Awesome Puzzles

Puzzle fanatic Tony Fisher shows off a unique 1x5x5 Rubik’s Cube which should theoretically not function in a single layer. While many thought it was an April Fools’ prank, it really does work – it just turns out that the secret is painfully obvious.

Come for the sausages, stay for the Sokoban. Stephen Lavelle’s latest game consists of a series of hair-pulling logic puzzles by way of sausage grilling. You have to grill the sausages’ top and bottom, and you can’t grill either surface more than once.

Transfer a ball from one container to another using seven different modules. If you love logic puzzle games like Spacechem, Infinifactory and Hitman GO, [the Sequence] is for you. Also available on iOS and Android for $1.

It’s been a long time since we banged out heads against the wall trying to solve the puzzles in Myst. Now, its creators are back with a new game, in which you are abducted to a strange place, and must figure out WTF is going on to find your way home.

LEGO’s take on the classic marble maze game Labyrinth. Conceptualized by LEGO enthusiast Jason Allemann aka JKBrickworks, the set lets you create your own mazes, which you can easily swap over its tip and tilt base. Drops 4/1/16 for $70.

The stylish puzzle game makes its way from iOS and Android to Windows, PS4 and PS Vita. Hitman GO: Definitive Edition is presented as a turn-based board game that builds on its basic rules with increasingly challenging twists.

Puzzle maker Tony Fisher believes he’s made the world’s largest fully functional Rubik’s Cube. The toy measures about 5ft. on each side and weighs 220lb. He could’ve made it larger, but he wanted it to be solvable by one person.

Kagen Schaefer makes complex wooden puzzles. One of them is a desk that has over 20 puzzles and hidden compartments, which when solved give you pieces of sheet music. Put that together, play the notes on the built-in pipe organ and you’ll open a final secret drawer.

Oskar van Deventer’s Fractal Jigsaw is a blank laser-cut jigsaw puzzle based on a fractal called the Dragon curve. It’s made of only 11 large pieces, but once you snap them into place they blend with each other so well that you won’t be able to tell them apart.

Created by a team of students from Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, this proof of concept from Pillow Castle uses forced perspective as a gameplay mechanic for solving puzzles – and messing with our heads.

This insanely intricate wood veneer box from Japan requires its owner to remember a sequence of exact steps in order to open it and access its contents. Unfortunately, it’s not impervious to sledgehammers.

Volume is an MGS-esque game in which its Robin Hood protagonist must stealthily rob items. The game allows players to customize, remix and share levels, a la Minecraft. From Mike Bithell (Thomas Was Alone). Early demo footage here.

A 3D-printed Rubik’s cube’s moves were made to correspond with lights on the Ars Eelectronica Center using an Arduino processor and Bluetooth modem to relay information to special software and allow passersby to try and solve the puzzle.

Return to the lands from the SNES classic A Link to the Past in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Use Link’s ability to turn into a painting and save both Hyrule and its parallel kingdom Lorule from an evil wizard.

Scale is a first-person open-world puzzle game. It gives you a gun that can change the size of objects and even the level itself. Be sure to read about the game’s hilarious premise as well. It will be released for Windows, OS X and Linux.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds gives Link the power to transform into a painting. Use it to solve puzzles and travel between Hyrule and Lorule. Drops 11/22/13 (i.e. after your first play through of Pokémon X/Y).

Jason Freeny’s latest creation is a mass produced sculpture, puzzle and educational toy in one. The Gummi Bear Anatomy Toy has a transparent body with 41 removable internal parts.

As his name suggests, Sacramento designer Laserist enjoys making cool things with lasers. His nifty 3D cut-out puzzles in the shapes of guns are available in Uzi, Beretta and Revolver designs.

One of the co-creators of Portal wants you to have some more fun with science. Specifically with physics. Quantum Conundrum’s dimension-shifting puzzles will be available on Steam on June 21.

The first game from Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, Rango) definitely has us intrigued. The Xbox Kinect exclusive looks like a puzzler, and it features an orb that looks like Wheatley’s cousin.

4 years in the making, this open-ended puzzler just hit Xbox Live. With graphics inspired by retro 2D platformers, it follows the journey of Gomez and his discovery of a 3rd dimension. (Thanks Pedro!)

A choose your own adventure book for puzzle geeks. The Tic Tac Tome has over 1,400 pages and even gives you the option of going first or letting the book go first. You can only play as the X though.

An all-occasion greeting card that works exactly like the Universal Wrapping Paper. Contains over a hundred well wishes, and even comes with a cheat sheet for the extraordinarily lazy.

Etsy seller Pipe Dreams 2010 makes beautiful puzzles of continents and countries using laser-cut wood. Each piece has a magnet on its back so you can display them separately or as one.

Fabio Milito’s cleverly designed wrapping paper is a clean-lined word jumble that makes a card unnecessary – you can simply circle the most appropriate gift-giving occasion. (Thanks Mark!)

IGN explores the hotly-anticipated sequel, showing off puzzles we’ve not seen before. Co-op mode looks awesome. We can’t wait to get our grubby little hands on it this April. (Thanks Jonathan!)