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Journal

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I played Patrick’s Parabox

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The best puzzle game I’ve played in a long time

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I’ll always go for a time loop

diff --git a/journal/parabox.html b/journal/parabox.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..712a9fe --- /dev/null +++ b/journal/parabox.html @@ -0,0 +1,72 @@ + + + + gome — parabox + + + + + + + + + + + +
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I played Patrick’s Parabox

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+ It’s been a while since I played a really good puzzle game. + The last really great one was The Witness. + The central mechanic (tracing paths through mazes) was simple to understand, but presented a lot of possible variations. +

+ I appreciated how the pacing of the game gives you time to build mastery over the various puzzle elements. + Generally, each puzzle is based on one key insight. Once you solve that puzzle, you’ve learned something new about the game. + Subsequent puzzles could then build on that understanding, giving a steady sense of progression without overwhelming the player. + On top of having some very challenging, delightful, and satisfying puzzles, The Witness has great aesthetics too. +

+ Ever since I played through The Witness a few years ago, I hadn’t gotten into another puzzle game. + It’s not for lack of trying. + I’ve started a number of them, including Snakebird, Baba Is You, and Stephen’s Sausage Roll. + Each time, I would enjoy it for a while (I think they’re all good games), but eventually I’d get stuck on a hard puzzle and rapidly lose interest. +

+ I don’t think I bounced off these games because I’m bad at puzzles. + I was able to solve every puzzle I encountered in The Witness,* which has some pretty tough ones. + However, most if its puzzles are static screens you can take in and reason about in one eyeful. + These other games feature puzzles that take sequential turns, so the state of the puzzle changes over time. + So for a while, I thought I might just be bad at turn-based puzzles. +

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+ Fortunately, I recently had a great time playing a turn-based puzzle game: Patrick’s Parabox. + The game is a Sokoban-style game, which means you push boxes around a grid. + The twist is that some boxes have smaller worlds inside of them that you can shrink down into and enter. + This is only the first twist of many. + The game does a great job of keeping things interesting with a small set of simple mechanics. +

+ It also does a great job at pacing, teaching you important insights as you go, just like The Witness. + I think that pacing is the key to keeping my interest in a puzzle game, because I need that sense of mastery. + When I got stuck on a particularly tough puzzle, I was confident I already had all the tools I needed to solve it, so I would persist, rather than lose interest. +

+ My favorite unexpected thing about the game is just how funny many of the puzzles are. + It’s not that there’s some additional comedy element. I mean that the actual logic of the puzzles made me laugh. + There are all these wonderful surprises in the solutions, things that seem crazy or goofy, but actually work according to the rules laid out. + That was a delight I had not had in a puzzle video game before. +

+ Have you played Patrick’s Parabox? + What is your favorite puzzle game? + How is its pacing? + Let me know your thoughts at my Ctrl-C email: gome ​@ ​ctrl-c.club. +

+ * I’m particularly proud of how few tries it took me to beat “The Challenge”. +

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+ + diff --git a/journal/rss/100-day-challenge.xml b/journal/rss/100-day-challenge.xml index d22702d..26177a4 100644 --- a/journal/rss/100-day-challenge.xml +++ b/journal/rss/100-day-challenge.xml @@ -13,6 +13,14 @@ 144 87 + + I played Patrick’s Parabox + gome + Mon, 26 Dec 2022 22:30:00 CST + https://ctrl-c.club/~gome/journal/parabox.html + https://ctrl-c.club/~gome/journal/parabox.html + The best puzzle game I’ve played in a long time + I’ll always go for a time loop gome diff --git a/journal/rss/feed.xml b/journal/rss/feed.xml index 0a34077..816cbd3 100644 --- a/journal/rss/feed.xml +++ b/journal/rss/feed.xml @@ -13,6 +13,14 @@ 144 87 + + I played Patrick’s Parabox + gome + Mon, 26 Dec 2022 22:30:00 CST + https://ctrl-c.club/~gome/journal/parabox.html + https://ctrl-c.club/~gome/journal/parabox.html + The best puzzle game I’ve played in a long time + I’ll always go for a time loop gome