Puzzle platformers feature unique challenges based on their level of design and format. Although 2D platformers can seem more direct than their 3D counterparts with more complex worlds, they remain popular with indie developers and fans since their mechanics often complement emotional and compelling storytelling.
Every 2D puzzle platformer brings something new to the genre, but the games that manage to strike a perfect balance between stumping players and encouraging their progress stand out for their ingenuity and rewarding gameplay. While many well-known titles achieve this balance, others deserve more recognition for how they create an immersive yet puzzling platformer experience.
10 Trine
In Trine, players switch between controlling a thief, wizard, and warrior who all share the same body after coming across a magical object known as the Trine. Together, they fight an undead army plaguing the realm after the king’s death and seek to unbind themselves from each other.
Overcoming the obstacles before them takes skill, determination, and coordination, but while the Trine series highlights its character dynamics and abilities in its single-player mode, it is equally enjoyable as a complex co-op puzzle game.
9 Thomas Was Alone
Thomas Was Alone follows a group of shapes representing failed artificial intelligence projects. Each project has its own personality and skill that helps them explore the world and reach portals. As they work together, a narrator explains their thoughts and growing need for companionship and success, giving the game more depth than its simple visuals might first suggest.
With several characters and a complex variety of puzzles, Thomas Was Alone is a compelling fit for players who enjoy the challenge of changing their playstyle frequently.
8 Braid
Tim is a man who wants to reconcile with a princess who was taken from him by a monster. He distinctly remembers her braid from when they saw each other last and goes on a journey to find her. As he overcomes obstacles and collects pieces of jigsaw puzzles, he manipulates time to help him make the right decisions.
Braid’s timing mechanics become more complex the closer Tim gets to confronting the princess, the monster, and the past, allowing the puzzle progression to highlight the tension in the story.
7 Typoman
In Typoman, a one-armed hero made of letters travels through a dangerous wasteland where letters and words control the world. Pursued by Doom and other evils, they rely on their cunning to manipulate the world around them and survive.
Alongside its dark, immersive atmosphere and inspiring use of language, Typoman hides quotation marks in its levels that tell the hero’s story, sharing the doubts and concerns that drive their actions. Wordsmithing is central to every aspect of the game, making it perfect for fans of logic puzzles, traditional platformers, and wordplay.
6 The Liar Princess And The Blind Prince
Every night, a wolf living in the woods would climb up a cliff to sing to the moon, and the prince from a nearby kingdom would come to listen, unaware that the beautiful song belonged to a dangerous beast. However, one night he frightened the wolf, and she blinded him. Determined to save the only human who applauded her from shame, the wolf shapeshifts back and forth between being a human and a wolf to lead him to a witch who can heal his eyes.
The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince tells the story of regret, hasty deals, and forbidden love. Each area introduces a new mechanic that slowly encourages the truth to come forward as the prince and wolf become closer. While some puzzles are more straightforward than others, the game’s characters and story make it an emotional play.
5 Gris
Gris is an atmospheric game about a young girl grieving a painful experience. Her world is bleak at first, and she isn’t sure how to move on. However, determined to overcome her hardships, she works through her pain and the five stages of grief, allowing her emotions and confidence to change how she interacts with the world around her.
Rather than using words to share the girl’s journey, Gris has stunning visuals, an evocative soundtrack, and emotional objectives that make the game’s puzzles a moving experience.
4 Unravel
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In Unravel, a small, yarn creature named Yarny explores the memories of an elderly woman based on the photos and items it sees around her house. Yarny unravels as it experiences her happiest moments and lowest points, leaving a trail behind it that it uses to overcome obstacles by jumping or swinging.
Since Yarny will disappear if it doesn’t have enough yarn to move forward, completing each level takes resourcefulness and dedication. However, no matter what memory it faces in Unravel, Yarny finds love and value in the good and the bad.
3 VVVVVV
After evacuating from their spaceship due to dangerous interference, the captain and crew of the DSS Souleye end up separated from each other. Determined to find his crewmates and return to safety, Captain Viridian explores their new surroundings by flipping gravity and using teleporters.
Although VVVVVV has mechanics that are easy to learn, its maze-like levels filled with spikes and enemies take precision to navigate, making its frequent checkpoints a valuable asset in the captain’s journey. Alongside its retro aesthetic, VVVVVV’s difficulty is reminiscent of a classic arcade game, making it a compelling play for fans of some of the earliest puzzle games and platformers.
2 Ori And The Blind Forest
In Ori and the Blind Forest, a small, orphaned guardian spirit named Ori goes on a journey to restore the forest after a flash of light kills Ori’s guardian and withers the trees. With the aid of a ball of light called Sein, Ori tries to aid those who have survived the tragedy by solving puzzles, fighting enemies, and collecting special, healing light.
Ori and the Blind Forest is known for its charming yet poignant story about nature, life, and love, but the game’s puzzles, soundtrack, and visuals helped it become a masterpiece.
1 Limbo
In the black-and-white world of Limbo, a young boy wakes up in the forest surrounded by horrifying dangers like giant spiders, violent humans, and beasts that chase him on his journey to safety and familiarity. Armed with only his wit and the environment, surviving takes skill and precision.
Limbo introduces new puzzle mechanics and challenges throughout the game, but it saves the most daunting for the end. Among 2D puzzle platformers, it is one of the most iconic for its variety of challenges and hauntingly beautiful design.