Grindstone (Switch eShop)
Compelling to a fault, with a hypnotic and exhilarating central conceit, Grindstone is a tiny bit special. Hopefully, it won't be dismissed by players for being a mobile port, or being mistaken for a "match-three" game akin to Candy Crush – it's not. A full-featured, elegantly designed experience, Capybara's action-puzzle-tactics game is a tiny marvel and we'd strongly recommend it to any and all Switch owners. Ever-so-slight resource exhaustion is the only thing letting it down, but it's easily forgiven when smashing seven shades of shawarma out of creeps is so flipping fun. We say it's time to reverse that well-worn idiom and put your yes to the Grindstone.
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon (Switch eShop)
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is a smartly designed and truly delightful revitalization of the falling block puzzle genre. High intensity, combat-driven gameplay, oodles of replayability, a cute art style, and a surprising amount of depth make this one a ridiculously easy recommendation. If you’re at all a fan of Shovel Knight or falling block puzzlers, you owe it to yourself to give this a shot; even if you don’t fall neatly into either of those camps, we’d still very much suggest you give this one a look.
Please, Touch The Artwork (Switch eShop)
Please, Touch The Artwork is an excellent little puzzler that cleverly combines intuitive, pensive puzzle mechanics with art history and humour to create an interactive exhibit you really shouldn't miss out on. If you've got any interest in modern art whatsoever, you're sure to enjoy this gem, but even puzzle fans who don't know their Picassos from their Pollocks would do well to browse these galleries. There's really nothing else to say. Do what the title says.
Toodee and Topdee (Switch eShop)
Toodee and Topdee is a fantastically imaginative puzzle game with exceptional variety wrung out of its core conceit. It struggles most when it asks for dynamic execution of puzzle solutions, but even then it’s pretty decent. This side-on / top-down puzzler is one that other games should look up to.
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Dungeons of Dreadrock (Switch eShop)
Dungeons of Dreadrock is a simple little game with a Minish Cap-style aesthetic that's been compared to a dungeon crawler, but this is really a puzzler with swords ‘n’ sorcery set dressing. It's well-designed and cleverly builds on its formula throughout its brief run. Those looking for a good game to wind down with before bed may want to give this a look.
Dorfromantik (Switch eShop)
Here you have a puzzle game that doesn't chase after complex mechanics, cutting-edge design, or intense action; Dorfromantik is simply about building warm, rural countrysides at your own pace. No pressure. No noise. And though it sacrifices some of its long-term appeal with this approach, we commend Dorfromantik for committing wholly to the peaceful atmosphere it endeavors to create. It may not have a ton of staying power, but it offers up a satisfying and chill puzzle experience that we feel is worthwhile in the end.
Patrick's Parabox (Switch eShop)
Patrick's Parabox is the rare game that's both highly challenging and highly approachable in equal measure without once dropping a beat. This is a must-play for fans of the genre — especially more logic-driven puzzlers like Baba Is You. Even if you're not the most hardened puzzle veteran, Patrick's Parabox does a great job of teaching you to solve even its most difficult puzzles thanks to a clever level structure and approachable progression system.
Strange Horticulture (Switch eShop)
Strange Horticulture’s biggest struggle is shoehorning itself into the Switch’s little screen and thumbstick controls. It does that well enough to preserve its wonder, but if you have a PC to play it on, that might be preferable. It comes from a very simple place: a one-screen playfield with basic, heavily scripted interactions. But that is the perfect backdrop to throw the player’s new discoveries into sharp relief and bring an eerie world and gripping mystery to life. This irresistible immersion stems eventually from a quiet and unassuming start, so stick with it – it’ll grow on you.
Windosill (Switch eShop)
Patrick Smith's delightful Windosill is a breezy, playful, and rather magical little journey through a series of enchanting puzzles, with a unique aesthetic that very obviously influenced the art style of the likes of Donut County and Monument Valley. The wonderfully laid-back and often trippy vibe here elevates what is actually a rather simple and short experience — you can blast through it all in less than an hour — into something that really does have the power to stay with you long after you've completed its charming collection of challenges.
