Puzzle games should always let you skip levels that are too hard

polygon.com:

The satisfaction of solving a puzzle is inherent. You learn the rules of the game, then you’re presented with a challenge that tests your knowledge of those rules. The predictability is calming, and hearing the game’s click or bell or ring when you’ve solved each puzzle is a serotonin bump I’ve grown a bit reliant upon. But sometimes I can’t figure out a puzzle, and in those situations, I’m grateful for games that let me move on.

In a lot of puzzle games, the levels get harder and more complicated as you move along, often using earlier puzzles to teach tactics you’ll use in later challenges. There are also puzzle games — often newer releases — that don’t concern themselves with whether you can figure out each and every level. A Little to the Left is an excellent example: The game is all about relaxing (though it’s also gained a bit of a reputation for driving players batty), and it’d be antithetical to hold the player hostage on a hard level. More importantly, what is “hard” in a puzzle game like A Little to the Left is much more subjective, so the developers decided to let players skip whichever levels they aren’t enjoying.

It’s a Rorschach test of a game, particularly in the case of the Seeing Stars DLC that was released in June; these new puzzles have multiple potential solves, sometimes five or more for one puzzle. It’s made for skipping, which for me isn’t just about moving on. I also reject the idea that games are only satisfying if you complete every last bit, and by yourself, at that. Cheating — or collaborating, as we like to call it here at Polygon — is an indelible part of modern single-player games, so much so that Animal Well has an entire puzzle that’s unsolvable without the help of other players.

Another reason level skips are a necessary and appreciated feature for players like me is the sheer volume of games I want to play right now. There are hundreds of puzzle games to dive into, and if I get so deeply stuck on one puzzle that I can’t continue the