Some of the best and most confusing mechanics you've ever played - an IFDB Poll

I'm looking for games with super weird or confusing mechanics, but actually are really good games. For example, I found the clock mechanic in Finding Martin really confusing, but I really like it.

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	The Gostak, by Carl Muckenhoupt 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Zape... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --EJ... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --aluminumoxynitride... Vote for this game

	The Wand, by Arthur DiBianca 1 vote "At some point it gets very confusing but great!" [+]"At some point it gets very confusing but great!" ( - Full review) --Denk... Vote for this game

	All Things Devours, by half sick of shadows 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) () --dfranke... Vote for this game

	En Garde, by Jack Welch 1 vote "Really cool puzzles" [+]"Really cool puzzles: Radical take on form of parser interaction." ( - Full review) --Cerfeuil... Vote for this game

	Byzantine Perspective, by Lea Albaugh 1 vote "An all-time favorite puzzle game. The ABOUT text thanks playtesters 'for continuing to play the game, even if they thought it made no sense'" [+]"An all-time favorite puzzle game. The ABOUT text thanks playtesters 'for continuing to play the game, even if they thought it made no sense'" --Keltena... Vote for this game

	Castle Ralf, by Doug Clutter and Steve Vance 1 vote "Forget The Babel Fish Puzzle" [+]"Forget The Babel Fish Puzzle: This game has the biggest Heath Robinson puzzle I have ever come across, spanning many rooms and even different floors of the eponymous castle. It has chutes, arrows, burlap sacks, metal balls, cages, a room that cannot be entered, dehumidifiers, radiators...the authors must have had fun compiling it. It is not surprisingly very easy to lock yourself of victory by misusing an object or misstiming a sequence." ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game

	Means of Egress, by Livia J. Elliot 1 vote ""That is your problem, Wanderer. Choosing is dangerous, and you have been toying with desperation."" [+]""That is your problem, Wanderer. Choosing is dangerous, and you have been toying with desperation.": This game has several baffling elements. Two narrators, although the reader/player controls only one, and one character with the power to expel the reader from the story. Because of that, this game breaks the fourth wall." --Livia J. Elliot... Vote for this game

	Delightful Wallpaper, by Andrew Plotkin ('Edgar O. Weyrd') 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --MathBrush... Vote for this game

	Sting, by Mike Russo 1 vote "Come sail away" [+]"Come sail away: Hopefully it’s not gauche to nominate my own game, but 1) it won XYZZYs and 2) the sailing segment is intentionally mechanically confusing (and I was successful in realizing my intent, yay!)" --Mike Russo... Vote for this game

	Reflections, by Livia J. Elliot 1 vote ""I laugh, throwing my head back and sliding a hand through my hair. It is a bitter laugh with a touch of sarcasm—no other emotion can explain the interminable sequence of repetitious steps that have formed my life. Do you remember when I escaped?"" [+]""I laugh, throwing my head back and sliding a hand through my hair. It is a bitter laugh with a touch of sarcasm—no other emotion can explain the interminable sequence of repetitious steps that have formed my life. Do you remember when I escaped?": If you finish the story (the last chapter), the game will remember that you read it... and change. The story changes, adding sections, options, and paths. This is linked to the central theme of the story--the struggle of lacking emotional language." --Livia J. Elliot... Vote for this game

Is there another game that you think should be on this list? Just fill in the title of a game you'd like to vote for.

Poll created on August 27, 2024