Railbound (Switch eShop)
Coming from the makers of Golf Peaks and inbento, Railbound is a super-cute puzzler of polished presentation and deceptively monstrous difficulty. It starts ever so innocently, asking for a little railway line to connect a carriage to its engine, and sings with toots and chuffs as a billow of smoke from the locomotive clears to reveal the next stage. By the 100th level, however, it becomes a head-scratcher that’ll wear your nails to nubs.
Backbeat (Switch eShop)
Backbeat stands out among puzzle games for its attractive graphics and constantly pulsing, funky soundscape, but most of all for its impressive depth of mechanics. Juggling phrase lengths, bar markers, alignment, stagger, solos, and special moves – all in interactive levels full of moving parts – is like having a wah-wah pedal hooked up to your brain. Apart from a sometimes-fiddly interface and limited replayability, Ichigoichie hits all the right notes.
Storyteller (Switch eShop)
Storyteller seems simple at first. Each puzzle has a title, a set of scenes, a handful of characters, and a bunch of blank spaces for you to fill. The titles are the key, and with 12 chapters that have four puzzles each, they get progressively more complicated as you build narratives to fit the parameters of the title using a cast of four characters. After just this short taste, we sincerely hope Benmergui and Annapurna give this clever premise a sequel.
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! (Switch)
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! feels like a fitting, worthy new entry in the long-running series. There’s a rich mixture of single and multiplayer/online modes on offer here, and though the AI bots can leave something to be desired, this is overall a well-rounded and appealing package that’s sure to appeal to any action puzzle fans. We’d give this one a recommendation to anyone looking for an addictive puzzler that doesn’t require too much mental investment to ‘get’ and that keeps you on your toes. The simple and brilliant game design on display here is admirable and it’s sure to eat up hours of your time once it gets its hooks in you.
Comments 109
Puyo Puyo Tetris is great fun! Will probably try Lumines in the future.
heads up up for colorblind folks:
Puyo Puyo Tetris is unplayable if you are colorblind.
Will get Gardens Between, Lumines, and Gorgoa sooner or later.
Glad Toki Tori 2+ got a mention, even if, as with Human Resource Machine, it was only in passing. I love a puzzle game that actually makes you think, rather than just match shapes.
Gorogoa is an unforgettable experience. I read the glowing reviews and bought it at launch, then sat on it for a couple of months... Then one day at a dinner party, all the kids went to bed and on a random whim us adults collectively completed the game in one sitting. It's beautiful, it's breathtaking, it's ingenious. My friend figured out (what I feel is) the trickiest puzzle and to this day I am in awe of his lateral thinking. It's not a cheap game and it's not a long game but it's worth every penny.
I have to agree with @TheFongz: Gorogoa is a pretty unique and memorable experience. Well worth the asking price, in my opinion.
I'd put in:
Death Squared
Pode
...though maybe you put them into multiplayer?
Death Squared does seem like an omission here.
Hexalogic should’ve made the list. A cool and relaxing puzzle game. An understandably, yet criminally overlooked title.
Magical Drop 3 for the win!
Does Picross S2 really not have touch screen support? That's crazy.
Was gonna pick that up but might not bother now!
Though I only played the demo, Piczle Lines DX was pretty fun too.
I'd love a Tetris game in the vein of Tetris DS.
@CharlieSmile Wasn't there an option to turn the Puyos into different sized shapes? Maybe people who are colorblind can play that way too.
No Zen Bound mentioned. Will riot.
But good to see a nod to Sushi Striker, surprised nothing of it is in Smash at all.
Wow! Puyo Puyo Tetris at #1! Now that's a sight for sore eyes.
@Nagi_Nagisa
wait, what???
