History GuideDangIt / PuzzleGames

* ''TheDaVinciCode'' game has a ridiculously frustrating puzzle in the third level where you have to light up a pentagram using fire. Sounds easy, right? Not when you realize that there aren't any clues telling you what order to light the points of the star.

* The entire ''{{Myst}}'' franchise is essentially a huge set of these. At a bare minimum, be prepared to take a lot of notes.

* ''VideoGame/{{Antichamber}}'': Some puzzles have very obscure solutions. Also, some abilities aren't well demonstrated. For instance [[spoiler: you are shown that you can "grow" more blocks with the green gun in the recess in the wall, but it takes a logical leap to figure out that you can do so by drawing an empty square ''anywhere'' you want - not just in the recessed areas.]]

* ''VideoGame/ChipsChallenge''. The first 30-50 levels can be beaten after solving puzzles and obstacles that rely on basic mechanics. Further levels, however, will resort to more advanced means, and some of them (like ''Perfect Match'' or ''Partial Post'', ''whose hint tiles aren't clear enough!'') will likely leave gamers stuck for a long time. Then, of course, there are the convoluted and mind-screwing mazes that will inevitably call for a step guide.

* ''VideoGame/{{Karoshi}} 2.0.'' Mostly of the awesome fourth-wall-raping style, the kicker of which is level 48, on which to get an in-game CD player working, you had to ''[[spoiler:insert a music CD in your computer's CD drive.]]'' Who would've thought of ''that?''

* ''VideoGame/ChipsChallenge''. The first 30-50 levels can be beaten after solving puzzles and obstacles that rely on basic mechanics. Further levels, however, will resort to more advanced means, and some of them (like ''Perfect Match'' or ''Partial Post'', ''whose hint tiles aren't clear enough!'') will likely leave gamers stuck for a long time. Then, of course, there are the convoluted and mind-screwing mazes that will inevitably call for a step guide.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'', during the final battle, you must [[spoiler: fire the portal gun at the moon, through a hole in the ceiling]]. Somewhat averted in that you can't actually aim your camera more than a few degrees away from your intended target – but even this much help still doesn't make it instantly obvious. The only clue to what you are supposed to do is given much earlier in the game, as an offhand remark during one of Cave Johnson's many rants.

* ''VideoGame/ChipsChallenge''. The first 30-50 levels can be beaten after solving puzzles and obstacles that rely on basic mechanics. Further levels, however, will resort to more advanced means, and some of them (like ''Perfect Match'' or ''Partial Post'', ''whose hint tiles aren't clear enough!'') will likely leave gamers stuck for a long time. Then there's, of course, the convoluted and mind-screwing mazes that will inevitably call for a step guide.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'', during the final battle, you must [[spoiler: fire the portal gun at the moon, through a hole in the ceiling]]. Somewhat averted in that you can't actually aim your camera more than a few degrees away from your intended target – but even this much help still doesn't make it instantly obvious. (Of course, YourMileageMayVary.) The only clue to what you are supposed to do is given much earlier in the game, as an offhand remark during one of Cave Johnson's many rants.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal2}}'', during the final battle, you must [[spoiler: fire the portal gun at the moon, through a hole in the ceiling]]. Somewhat averted in that you can't actually aim your camera more than a few degrees away from your intended target – but even this much help still doesn't make it instantly obvious. (Of course, YourMileageMayVary.) The only clue to what you are supposed to do is given much earlier in the game, as an offhand remark during one of Cave Johnson's many rants.

* In ''VideoGame/Portal2'', during the final battle, you must [[spoiler: fire the portal gun at the moon, through a hole in the ceiling]]. Somewhat averted in that you can't actually aim your camera more than a few degrees away from your intended target – but even this much help still doesn't make it instantly obvious. (Of course, YourMileageMayVary.) The only clue to what you are supposed to do is given much earlier in the game, as an offhand remark during one of Cave Johnson's many rants.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal2}}'', during the final battle, you must [[spoiler: fire the portal gun at the moon, through a hole in the ceiling]]. Somewhat averted in that you can't actually aim your camera more than a few degrees away from your intended target – but even this much help still doesn't make it instantly obvious. (Of course, YourMileageMayVary.) The only clue to what you are supposed to do is given much earlier in the game, as an offhand remark during one of Cave Johnson's many rants.

* In ''Portal2'', during the final battle, you must [[spoiler: fire the portal gun at the moon, through a hole in the ceiling]]. Somewhat averted in that you can't actually aim your camera more than a few degrees away from your intended target – but even this much help still doesn't make it instantly obvious. (Of course, YourMileageMayVary.) The only clue to what you are supposed to do is given much earlier in the game, as an offhand remark during one of Cave Johnson's many rants.

