Topic: In defense of block puzzles

Lately, I've been watching a lot of videos throwing shade at block puzzles and other common puzzle archetypes in games.

But really, consider all the terrible block puzzles you have seen in your gaming career. Block puzzles may be common, but it's remarkable how rarely they are done well. Usually, they are just an excuse to add padding to the game, but there is no actual thinking required to solve them.

A well designed block puzzle, like the famous one in Snowpeak Ruins of Twilight Princess, can be a highlight of a game. It just needs a strong atmosphere, reasonable challenge, and some small twist.

What is your favorite block puzzle/favorite common puzzle?

I actually do have some fondness for the ice focused block pushing puzzles. Probably because they actually move the blocks a farther distance and you need to do worthwhile thinking and normally just straight up are better thought out than other block puzzles (same when YOU sliding around an ice floor is the puzzle).

But it's one of those things you shouldn't bother much with if you're not smart and creative. Or worse, if you put in random slide puzzles for no good reason at all.

Block puzzles are really interesting if the blocks are fully 3D and you can climb atop them. Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker had some fun with that. The Wind Waker overall had the puzzle basics down and did some interesting things with triangular blocks and mixing in mirror shield puzzles. No ice blocks though. Sad.

They saved the ice blocks for Twilight Princess.

Eh, the only block puzzle I truly remember is the one in the Forest Temple in OoT. Dunno why...lol

@Meowpheel And yet both have difficult block puzzles right before Link can draw the Master Sword. Well, The Wind Waker's is a pushover and the Twilight Princess one is just set on blocks as opposed to being about pushing blocks, but I digress. I still don't know how I got past Twilight Princess' Sacred Grove puzzle as a kid. When I replayed TP in 2015 I didn't even remember that part, and I remember most of most games so it caught me off guard.

@Joeynator3000 Which puzzle was that, was it one of the poe fights?

I don't remember any other block puzzle there, so...o.o

There's also the one in the room before the twisty corridor. You push blocks to go higher.

...Oh, that one, I forgot. xD