Is it really as open as it seems?

[Nailfoot]

In a lot of these puzzle games, at first glance the game seems pretty open to numerous solutions. However, after digging around a bit you may notice that there are only one or two ways to actually beat the puzzles.

This game looks like a lot of fun, but I am worried it is gimicky and there are not multiple solutions. In other words: Yeah, you can change the rules but only one solution is actually viable. The other rule changes are simpler filler.

[Blook]

It's less either one. Some of the puzzles have multiple solutions, and you end up changing the rules in new ways every puzzle.

I would say it doesn't feel gimicky at all; the mechanics feel incredibly deep and are well explored.

[TemmieNeko]

Originally posted by Nailfoot:

In a lot of these puzzle games, at first glance the game seems pretty open to numerous solutions. However, after digging around a bit you may notice that there are only one or two ways to actually beat the puzzles.

This game looks like a lot of fun, but I am worried it is gimicky and there are not multiple solutions. In other words: Yeah, you can change the rules but only one solution is actually viable. The other rule changes are simpler filler.

there's 200 puzzles, and the devs are working on adding workshop functionality.
trust me, you might think it's limited, but you're gonna get stuck real fast withouth using lateral thinking

[LupisLight]

If you want puzzles with multiple solutions, you are looking at the wrong game.

The challenge in this game come from having to think outside the box to solve a problem that seems impossible at first glance. Yes a lot of the puzzles have only one solution, but you'll have to use a LOT of lateral thinking to get to it, and that eureka moment is part of the fun. Time flows only when you take a step, so you always have as much time as you need to think things through, and there is an undo button that lets you back up as far as you like, even if you die, so there is plenty of room to experiment.

And occasionally, just for extra fun, finishing a puzzle unlocks an optional bonus puzzle which is identical to the one you just completed, but with one or two details changed, making it an entirely new challenge. It's like the game says, "Aha! Good job solving that puzzle! Now what if I tweaked it like this? Can you solve it now?"

It's great fun, IMO, but you are going to have to have the patience and persistence to think through and experiment with seemingly impossible situations. "It's not that I'm smarter than other people," as Einstein said, "It's just that I stick with problems longer."

[The Renderer]

I think you are misunderstanding how this works. Yes, there is usually (?) only one solution. But that is a good thing, puzzle games with multiple solutions usually are unbalanced and/or too easy.
One solution does not mean that you only have to do one thing and the rest is, as you say, "simple filler", though. That one solution requires you to use most or all of the available rules and rule building blocks to eventually reach it.

[Wok]

There are people who like open-ended puzzle games, like the Zachtronics ones. It seems like Baba is not that kind of game, but based on what I read, there may be 2 or 3 solutions to a puzzle.

[Mar Hepto]

Many of the puzzles have multiple solutions available, but plenty of others only have one. They're very well designed, however - each one feels like learning a clever way to exploit the "rules". I say "rules" because ultimately you're not reprogramming the game every time you play a puzzle, but it still requires a lot of out-of-the-box thinking and understanding ways to manipulate the environment.

[La Emperatriz]

This isn't for you if you have a low attention span. This requires (at least on my part) some pretty intense thought...but as others have mentioned, when you eventually figure it out it feels extremely rewarding.

Some puzzles leave room for imagination in spots but yes, some puzzles probably have only one solution, but in reality, do you just mash puzzle pieces together until they fit?

It depends what you're looking for in a puzzler. If you're thinking "open" like Scribblenauts or something, not really. If you can get past that, it's probably one of the most innovative puzzle games in a long long time.

[Play Metaphor]

Originally posted by Wok:

There are people who like open-ended puzzle games, like the Zachtronics ones. It seems like Baba is not that kind of game, but based on what I read, there may be 2 or 3 solutions to a puzzle.

Thank you for clarifying it. Traditional puzzle games where you're trying to understand what the dev was thinking and find "the one way" to solve it are good and all, but Zachtronics games are on another level altogether.

This is like "best thing you can find in the second floor" with Zach being 3 floors above.

[Shizi]

The point of eliminating trivial solutions is that you don't get away with always using the same trick. That's why I feel like almost every levels of this game is unique.