1. What makes a good puzzle
What makes a good puzzle
Every puzzle is a little story in four parts:
| Part | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Problem | What stands in the way? | The door is locked. |
| Hint | How can the player know what to do? | "The screws on the grate look loose." |
| Solution | What do they have to do? | Open the grate with the screwdriver, take the key. |
| Reward | What do they gain? | The door opens, a new room, a piece of story. |
If one of these parts is missing, the puzzle falls over. Without a visible problem the player clicks around aimlessly. Without a hint they guess. Without a reward they wonder what it was all for.
Aha instead of guessing
The goal is the moment when the player thinks: "Oh, of course!" That moment only happens if they had all the information and put it together themselves. If they only find the solution by trying every item on every object, they don't feel clever, they feel exhausted.
Rule to remember
Problem, hint, solution, reward. Check every puzzle for all four parts.
Your task
Take a puzzle from your project and write down the four parts in one sentence each. If you can't think of anything for one part, you have found the weak spot.