* ''VideoGame/ChipsChallenge''. The first 30-50 levels can be beaten after solving puzzles and obstacles that rely on basic mechanics. Further levels, however, will resort to more advanced means, and some of them (like ''Perfect Match'' or ''Partial Post'', ''whose hint tiles aren't clear enough!'') will likely leave gamers stuck for a long time. Then there's, of course, the convoluted and mind-screwing mazes that will inevitably call for a step guide.

* ''{{Karoshi}} 2.0.'' Mostly of the awesome fourth-wall-raping style, the kicker of which is level 48, on which to get an in-game CD player working, you had to ''[[spoiler:insert a music CD in your computer's CD drive.]]'' Who would've thought of ''that?''
* The WidgetSeries ''{{Chulip}}'' has such obscure clues (and one requiring familiarity with Japanese/Chinese counting systems, no less) that it comes with its own guide, and even then one clue is not entirely accurrate.
* The Switch Inferno level in [[SuperMonkeyBall Super Monkey Ball 2]]. It is indeed a switch 'inferno', since there are many dozens of switches laid out on the floor, and there are no clues or indications for the correct switch that will reveal the goal. Press any of the wrong ones, and you get smacked by a fast-moving wall, possibly knocking you out of the course.

* The entire ''Myst'' franchise is essentially a huge set of these. At a bare minimum, be prepared to take a lot of notes.

* ''Karoshi 2.0.'' Mostly of the awesome fourth-wall-raping style, the kicker of which is level 48, on which to get an in-game CD player working, you had to ''[[spoiler:insert a music CD in your computer's CD drive.]]'' Who would've thought of ''that?''

* Freeware indie games are in no way exempt from this. Braid may be one example, but at least the Guide Dang Its weren't crucial to finishing the game. [[http://www.increpare.com/2009/02/opera-omnia/ Opera Omnia]] gives you a handful of them, one of which is understanding the mechanics (the butterfly effect in reverse), another is Chapter 18 (you have to use what is technically a bug to win).

* the entire ''Myst'' franchise is essentially a huge set of these. At a bare minimum, be prepared to take a lot of notes.

** But that's not even it! Once you've rescued everyone, you're given some string and no further explanation. To get to the TRUE end of the game, you have to [[spoiler: assemble a kite and let the rush of air from an old mine shaft carry you up into the sky]]. All the components are in their own impossible-to-find hidden room (one is even [[spoiler: hidden behind a wall panel in a hidden illusion room that's near-impossible to get out of]]). At NO POINT, here or throughout the game, are you given any indication of what you're looking for, where it might be and what to do with it once you've got it. And there's no map. * cries*

* the entire ''Myst'' franchise is essentially a huge set of these, requiring either photographic memory and savant-like problem solving skills or the internet.

* Alchemy is a small mobile game available on Android, in which you have to combine elements (starting with four basic ones - earth, fire, water and air) to get a wide variety of other elements, up to 360 in total. All well and good, but the game is absolutely impossible to complete without consulting some form of guide, because many of the combinations are either obscure enough or crazy enough that the average person is unlikely to have heard of them. For instance, to get "petroleum", one must combine kerogen with pressure. Which is, well, factually true, but who would know offhand what kerogen was unless you were like me, saw it in a cheat sheet for this game and Googled it? And some of them don't make any intuitive sense - for example, water + earth = swamp. However mud = water + dust. Who, when they think of what goes into mud, thinks ''dust''?

* Spellbound {{Dizzy}} is legendary for its level of difficulty. To rescue each of your seven friends, you have to find 5 magic stars and a possession of theirs, a process which involves hours of [[FetchQuest fetch questing]] and some damnably [[NintendoHard Nintendo Hard]] trial-and-error gameplay (how are you supposed to figure out that [[spoiler: you have to drop a pepper pot on a whale to make it sneeze, so you can jump up the spout of water to access some hidden rooms you didn't even know were there]]?? Or that [[spoiler: to access another hidden room you need to flood the pumping station you're in by smashing a plug with a hammer]]???)