Just got Puyo Puyo Tetris from the eShop sale. Really good game, even though I'm not great at Puyo Puyo. XD
Too bad. 🤔
Magical Drop 3 on Switch = Arcade version, Not the PS1 version which each gems associated with their Elementals (Red = Flame Sword, Yellow = Twinkle Stars, Green = Leafy Tornado, Blue = Glass of Water) + some Gimmick gems like Frozen gems, Bomb, Direction gems, Bubble gems, etc.
It called Special Mode on PS1 version.
I love puzzle games, and am rather good at them. That said, I can't wrap my head around Puyo Puyo. I have never struggled with a puzzle game so much, and I don't understand the love it gets. Puzzle League, Tetris, Bust-A-Move, and Lumines are all better, and even amongst Sega's puzzle offerings, I find Columns superior.
@CharlieSmile - In Puyo-Puyo (at least the last two games), you are given options to change (sometimes drastically) the shape and theme of the puyos. Not the most ideal scenario for those colorblind, but a current work around til SEGA starts considering the feature for future titles.
Where's Puzzle Adventure Blockle?
@Paraka that's actually super useful, thank you.
I could not play the demo of the game on account of my eyesight.
I preferred Sushi Striker over Puyo Puyo- I didn’t think the Puyo Puyo demo offered me much I haven’t experienced to warrant purchasing it. My favorite puzzler now is Piczle Dines DX- I’ve gotten 70 hours in it and still have at least 1/3 of the puzzle packs left. Well worth the money spent. I’m thinking about picking up The Gardens Between since it’s on sale now. Overall I’m glad Nintendolife did a column like this I think puzzle games get overlooked compared to games like Smash Bros..
I stink at these games but nonetheless have PPT and Lumines from this list. I never played Lumines on the PSP but this game rocks on the Switch. Chaining those combos is addicting.
I can also recommend Whip! Whip!. Great little killemup!
Lumines is number 1 for me
Puyo Puyo Tetris and Toad Treasure Tracker are my top 2.
Where is The Room? This game looks a lot better than the mobile version.
@Mamabear Agreed! I love puzzle games. Glad they don’t get overlooked.
I liked Tumblestone on Wii U, but I hit a mode that I found too difficult to pass.
I forgot about Soldam. Sounds interesting.
@datamonkey Pic-a-Pix Deluxe and Pic-a-Pix Pieces both have touchscreen support. Free demos of both.
I wish I'd not been so terrible at Gorogoa. That is a difficult game. Ingenious, but difficult. 😥
@chrisnewman Thanks I'll take a look!
I Haven't played many of these games. Captain Toad has a special place in my heart. I love that game! Lumines and Puyo Puyo Tetris are the other two games in this list I've played and loved. I still play them now and then. Maybe I'll take a look at Gardens Between
@Paraka There is at least one spirit from Sushi Striker in Ultimate.
Puyo Puyo Tetris is superb. The swap mode is amazingly fun.
Ive held on to the JP demo of ppt, though we tend to have a blast whilst playing, we don’t play it that often to warrant buying the full game.
@Paraka
update: I flexed my peepers on all the available skins, none of them worked for me.
the Sonic character Puyos have Sonics and Amys that look too similar, and the alphabetical Puyos still have strong colors.
I tried
@CharlieSmile - I am actually pretty disheartened that none of the options worked for you. Were any the shapes at all useful?
@Paraka sadly, no. like I said, the shapes still have intense colors that really blur together for me.
Added The Talos Principle
@dartmonkey I only recently got a Switch and have been finding your list articles super helpful, so thanks!
I was wondering whether you might consider creating a list of the best "relaxing" Switch games — I'd be keen to get your expert advice on top choices in that regard!
@MegaWatts Glad they’re useful I was thinking a while back about games to help combat stress. So many have the opposite effect! I’ll ruminate on it 👍
@CharlieGirl
Are you colorblind yourself? Someone at my workplace is color blind, and he has trouble identifying blues and purples (which ironically they sent him on a dumb course to know what color category a person is XD).
