How These Puzzles Deceive You 

So it turns out seeing your own face in someone else's video is tantamount to a jump scare

Can’t believe the ending what a twist! Definitely need to watch all the way through!

Not gonna lie, I kinda wish I could play concerned joe right now.

The ending really made me realize something new and insightful, don't want to spoil it tough

The best way to make a puzzle engaging is not to give the player the solution, but to make them think they came up with the solution themselves

The setup and punchline of the "good job, you found the suicide button!" trap was so damn good.

Dude holy guacamole that ending was so insightful and mind blowing

You actual madman. I was excited to hear your reason behind not releasing the game then immediately realised I’ve been bamboozled.

13:15 slanted tiles? What about: if you are running on top of the block and against a wall, the box will move away from the wall because your body is pushing against an immovable object and your feet are pushing the box it away from that immovable object :V

I believe GMTK simply called “Double Take Puzzle Design” “The Assumption” in his video. It’s a tough choice on which moniker I prefer…

Yo that ending is sick

That conclusion was slamming man

Paused at 10:11, bought and played through INSIDE, and came back 3 and a half hours later to finish the video. No regrets.

I always wondered why you never finished concerned joe, i remember at the time i was following it quite closely waiting for a release date since i liked the flash version so much, and next thing i knew, you were working on the party game version of that concept.

I am so glad you used gameplay from The Witness, that game was such a hard game at first, took a few months. You should’ve used gameplay from hue too though, a game about color and when you change the color it reveals some blocks you can move and removes blocks of the same color, another good double take game

Man, I just, you know, call it trolling the player. You're certainly embracing that with the sassy narrator.

Wooow the statement at the end is super smart and mind-blowing! Worth a subscription and a like! I was just about to start designing a few puzzles for a tech demo of a physics-based VR shooter and these concepts are just the best haha Edit: lol I had no idea he would ask the people to talk about it 2 seconds after I paused the video lmao, definitively worth it watching the whole way through.

what a mind blowing conclusion

That ending honestly changed the way I thought about puzzle games as a whole. It really tied everything together in a neat bow, which I’ve never seen a video do so perfectly before!

Mindblowing video as always! The most underrated youtuber I've ever seen; I'm looking forward to seeing you reaching hundreds of thousands, or maybe even millions of subscribers ^^

The announcement at the end killed me

Man, that outro - the one that wouldnt make sense without watching the entire video - was absolutely incredible!

Wow! That conclusion was so crazy, I had to pause and reconcider life as a whole for a minute. It is just mind boggling how much amazingness you packed into that last minute!

That ending was so heart filled and inspiring, it's really made me think about how I do things and I couldn't spoil it for you as it's an experience.

Seeing as to how much I have enjoyed move or die, I would be pretty stoked for concerned Joe. Also that ending was crazzzyy like I can't believe you would say such a smart thing at the end.

Honestly, that ending was insane! Never expected such a twist!

I recently bought a cast iron puzzle thats 2 parts connected to each other, they had a small amount of flex and jiggle, but no matter how much you twist, turn or bend the puzzle, it doesn't budge. Turns out you have to spin the puzzle on its axis and it will unlock itself. Felt like this was a great example of subversive puzzle design

One of the few channels I watch the outros on. You really make it worth it with such insightful remarks.

mindblowing conclusion

The ending is so mindbreaking that it's solely the reason why I want to came back programming the second time.

Wow what a great conclusion! That aside I really wish I could play Concerned Joe, don't get me wrong Move or Die is really fun but having those (and many other) interesting mechanics in a singleplayer puzzle game sounds great (especially considering how few friends I have and how not many of them own move or die)

Wow that conclusion was SO mind-blowing and insightful. What a twist!

*That was the most most twisted/awesome/mind-blowing ending Ive EVER SEEN!!*

loved that mindblowing ending, you are so good at making twists like that ! everyone NEEDS to watch the whole thing its so good

please fully release Concerned Joe. it sounds like a fine addition to my puzzle game collection.

One of my favorite such puzzles is literally called "Deception" in the Talos Principle. It's in one of the early areas, it doesn't have as much elements as later puzzles, but still it's probably the most memorable puzzle in the game to me by the way it's guiding you to approach it.

