Should puzzle games always allow you to skip levels?

The satisfaction of solving a puzzle is inherent. You learn the rules of the game and are then faced with a challenge that tests your knowledge of those rules. The Predictability reassures

and hearing the game click, ding, or chime as you solve each puzzle is a serotonin rush that I kind of rely on. But sometimes I can’t solve a puzzle, and in those situations, I’m grateful for games that keep me going.

In many puzzle games, levels become increasingly difficult and complicated as the game progresses. Often, earlier puzzles are used to learn tactics that you will use in later challenges. There are also puzzle games – often newer versions – where the goal is not whether you can solve each individual level. A little to the left is a great example: the game is all about relaxation (although it also won a bit of a reputation for driving players crazy), and it would be counter-thetical to hold the player hostage on a difficult level. More importantly, what is important in a puzzle game like A little to the left is much more subjective, so the developers decided to let players skip the levels they don’t enjoy.

Image: Max Inferno/Secret Mode

It is a Rorschach test for a game, especially in the case of Seeing Stars DLC which was released in June; these new puzzles have multiple possible solutions, sometimes five or more for one puzzle. It’s designed to be skipped, which to me doesn’t just mean moving on. I also reject the idea that games are only satisfying when you get every last piece done, and do it alone. Cheating – or cooperating, as we like to call it here at Polygon – is an indelible part of modern single-player games, so much so that Animal fountain

has a whole puzzle that is unsolvable without the help of other players.

Another reason level-skip features are a necessary and appreciated feature for gamers like me is the sheer amount of games I want to play right now. There are hundreds of puzzle games to dive into, and if I get so stuck on a puzzle that I can’t continue the game, I’ll probably move on to another game in my backlog.

It’s really none of my business if other players skip levels, but I think gamers tend to be motivated by nature. After all, we sit down to play because we want the gaming experience. So for completionists and purists, the ability to skip levels means nothing. These types of players will probably sweat over a difficult puzzle anyway because they just want to finish it before moving on, not because the game forces them to.

Image: Furniture & Mattress LLC

Arranger: A role-playing puzzle gamereleasing on Thursday allows players to skip levels, but it doesn’t make it easy. To skip a level, you have to navigate to the gate at the end of the level (which requires a lot of maneuvering in itself) to activate the “skip level” pop-up. I’ve only done it once so far in this game, and I was just as relieved to skip the level I couldn’t solve for four rounds in a row as I was to solve the next puzzle in just a few minutes.

It seems that level skipping is becoming more and more common in puzzle games, and I find it a welcome confirmation that we all have very different brains that like and are good at different things.