Puyo Tetros / Champions allows you to change the style of the Puyo and Tetris pieces. One of the Puyo options allows the Puyos to display the first letter of the color:
R = Red
B = Blue
G = Green
Y = Yellow
B = Black
I don't know how helpful that is to people who are colorblind, and personally, I would prefer matching colors instead of letters.
Puyo 2 Sega Ages for the Switch does have an option where you can change the colors of each of the Puyos. So the colors you are having trouble identifying, you can set to what is easier on your eyes. It maybe worth giving that version a go if you want to try the Puyo series.
Donuty County is the best sub-two hour experience I've had in years and Lumines Remastered is the best drop-puzzler not named Tetris.
Elechead and Toodee & Topdee should totally be on this list. Fantastic puzzle platformers, just like Portal is.
Sushi striker and battle chef brigade are my favorites.
@Maulbert There are not too many puzzle games that are designed for versus co-op. Maybe it shines better when playing against someone else?
I actually have quite a few of these. But I want to add to the discussion more. An obvious miss is probably Catherine Full Body, technically still a puzzle game.
And now I want to mention a few games for people that like to go off the beaten path.
I would say look at "Infini" if you like weirdness and stories intertwined with your puzzles. Also, look at mini-Trains, it's a little bare bones, but it's puzzles are interesting.
Also, just for diversity, check out Pudding Monsters. It definitely feels like a mobile port, but it's a well done port. It also might be the ONLY game that is both touch screen only and tate mode only. It has a lot of personality (as opposed to mini-Trains), and some puzzles that are really stump you.
Some great titles... don't overlook "Mr. Driller" as it's a fully realized, AAA quality console game from the GameCube era that we finally got an English version of.
Amongst my favourite genres in gaming and I have played and enjoyed all of thos games bar Tricky Towers and 7 Billion Humans. They are all either decent, good or excellent. The Switch is a great console for puzzle, brain and strategy games. My favourites out of this list are the Tetris games, Captain Toad and Gorogoa. I'd recommend all the others too though
@Royalblues I'd argue that fitting matching pieces together until you win makes it a lot closer to real world puzzle games than most of the other entries, though obviously the broader definition of a puzzle as something that's difficult to solve is a bit more flexible.
❗️I only have 'Toad: Treasure Tracker' as I liked it on the 3DS.
While you're adding things, I'd throw PAN-PAN, The Room, and Flood of Light on here. By the way, I can see there's already some overlap, but wouldn't Portal be more appropriate for the puzzle platformer list?
@Royalblues Fair enough. I'm just saying they look a lot closer to what most people would call a puzzle than something like Portal or Toki Tori. You know, like a rubik's cube or a box with a thousand pieces in it or one of those things where there's one empty square and you need to slide the rest around. Most of those just involve matching up shapes or colors.
Six Wii U ports, but I may have missed a few.
Captain Toad and Baba is You on this list are both great puzzle games.
One of my favorites not on this Iist is the rpg-one-room-puzzle game Dungeon of Dreadrock. Switch also has a ton of great puzzle-platformers (Wunderling comes to mind but there are a lot).
Tetris games are great too of course, they're just not what I would really call 'puzzle' in the same sense (Tetris and matching, bubble pop etc games really just need a different category). I also really enjoyed Gardens Between but the puzzle aspects were pretty light, it was mostly just pretty and had a nice mood, with almost a point-and-click vibe.
I think puzzle is a bit of an over-loaded and hugely varied game category and you could easily make a Switch list 10 times this long with great games.
@CharlieGirl Seconded. Blue and purple puyos are wayyyy too similar in color. Tetris is fine.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 has a colorblind mode, but it doesn't do much to help me.
Many of these games gave me hours and hours of enjoyment. Captain toad, Gardens Between and Lumines etc. One I would add is the Quell games. They are nice to look at, peaceful, with a gradual learning curve.
@RadioShadow It's totally the blues and purples that get me. Can't speak for @CharlieGirl, but I'm red-green colorblind, so anything with red hue shading (like purple) is hard to differentiate.