* Alchemy is a small mobile game available on Android, in which you have to combine elements (starting with four basic ones - earth, fire, water and air) to get a wide variety of other elements, up to 360 in total. All well and good, but the game is absolutely impossible to complete without consulting some form of guide, because many of the combinations are either obscure enough or crazy enough that the average person is unlikely to have heard of them. For instance, to get "petroleum", one must combine kerogen with pressure. Which is, well, factually true, but who would know offhand what kerogen was unless you were like me, saw it in a cheat sheet for this game and Googled it? And some of them don't make any intuitive sense - for example, water + earth = swamp. However mud = water + dust. Who, when they think of what goes into mud, thinks ''dust''?
* {{Limbo Of The Lost}}, nuff said

* Alchemy is a small mobile game available on Android, in which you have to combine elements (starting with four basic ones - earth, fire, water and air) to get a wide variety of other elements, up to 360 in total. All well and good, but the game is absolutely impossible to complete without consulting some form of guide, because many of the combinations are either obscure enough or crazy enough that the average person is unlikely to have heard of them. For instance, to get "petroleum", one must combine kerogen with pressure. Which is, well, factually true, but who would know offhand what kerogen was unless you were like me, saw it in a cheat sheet for this game and Googled it? And some of them don't make any intuitive sense - for example, water + earth = swamp. However mud = water + dust. Who, when they think of what goes into mud, thinks ''dust''?

* The hidden stars in {{Braid}}, one of which specifically has to be obtained by making a star out of two of the puzzle pieces from World 3 and part of a star visible in the window above the puzzle frame in the house. And you assemble the puzzle before finding this out, you're boned and have to start the game over. And don't get me started on the one in World 2-2, where you have to go to a particular spot and just [[WeWait wait nearly 2 hours]] for a particularly slow-moving platform to get to a spot where you can climb up on it so you can get to the star. No, really. And these two are actually the easiest stars to get.
** Of course, performing all tedious, time-consuming steps to acquire the hidden stars unlocks the bad ending. Since 'Braid' is an artsy game about the nature of obsession, this is strangely appropriate.

* ''Karoshi 2.0.'' Mostly of the awesome fourth-wall-raping style, the kicker of which is level 48, on which to get an in-game CD player working, you had to [[spoiler:''insert a music CD in your computer's CD drive.'']] Who would've thought of ''that?''

* freeware indie games are in no way exempt from this. Braid may be one example, but at least the Guide Dang Its weren't crucial to finishing the game. [[http://www.increpare.com/2009/02/opera-omnia/ Opera Omnia]] gives you a handful of them, one of which is understanding the mechanics (the butterfly effect in reverse), another is Chapter 18 (you have to use what is technically a bug to win)
* In the Point and Click game of ''BlazingDragons'' had you stuck until a dodo delivered a message. Problem was that the dodo was being shot at by a hunter (who thankfully went to a certain [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy academy]]). The solution was to backtrack all the way back to the second room you probably visited and to stamp a dodo on the endangered species list. Afterwards the hunter is arrested.

** But that's not even it! Once you've rescued everyone, you're given some string and no further explanation. To get to the TRUE end of the game, you have to [[spoiler: assemble a kite and let the rush of air from an old mine shaft carry you up into the sky]]. All the components are in their own impossible-to-find hidden room (one is even [[spoiler: hidden behind a wall panel in a hidden illusion room that's near-impossible to get out of]]). At NO POINT, here or throughout the game, are you given any indication of what you're looking for, where it might be and what to do with it once you've got it. And there's no map. * cries*

** But that's not even it! Once you've rescued everyone, you're given some string and no further explanation. To get to the TRUE end of the game, you have to [[spoiler: assemble a kite and let the rush of air from an old mine shaft carry you up into the sky]]. All the components are in their own impossible-to-find hidden room (one is even [[spoiler: hidden behind a wall panel in a hidden illusion room that's near-impossible to get out of]]). At NO POINT, here or throughout the game, are you given any indication of what you're looking for, where it might be and what to do with it once you've got it. And there's no map. * cries*
* In {{ICO}} throughout the game you'll be jumping from hanging chains to ledges or other chain with no problem at all until you reach a point where you have to jump between two chains but will always fall to your demise. The solution to this is to press the D-Pad back and forth to make the chain swing so you'll gain momentum and jump successfully, until that point in the game you didn't have to make the chain swing in order to succeed.

* ''{{Portal}}''. That puzzle where you have to break a cube tube with a rocket sentry. Since it's purely a decorative feature BEFORE, I just bypassed the puzzle by using a chair. It's also plagued by a ridiculous bug which makes the tube breakable ONLY from the bottom, so even if you guessed the correct solution, you may still fail. Have fun.
** You talk about how you quickly bypassed a puzzle in a Guide Dang It page?