Slanted walls really are clever, you can just use any physics solution and they'll work more or less, without needing too much extra code. Neat. Not as neat as the mind-blowing ending. Clever cutoff.

Where do you look for music to back your videos? They really help with the flow and presentation, plus i just desperately need the outro song in my library.

darn you Mental Checkpoint! That ending had me dancing a little

That final conclusion was truly a transcendent experience. Bravo Mr. Berbece, bravo...

How insightful and mind blowing that conclusion was, definitely worth watching to the end.

That ending was spectacular, can’t believe he announced when the game was gonnna come out!

Holy crap, that ending. Pure poetry. My passion for game design was completely rekindled by that last paragraph alone. Thank you.

I restarted a game on the Talos Principle these days and it's amazing how it confirms all your videos. I understand the game mechanics in a new way now, and it improves my game experience even more ! Thank you for your content, keep going ! I think I would also choose it for the "great hidden tutorial" category (from your last video)

An amazing ending to that video man! Definitely worth the wait!

8:30 took me a few minutes while i was paused and then i noticed "you push it half way" i wasn't sure if i accidentally found loophole or not either lmao

I know a lot of people already commented this but that was the best ending ever. Gotta watch the whole thing to understand it tho

I can't believe how insightful and mind-blowing that was! So glad I watched till the outro!

An astonishing ending, could be one of the best you put out. Great video!

this channel needs so much more attention. the editing is crisp and elegant, your voice is smooth and easy to listen to, the information about game design, while not really useful for me, is still really interesting. excellent content right there. now about the content of this video, what you just described is what i like the most about puzzle games, when games give you some information, but not all of it. like the level at 7:00. if you just told the player beforehand that you can do that with blocks, this level would've been boring and would be just about doing the right thing and moving to the next level. also in the same level, there's another idea i really like, and that is nudging the player towards the wrong solution. it forces the player to think out of the box, and makes them feel like they outsmarted the game. i absolutely love when i solve a puzzle like that

I swear, I've come back to his videos on a somewhat regular basis. I rewatch them and, like, just how he explains stuff is so relaxing yet insightful. Just... so good!

that ending statement was deep, man.

Watching this ending made me feel something I never felt before, and I do not like it. Loved the video tho, amazing as always

That was one of the best endings i’ve ever seen. Incredible stuff

lmao when you showed the first puzzle from Concerned Joe, I was immediately like oh he's talking about the puzzles that make you do a double take XD

What an amazing conclusion, very complex and seriously thought out. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can with a 100% confidence say that it was worth watching the whole video for

I would absolutely love a finished version of this game, even maybe as an additional game mode in move or die

Definitely would be interested in playing Concerned Joe! Great video! I'm definitely a big fan of this kind of puzzle design. Though I wonder if a way to reinforce making sure players do both the vertical and lateral thinking is to sometimes only include the vertical thinking as the solution. That way the game trains you to try it because it could be the answer.

Not very many people walk you through their process of designing puzzles, so this is super valuable

That conclusion was insightful and/or mind-blowing!

I recognize, played and finished most of the games featured in this video. Let's see, I will write each game's first appearance as I watch the video for the first time: - The Witness (0:35) - Snakebird (1:14) - Superliminal (1:16) - Portal 2 (1:28) - Braid (1:58) - Inside (2:46) - Antichamber (2:55) - Portal (3:44) - Stephen's Sausage Roll (4:40) //I like that it has my name in the title, but damn the puzzles are hard - Half-Life 2: Chapter One (5:33) - Baba is You (6:02) - Talos Principle (6:13) - Stanley's Parable (9:09) - Language, Young Man (9:52) - (?) Q.U.B.E. 2 (10:26) //not sure, probably not this one thou - Mad Age & This Guy (10:31) // had no idea, I thought it was some sort of Cyberpunk Sokoban - The Pedestrian (14:34) - (?)LoL, idk (14:51) // maybe Talos again? Such an insightful and minblowing conclusion: most of these games were in the credits already...I feel dumb now for never reading the credits, just listening to your soothing voice. P.S. Homework #1 & #2 successfully completed btw

That ending is the cherry on an already delicious and beautifully constructed cake, a round applause for you!

Great video man! Loved the ending bit aswell. Hope to see more context man!