Fun fact, any male biological children of a woman who is colorblind has 100% chance of also being colorblind. Thanks, Mom!
Tricky Towers is very good. It's a game that needs a sequel!
What about Money Puzzle Exchanger? I wish the port had an online mode, but still. It one of the best arcade puzzlers.
The Turing Test should be on here. Pretty cool game with a lot of atmosphere and you can pick it up really cheap on sale.
I was also impressed with Q.U.B.E, 2
My favourite puzzle game that I've played so far on Switch isn't even a Switch game: it's Mario Picross on the SNES NSO service. It is by far one of the most relaxing and satisfying puzzle games I've ever played and I would highly recommend it to anyone with Switch Online. I have also been meaning to get Captain Toad though since I quite liked the demo and it's camera moving shenanigans seem right up my alley.
I don’t trust this list, as Superliminal isn’t listed, and am highly disappointed by that that. That game was profound!
@geo-shifter : I blind-bought Super Rare's release of that and really, really enjoyed it. In fact, it's one of few Switch games that I've seen to completion. Quite a relaxing, unique, and immersive experience.
In hindsight, I'm particularly glad that I didn't spoil myself by watching any footage of the game before the fact, as it's not often that I buy a game based solely on instinct.
I blinking love Grindstone. So glad it got a mention in this list. Sure, it's not perfect, but I have been playing it on and off for the last few months and I still haven't finished the Main Quest.
@BlueMoose I'm among the 0.5% of women with some form of colorblindness (protonopia).
YAY ME 🥴
Puzzle Bobble not being here is a sin.
@Silly_G Yeah. I’ve played through twice, and then have gone back to play specific sequences. I try to space the play time out to give myself time to forget the puzzles. I wish I could mind zap to forget and play all over again.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is as much of a puzzle game as it is an RPG.
Puzzle games have definitely grown more on me with the Switch as I like the pickup & play, quick game session appeal of them.
Def wishlisted and piqued by Gorogoa, Lumines, Boxboy + Boxgirl to check out sometime eventually.
For this Puzzle Games list I’d also add:
I’d love to see more intriguing entries in the genre keep coming. (Also I’m looking at you Taito, we need a new Bust-A-Move game on Switch!)
… Wun can only hope.
Puyo Puyo and Touhou Spell Bubble are mad fun
I really wish Captain Toad Treasure Tracker would get a sequel, it's so fun and charming and unique.
wHaT aBoUt tEaRs oF tHe kInGdOm?
But seriously, Art of Balance is one of the best puzzle games I've ever played, and it's super relaxing.
@ModdedInkling I didn't even think about Origami King as being a puzzle game until I read your post, but you're absolutely right. And I actually consider Origami King to be more of an action/adventure game with RPG elements.
My current obsession is Wario’s Woods for NES on Switch Online. I just discovered it and it’s brilliant.
I wish pushmo was on this list…
@FishyS thank you! Dreadrock is on the list as it seems (maybe Gavin added it after your comment?). Anyway please note that there will be a sequel next year https://youtu.be/KlytebvYBIE?si=1Rna1rsGry-asZDr
And Sidenote: DoD's currently 75% off in America.
I think you need to try the Tents and trees demo.
Check out The Pedestrian. I played the demo and was hooked!
I think Shin'en's Punchuin should be on this list.
I can’t believe The Witness never came out on Switch. One of my fav puzzle games ever.
@Paulo It really should not. It's not even very good, and UFO does literally everything better than it.
Where is Touryst?
Appreciate the article.
Was already aware of most of them, but not all.
Played and enjoyed a few, played and didn't enjoy a few of the others.
Added a couple that I wasn't familiar with to my wish list for future consideration when on sale: Bomb Chicken and Grindstone.
Recently tried some nature/hex grid games. Wanted to like Dorfromantik, but it just didn't grab me. Enjoyed Pan'orama for a few hours, but completing a run is just too time consuming IMO. Would prefer the building count be reduced from 52 to maybe 36 or so.
