats more, there is a neat little story to the game, too.
Yet, there are newer versions of the game, including Tetris Effect: Connected.
Along with it, though, there is a heart-pumping soundtrack and psychedelic visuals.
The original Tetris didn’t have those things.
It also didn’t have a multiplayer mode like Connected does.
This means you’re free to play different versions of Tetris with or against your buddies.
Early in the title, you go on an expedition to a place filled with puzzles.
These puzzles generally involve things like lasers, portals, and different items.
Superhot
Superhot is one of the most original and creative puzzle games on Xbox consoles.
Its a first-person shooter where time only moves when you do.
After all, when you get hit by one of their bullets, you die immediately.
Therefore, it’s crucial that you be smart and plan your movements before you make them.
He must confront his nightmares and make the right decision - as it’s literally life or death.
Catherine is a unique puzzle game in both gameplay and story.
At night, the game becomes a puzzle platformer as you attempt to work your way up a tower.
To do so, you better move blocks around and create a pathway that takes you to the exit.
That is easier said than done.
This place contains all sorts of extraordinary creatures that can take you out in a flash.
You must use your puzzle-solving and stealth skills to find a way past them.
The whole experience is very atmospheric, and the art style is incredible - if a bit unsettling.
In Untitled Goose Game, you play as a mischievous goose that terrorizes a nearby village.
Yet, ‘terrorize’ is perhaps too strong of a word.
Ever feel like completely pushing a video game story aside and just causing some mischief?
You should try these games!
You don’t do these things randomly.
Humanity
Humanity is a game where you have to order a large group of humans around.
No, you’ve got the option to’t have them do your chores or steal things for you.
However, you might use them to complete puzzles.
In Catherine, you play as a young man named Vincent who is involves in a love triangle with two ladies with the same sounding, but differently spelled name. He must confront his nightmares and make the right decision - as it’s literally life or death.
It’s a creative and unique game.
Yet, the game delivers more than just visual thrills.
It’s a delightful puzzle platformer where you use time manipulation abilities to complete original and well-designed puzzles.
You do so as a little sharp-dressed man who is attempting to save a princess.
So, the game has a standard story premise.
Death Squared
The goal in each level of Death Squared is the same.
Untitled Goose Game is a critically acclaimed puzzle game in which you play as a very mischievous goose. Your job is to complete a checklist of objectives, by stealing items, moving objects, and harassing the residents of a quaint English village.
You have to guide a cube-shaped robot to the color-coded circle.
In the early levels, this is very easy.
However, things continually get more complicated as different traps and obstacles get put in your way.
It picks up even more if you play with friends.
Whether you’re playing with people or alone, it’s an enjoyable experience.
It’s specifically designed for cooperative play.
In fact, you’re free to’t even play it alone.
Don’t worry, though, as someone can download a free friend pass to play with you.
You control a married couple on the verge of divorce, who gets magically transformed into small dolls.
Each level has its own unique gimmick, which adds a lot of variety to the experience.
It’s a ton of fun, and the story is surprisingly deep.
Unpacking
Unpacking your things in real life isn’t the most exciting experience in the world.
Yet, in this video game, it’s actually quite soothing.
It isn’t the most strenuous puzzle title, as it’s just about finding a spot for everything.
This happens for every level, and it serves as a unique form of storytelling.
It’s an interesting and calming experience.
The story of Botany Manor is picked up through discreet context as you explore the manor.
Amazing experiences from one of the greatest gaming generations.
Don’t believe us?
It’s a digestibly brief story, but it packs an emotional punch for its short runtime.
When Kavin and his mother reconnect, you’re free to expect tears and puzzles.
Cocoon
The brilliance of Cocoon is not to be understated.
Cocoon similarly sets you up to confront its difficulties by encouraging you to “think with orbs.”
The whole conceit of the game is the concept of a recursive world.
You begin slowly, just diving into the worlds and exploring them.
But he was more than pleased with the difficulty and ingenuity of Cocoon’s puzzle.
you’re free to read more of his thoughts and critiquesright here!
Jusant
Not every puzzle game has to be an absolute mind-bender.
Sometimes, all you need from a puzzle is a light challenge and a top-notch atmosphere.
Jusant has atmosphere in spades, literally.
You play as a young adventurer set on climbing an imposing mountain tower.
But all that’s left is the tower, and scaling it is enough to occupy your mind.
Superliminal’s puzzles revolve around this kind of thinking.
These puzzles are so difficult that they’re more frustrating than fun.
You must use your Memento Mortem gadget to view the last few seconds before each crew member’s death.
This game is a big, complex logic puzzle that is so satisfying to solve.
But not everything is as it seems.
You’ve been caught in a time loop moments before a supernova.
