Baba is Puzzle

After my usual early year boost, playing of new games has slowed down significantly again. So it is no surprise that from two games I have completed in the last three months, two of them have been started far earlier. And all three are in a wider sense puzzle games.

• After Hours
  

  12 hours playtime

  10 of 10 achievements

• Baba Is You
  

  122 hours playtime

  18 of 18 achievements

• The Excavation of Hob's Barrow
  

  7 hours playtime

  40 of 40 achievements

After Hours: After Hours is a puzzle game where you are on a computer and need to unlock research data saved on the device. So, at the beginning you only have access to only a few folder and files and you try to access more and more of them subsequently. Sounds easy enough, however the game is an ARG. What does this mean? In order to progress in the game, you need to search information outside of the game and even access websites only created for the game. You are permanently jumping between the game and internet to search for the relevant information all while trying not randomly landing in a game guide telling you the solution. This is cool when it works and you find that specific “real” item, helping you to get further in the game. The issue with this approach is that the amount of potential information is far more than what the game delivers. And you are not sure if you are stuck because you have overlooked something in the game or if you just didn’t get stuff you have already seen. For the most part, it was a nice experience and I managed to make it close to the end. Generally, there are two “routes”, you can progress at the beginning leading both to information, you have to combine to get access to the mail programm. Afterwards, you get two new routes. Issue is that one of the routes was so obscure that I didnt even notice it, meaning I was stuck at a point and couldn’t find out what to do. So, I had to look up that specific information and I really don’t like using guides in puzzle games. Also, one of the websites, you need to access has some issues, so that depending on how you type the adress, it will result in an error, making you think that you can’t solve it anymore. Overall, the concept is interesting but there is to much “openess” making the experience frustrating at times. There is also no guarantee if the external websites will be available in the future. If you are interested anyway, check it out yourself. The game is free to play.

Baba is You: This should be one of the better known games. Baba is You is a puzzle game where you can change the rules of the field. You have a visual aspect of the game showing you the levels and then you have the rules shown on the field. The goal for each level is to get the object with the “you” property on the object with the “win” property. Usually, the rules are small codes with blocks of three (or more). For example, “Baba is You” tells you that the visual Baba piece is the “player” and “Flag if Win” tells you to get the Baba figure on the flag. However, these rules can change from level to level and even in one level. In this way, the game is messing with your mind as it quickly steps out of set pieces you are accustomed to from other games. An easy example would be that all early levels introduce you the concept that walls or other objects stop your movement by the “object is stop” code. And then you start in a small room surrounded by walls. And you run around, trying to solve the level but being unable to do so. Until you notice that you can pass through the walls because there is no code making it that way. You just assumed that the walls do that. To win each level, you have therefore accustom to the existing rules and bend them in a way that allows you to win. The game introduces new code pieces each few levels and makes sure that they work the same everytime although there might be specific interactions which will only become able in later level. For this reason, Baba is You is one of the most complex puzzle games I have ever played. But it is also one of the best designed puzzle game. Everything you need is depicted on one screen, and nearly all the time the levels are designed in a way that makes sure you know which codes you have to take as fixed and which codes you can play around with. Nearly all pieces and areas are designed so that if something seems unnecessary for the solution you approach then your solution is probably wrong. Nearly everything has a purpose. This counts even more when you reach the meta puzzles in the game.
Overall, a very recommendable game that I started three years ago and got stuck in a level and didn’t want to use a guide. Recently, I tried to get back and solved the level in question within a few approaches, firing me up to go for the rest. And I have been quite successful and managed to finish the game. However, to my shame I had to look up two puzzles at the end of the game in order to complete some earlier optional parts (to get all achievements). To be fair, I also didn’t solve everything myself before, as I have played the game in parts with a friend. And Baba is You makes actually for an interesting co-op experience where you can discuss possible solutions and ideas. And when both of you are having a controller, you can both move the player. So, when one of you is exhausted, another one can try some things out on their own. If you are looking for a puzzle game then Baba is You should be at the top of your list. There are very few puzzle games as well designed as this. And after completing the game, there are even more workshop puzzles also by the developer himself. Although, he introduces a lot of new code pieces which makes level more gimmickly and even more complex. So, the main game is in my opinion the better experience.

The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow: And here the last “puzzle” game. In this case, it is a point and click game and plays as such. You are Thomasina Bateman, an excavator being invited to Bewlay in order to excavate Hob’s Barrow. However, the person that invited you is nowhere to be found and the people in the village are partially not to welcoming. So, you run around from location to location, pick up what is lying around, talk to people and solve puzzle. There are no multiple solutions to puzzle and while there are sometimes dialog choices none of them influence the game (some are for achievements) and the ending. The puzzles are for the most part also very easy and if you press space you can see every object you can interact with, so no pixel hunting. With the game being on the easy side, it has to be carried mostly by its story. And I think it did manage that to a certain degree. However, you should know that the game has a horror tag and there are at least a dozen threads in the forum discussing the ending of the game :P It is a good game but there are better options for point and click games.

And with this, the entry is at its end. I noticed I didnt talk much about achievements today. But for After Hours you’ll get them by completing the game. For Baba is You, you basically need to solve every of the 231 levels in the main game (and sometimes even more because not all levels are obvious as a level) and for Hob’s Barrow it is PnC typically a mixture out of story achievements and specific interactions.
And now back to my usual puzzle: What to play next. The next Wizordum update probably still takes some time. Maybe, I will try making some more Crystal Caves maps. It has been some times since I managed to do so. Or finally back to Resident Evil and Resident Evil likes? Maybe I activate some of the games from the puzzle games bundle. Patrick’s Parabox looked interesting.