And for those still reading (anyone?), my current nature/hex grid addiction is 'Growth'. I have made enough runs to open everything, and figured out enough of how the algorithm works go be able to complete a run (sooth the volcano?) consistently. There are a few reviews online, so I recommend checking them out.
Lastly, check out match threes from Green Sauce games. My favorite is Storm Tale 2: a few years old so better production values and more helpful bonuses than their newer games. They can be found on sale periodically.
@MindfulGamer Thanks for the recommendations!
You should check out The Pedestrian demo if you haven’t yet (a puzzle platformer).
I haven’t bought the full game yet, but intend to. My impression from reviews is that the difficulty does ramp up, but not to where you are perpetually stuck.
PS I am not affiliated with the game at all. I just really enjoyed the demo. It has been out on other consoles, but the Switch port just recently released. 😊
@DwaynesGames Thanks for the Pedestrian rec. I did a brief search. Great reviews on Steam, and the trailer looked interesting. Wishlisted on eShop and plan to check out the demo.
On the non-puzzle game front, I've never been a farm sim guy (Stardew Valley just didn't compel me to keep going after a few hours), but something about Fae Farm piqued my interest. So when they released a demo and put it on sale a few days ago, I tried the demo, watched a few beginner videos, and then took the plunge. After a few days I'm starting to get addicted lol. So many games ...
It's nice to see Pizza Tower killer in the top.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 definitely didn't have the same "impact" that its predecessor had, but its numerous (subtle) improvements here and there made it the better game at the end of the day, in my opinion. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 deserved better...
Guys. Tents and Trees, and hexceed. Two puzzle games that will pull you in for weeks. Especially Tents and Trees, everything in it is a joy, from touch-screen controls to little animations to music.
@LadyCharlie Puyo Puyo Tetris 1 ans 2 have colorblind modes
Cocoon is still one of the best I've played this year, a great palette cleanser between larger games
First 3 on this list I hold in high regard.
Really would have liked to see Fire and Ice on here. I know it's an NES title, but it's one of the best games on the NSO service.
Um, excuse me, shouldn't Suika Game be on this list?
I feel like this list is missing A Monster's Expedition. It's my absolute favorite game because it's a brilliant puzzle game about a monster on an expedition through islands exhibiting human stuff (the descriptions of the stuff are very humorous in a dry and charming manner) that has the most relaxing vibes I know and sokoban-like puzzles that are very clever and satisfying. The only annoying thing is that I love it so much that it takes me a really short time now to play through most of the levels (something I've done many times), but I only manage to find a little more than 600 levels and then it's very hard to find the last few levels (it's around 700 islands all together). That's my only criticism, I absolutely adore A Monster's Expedition and I want more people to love it. I also want a sequel because it's just that fascinating.
Filmechanism is my favourite puzzle game on switch.
No picczle lines? Ive played nearly every game on this list, but only enjoyed Tetris and picross. Picczle lines dx and 2 ive spend hundreds, if not thousands of hours on.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Can’t hardly wait for World of Goo 2. So excited!
What about Super Puzzle Fighter??!?!?!
I recommend hexceed. I've put about 200 hours into it. It's good for those who like the 2D un-glamorous Picross style (I've got no better way of describing it...) No cutscenes, story or other nonsense. Just simple puzzles, reminiscent of Minesweeper.
I'm surprised that Dr.Mario didn't get a mention.
I know that it's not available for purchase on the eShop, but it's on the base tier of Nintendo Switch Online and is a fantastic puzzle game with really outstanding music. 2 player is super fun and speedrunning the single player mode is a meaty challenge. Always got love for the good Doctor!
Needs way more Q.U.B.E. - both the 10th Anniversary edition of the original, and the sequel. Both ridiculously good games.
Not seeing the mother of puzzle games, (real)Myst here feels surreal
Man I wish the Portal collection had a physical.
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