When mobile gaming started as an experience for users, the puzzle genre offered the most definitive gaming experience. Years later, puzzle games continue to remain a fan favorite. The variety of puzzle games is astonishing, with superb visuals and complex tactics. Bearing this in mind, I have listed the top 10 best puzzle games for iPhone and iPad.
1. Brain Test: Tricky puzzles
One of my biggest pet peeves with puzzle games is that they often become one-dimensional. The puzzles can become monotonous and stop presenting new challenges. Brain Test: Tricky Puzzles does the exact opposite.
The game has numerous brain teasers that will force you to think outside the box. These puzzles can require the most basic common sense or could push you to think beyond the lines of just logical reasoning.
Another advantage of this game is that it is great for kids and families. If you want to get into brain teasers, this is the one.
There is a shortcoming, though. If you don’t pay for the premium package, you will have to deal with many ads.
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $1.99)
2. Blackbox
Blackbox tries to do something different with the puzzle genre. You may have heard all the games to make this claim. However, Blackbox delivers on this.
The game uses the capabilities of your phone to the greatest extent possible. Apart from the usual tapping, scrolling, and swiping, Blackbox makes you think of other ways to solve puzzles. Some may require you to employ unconventional methods, such as calling your friends or taking cues from the game’s sounds and haptic feedback.
Besides, the game’s visual design is beautiful. Its design is minimalistic and does not hold your hand when you’re trying to solve puzzles.
The game might require using incompatible hardware (such as earphones) to solve some puzzles. So that’s an issue you’ll have to be wary of.
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $0.99)
3. Build a Bridge!
Do you think you’d be good at constructing bridges and general concepts of engineering? Build a Bridge! is your chance to test your mettle.
The objective is to build bridges for different vehicles, such as cars, buses, and trucks. To make the game more challenging, unconventional vehicles such as monster trucks are also available.
The game is physics-based and will require you to connect the dots for making the bridge. However, you also have to consider resources and materials at your disposal. Use the wrong materials or connect to the wrong point, and your bridge will collapse.
There’s also an easy mode for people new to this genre. It’s a great way to introduce them to physics-based games.
However, if you’re using the free version, you will have to deal with many ads.
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $0.99)
4. Fun escape room: Logic puzzles
Escape rooms are a fun concept if executed properly. Many escape rooms tend to lack true, challenging puzzle elements, whether real or virtual. This game executes this concept to a much better extent.
The only way to win the game is to solve puzzles and move on to the next one. These puzzles get trickier and more difficult as you progress. There’s also plenty of in-game content, with over 100 doors to unlock.
Each room has unique puzzle elements, and no two rooms will have a similar puzzle to solve. This provides a healthy amount of brain-teasing and logical reasoning.
However, some puzzles may have no instructions at all. This can be frustrating.
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $1.99)
5. Decipher: The Brain Game
Decipher: The Brain Game is for people who want a bit of unpredictability in their puzzle games. This game isn’t for everyone, but it’s worth the challenge.
The game shows you different rings, which are part of an enigma. You have to align them in the correct order to solve the puzzle. However, each action on the rings could have a positive or negative effect. The game’s mechanics often employ something similar to the Butterfly effect.
This means that any action early into your game could have a much larger impact in the latter half of the playthrough. Its design is also beautiful, with soothing colors, visual effects, and a minimalist approach.
Decipher combines elements of both classic movies and the newer generation of sci-fi entertainment. It’s also got 250 different levels to try. I doubt you’ll ever get bored with this game.
A caveat with this game would be that the in-app purchases can be slightly expensive. This gets all the more troublesome when you’re stuck in a particular puzzle and may need something extra to solve the game. There are also a few bugs that may not break the game but can hamper your experience.
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $1.99)
6. Project VOID – Mystery Puzzles
Detective games have often suffered from poor execution, bad puzzle mechanics, or too much focus on the novelty aspect of being a detective. Project VOID manages to blend just the right mix of detective novelty and challenging puzzles.
The puzzles have an added layer of depth as the game employs an alternate reality. Essentially, it combines in-game fiction with your reality and surroundings to create a mind-bending experience.
The puzzles are part of the mission stories, involving conspiracies and murder mysteries. You will have to think outside the box to solve them.
You might be disappointed as the game only has 5 missions.
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $3.99)
7. Threes!
Threes! is a relatively simple game at first. However, its single-game mode can get more enjoyable and difficult as you progress.
The goal is to merge numbers to create the biggest number possible. By merging the correct numbers in the right places, you will avoid blocking your progress.
The design is simple yet elegant, the music is entertaining, and there’s a layer of personality to the game with some appealing characters. This is one of the best games for iPhone, no doubt about it.
Recent updates have led to some scathing reviews of the game, surprisingly. With some pay-to-win mechanics being added, this game is something you have to watch out for.
Price: $5.99
8. Monument Valley 2
I’ve mentioned Monument Valley 2 before, and it remains one of my favorite puzzle games. The best part? You don’t need to play the first game to enjoy the sequel.
The game’s objective is to help Ro teach her child about the mysteries of their world and its Sacred Geometry. The puzzles involve illusions and architecture to create something truly beautiful and unique.
There’s also a dash of meditative aspects, giving you a relaxed feeling when playing it. The audio adds to this mode of relaxation. While the puzzles are difficult, you will never feel stressed when trying to solve them.
However, there have been complaints about the game from long-term fans, with many of them stating that the sequel fails to live up to the expectations created from the first game. So if you’ve played Monument Valley 1, there’s a chance that you may not like the sequel as much.
Price: $4.99
9. The Room
If you want to combine a puzzle game with a story-driven element, The Room is the blueprint that you should follow. This game has been the App Store Editor’s Choice in over 140 countries for a good reason.
The game puts you in a beautifully rendered 3D world. You have to solve the mystery by interacting with different objects in the world, and each action you take has a wonderful tactile feel.
Each clue leads you deeper into a mystery that you’ll be dying to unfold. The suspense aspects of the game also make it a nail-biter and a game that’s going to stretch your imaginations and ideas about thrill much further than an action game.
Further, the music adds to the atmosphere and often drives the suspense a notch higher. Everyone will find something to like in this puzzler.
Be wary that this game can become addictive. I recommend keeping it away from impressionable children.
Price: $0.99
10. Brain It On!
I’ve been playing Brain It On! for years, and I still haven’t gotten bored of it. This game is a genuine puzzler and will both tickle your funny bones and tease your gray cells.
This is another physics-based puzzle requiring you to draw the solution. While it sounds easy, it isn’t by any stretch of the imagination. There are multiple ways to solve each puzzle, and each requires you to think hard.
From placing objects inside a tumbler to stopping objects from falling over by drawing the appropriate shape, there’s a variety of puzzles to check out. You can play the game at the party to see which of your friends can solve puzzles.
Each person will likely have a different way of solving a particular puzzle, making it more interesting. However, if you’re playing the free version, you might find the constant ads annoying.
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $0.99)
Video: Best Puzzle Games for iPhone
That’s it!
This is my list of the best puzzle games for iPhone. The puzzle game genre has come a long way. More and more developers are stepping in to see what they can bring to the table. This is one of those genres that will never get stagnant.
Which is your favorite? Share in the comments below.
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