Gaming as a medium has gone through tremendous changes over the years. Starting from sheer arcade fun, video games have gradually evolved into true masterpieces of storytelling, world-building, and immersion. 

Story-driven RPGs, open-world adventures, and action-packed battle royale entries have come to dominate the market. So, where does that leave those gamers with a knack for some good old puzzle-solving? 

While puzzlers remain a niche genre, many titles have spruced up the standard formula by mixing up elements of adventure games with classic brain teasers. Are you up for some fun and interactive critical thinking, then? Here are four puzzle adventure games that are both brainy and engaging.

It Takes Two

Boosting your brain power with intricate puzzles is all fun and games on your own. Yet the challenge feels even more stimulating when you join forces with friends. Just as the name implies, It Takes Two gets two players to collaborate in solving a series of riddles and puzzles. 

Both players control one member of a couple on the brink of divorce, who gets trapped inside the bodies of their daughter’s dolls. To escape this predicament, the characters boast special abilities like rewinding time and replicating themselves. But above all, they must lean on each other and work together as one. 

With its split-screen, It Takes Two takes the cooperative multiplayer experience to the next level. This platformer meets puzzler is the perfect co-op game for a couple’s therapy session, thus. But it doesn’t take being in a romantic relationship to appreciate the scope of its diverse gameplay and heartfelt plot. 

Call of the Sea

The greatest puzzles shine the brightest when they fit into an overarching narrative. If you’re looking for a period mystery with some brain-scratching puzzles to advance the plot, thus, Call of the Sea is one game worth diving in. 

This indie adventure puzzler embarks players on a time-traveling adventure back to the 1930s, as young Norah Everhart sets out on a perilous journey to the Southern Pacific to locate her missing husband. 

A tense story-driven game, Call of the Sea draws elements of the Lovecraftian genre without ever delving too deep into sheer horror. And although a bit patchy at times, this atmospheric game has enough Myst-style puzzles and unexpected twists to keep players invested till the final revelations.  

Professor Layton

The original Professor Layton game would prove a defining moment for puzzle adventure games. Selling over 3 million units worldwide, Professor Layton and the Curious Village enthralled gamers with its charming setting, eerie soundtrack, and innovative cutscenes. But the game’s gripping puzzles arguably stole the show. 

Integrated seamlessly into a captivating story, these brain-teasers would become the main selling point of a franchise spanning two trilogies, several spin-offs, and crossover games. Professor Layton encompasses as many sliding puzzles as jigsaws and games of strategies. All games are as rich thematically, embarking players from outer space to a magic casino. 

Obviously, Layton’s casino minigames involve no actual gambling. And to roll the dice, punters may visit platforms like the best MasterCard casino sites instead. MasterCard payments are a widely popular deposit option. Fast and secure, they allow transactions to be processed instantly. MasterCard is also fully mobile-compatible so that mobile users can enjoy top casino games on their devices alongside the mobile port of Professor Layton’s first instalment.

Bastion

At first glance, Bastion might look like your average isometric role-playing adventure. But this game of strategy brings the best of both the RPG and the puzzle worlds by interweaving clever puzzles into its overall plot. 

Puzzles are not the meat of the story, though, as Bastion has you take on hordes of enemies to hack and slash through dungeons like any RPG worth its salt. Still, the game strikes a compelling balance for fans of puzzle games willing to venture into some foreign territory. 

Besides, this one-of-a-kind action role-playing title’s vivid artistry and bright visuals add much depth to the experience. With a fantastic musical score to boot, Bastion ravished both reviewers and gamers. And while short-lived, the main story campaign unlocks an additional game mode for players to revisit the experience and continue their journey.  

Looking for a fresh spin on the standard puzzle game? By blending exploration, storytelling, and puzzle-solving, puzzle adventure games have a way of rejuvenating the genre. So, whether you’re in for some investigating or some dungeon-crawling, there are plenty of vintage or modern titles to explore!