Outer Wilds is a really enthralling experience.
Every location is fascinating.
The mysteries will have you hooked and eager to explore everywhere in detail.
The Outer Wilds is a must-play game.
Escape Academy
Escape Academy is a really good game for fans of escape rooms.
You have joined the Escape Academy and are now training to become the best escapist ever.
There are many different rooms to escape from, each with its own theme.
it’s possible for you to enjoy these challenges solo or with a friend.
As the name suggests, Q.U.B.E.
You wake up inside a strange room after a mysterious incident.
You’re wearing a pair of gloves that can interact with specific shapes hidden inside of the walls.
These are fantastic cooperative puzzle games you should probably play with your friend.
You usually play as a duo lost in a frozen wasteland in each game.
These puzzle games are so good they don’t need a sequel.
The series contains manycreative puzzlesto wrap your head around.
Every puzzle is connected to what your friend can see.
Sometimes, these trials are timed as well, adding a real sense of urgency throughout the experience.
The We Were Here Series is an incredible bonding experience for two.
ChromaGun
ChromaGun is a puzzle-solving video game available on Xbox that revolves around solving color-based puzzles.
When a droid is colored, it will gravitate toward the part of the wall matching them in color.
You will need to arrange the droids in the right patterns to unlock the room.
Primary colors can also be blended together to create new colors and add further complications to the game.
More elements and objectives are added to the puzzles as you progress through the story.
The game received mostly positive reviews from critics.
The mind-bending game takes inspiration from popular shows like The X-Files and Black Mirror.
However, you will have to deduce which memories are real and which are part of the simulation.
The only guiding force is a disembodied A.I.
voice that tells you what to do.
The indie title has received about as many awards and glowing reviews as an indie game can.
You have to experience it for yourself, though.
The dark and grey world will pull you in and leave you breathless.
The visuals alone deserve commendation, but the gameplay is also satisfying.
Interesting puzzles block your path, and you have to navigate through and around them.
Inside
Inside proved that Playdead’s first attempt at the 2D puzzle platformer was not a fluke.
The story centers around a boy who becomes enmeshed in a scary world from which he must escape.
There’s so much that goes right with Inside.
It deserves your time and attention.
As expected, physics plays a part.
This is where we met GLaDOS and learned that the cake is a lie.
The pop-culture references alone demand that you play Portal.
That doesn’t take away from the gameplay, however.
Who doesn’t want to make portals that you could jump through?
And physics is never the same.
Discovering how to solve the puzzles in Portal is so satisfying.
Just take good care of your companion cube.
Portal 2
The Perpetual Testing Initiative is back, except it’s better than ever.
Portal 2 introduced new puzzles and new ideas that made the obstacle courses more challenging.
It also introduced the ability to play with a friend and design puzzles independently.
Really, anything that gets us back to the gun that shoots the orange and blue portals is fine.
Also, GLaDOS is a potatoone of the smartest machines alive embedded into a potato.
Some are easily visible and simple enough to solve, while others require more dexterity and patience.
But one thing is certain: The Witness is fantastic.
Set in the trenches of World War I, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a puzzle game by Ubisoft Montpellier that tells four stories of lives drastically impacted by the trauma of the war.
Unravel 2
Puzzles are challenging and fun, but they can also be fun with a friend.
Combining the intellectual and strategic prowess of two minds helps to break down the challenges in a puzzle game.
That option is enjoyable when you want to relax with a friend and maneuver past obstacles together.
There is something beautiful in playing as two Yarnys connected by a single thread.
But existential questions arise as you delve deeper into the world.
Microsoft’s subscription service has some great walking simulators.
You’ll start asking questions about your identity and purpose outside of the restrictions your creator intended.
That’s some heavy stuff.
It’s a journey that will linger in your mind long after you finish playing.
Life Is Strange
Life is Strange isn’t a full-fledged puzzle game.
It’s more of a narrative adventure title with puzzles included.
These puzzles revolve around the use of the main character, Max Caulfield’s ability to rewind time.
So, they’re a bit different from what you see in most puzzlers.
There are plenty of twists and turns from the game’s first episode to the last.
Ubisoft is not the first studio you’d envision when thinking of an artistic puzzle game.
The studio’s devotion to history, though, is always present in Valiant Hearts: The Great War.
It’s a story of intertwined destinies in a place where love and happiness are hard to find.
The protagonists who feature in Valiant Hearts are caught in the midst of trench warfare.
A ghastly affair, indeed.
Thankfully, they have faithful dogs to accompany them through the horrible war-torn landscape.
Get the box of tissues ready.
You may not have dry eyes when this is done.
From indies to triple-A giants, TheGamer’s release dates calendar covers all games coming out in 2024.