The way everything ties together in the end is fantastic! Keep up the great work.

Join me in feeding the algorithm!

I'll send this to my GM. His puzzles are hella confusing and don't have any kind of tutorial inside of them. To the point where "alchemy puzzle" is an inside joke.

One of the best game design videos I've seen in a while. Keep it up!

Wow. The ending was so insightful and mind blowing. Well done.

I was just a depressed man, but then after watching the ending of the video, I've managed to defeat my depression, win a lottery, get a wife, have 2 kids, and beat Bezos' net worth. Thank you so much for the insightful and mind blowing ending, Mr. Mental Checkpoint.

What an insightful and mindblowing conclusion! oh and 15:30 you are just evil. i wanna play that!

I love you mental checkpoint. That outro is absolutely justified

This was super interesting! Especially the conclusion gave me a really good understanding of making puzzles

Leaving all the game titles here since I see a ton of unanswered comments about them. 0:42 - The Witness 1:14 - Snakebird 1:16 - Superliminal 1:28 - Portal 2:00 - Braid 2:47 - Inside 2:56 - Antichamber 4:40 - Stephen's Sausage Roll 6:04 - Baba is You 9:15 - Stanley Parable 9:23 - Talos Principle 10:27 - Manifold Garden 10:31 - Mad Age & This guy 14:34 - The Pedestrian Do give a like to the comment so others can see this instead of asking in futility. ps: These are all great games and I would recommend everyone to try them if you like puzzlers. Some more Puzzlers to add for those interested: Limbo Fez Gorogoa Monument Valley Mekorama Return of the Obra Dinn Room Series Honorary mentions: Machinarium Her Story What Remains of Edith Finch Kentucky Route Zero Ori and the Blind Forest Hollow Knight

"Good job, you found the suicide button" with that voice I immediately had to think about handsome jack^^$ Edit: also solid conclusion by the way, really made me think

Pausing the video to analyse things would be easier without the warped perspective at those specific points :P Very well-designed video aside from that! Edit: and a genuinely good outro to tie it off. Made me laugh.

Incredibly insightful and informative conclusion. Fantastic video.

I played along and paused to try and figure out the puzzle as suggested in the video. I quickly came up with the idea of pushing the box only halfway through, but I dismissed it because I thought the other boxes and the other button surely had a purpose. Turns out, those were just red herrings. In my opinion, that is very poor puzzle design. Using such excessive red herrings is cheap and just creates artificial difficulty. Puzzles feel satisfying when they force you to come up with creative ways to use the elements at your disposal, not when you have to select which elements to use and which elements are just there to trick you.

I hate this sort of puzzle As soon as you see the "trick" the solution is obvious Just feels like it's wasting your time

Was debating leaving a comment about how quality your work already is but honestly, after the ending? Definitely. Ties in so well with the theme, good job.

This was a great watch and the conclusion was very insightful

The way your additional remarks at the end tie all these design concepts together is sublime. I feel like my brain has been rewired and im a more creative and insightful person now. Mind blown.

It's incredible how entertaining, informative and engaging this video is at the same time! You might have just become my new favorite RU-vidr, and I will watch your career with great interest.

the ending really summaries the method... well done snd nice video

Everything before the final conclusion of the video was fine and dandy, but that ending truly re-contextualized everything I had learned previously: offering a satisfying, thought-provoking, new and insightful conclusion to a fantastic essay on puzzle design. My life is forever changed.

That really was some amazing insight there at the end, thank you!

The ending of this video truly subverted my expectations. I was not expecting that outcome. Great job!

Wow. That conclusion. Super mind blowing and insightful.

Good puzzle design is usually my favourite part of any game that has it. Also that part at the end was mind-blowing

That conclusion was insightful and mindblowing!

That outro was AMAZING!!! It was not something that I expected, but boy was it awesome!

Dude I can't believe the conclusion! So thought out and nicely delivered. 10/10

The conclusion was eye-opening, will definitely incorporate it in the future. Thanks a lot homie!

Baba is You's level 7 (which you mentioned) is my favourite tutorial level because of this

that conclusion was so insightfull and mindblowing

That was an awesome ending, for real! Great job dude, really interesting video and I want to design some puzzles now!

I will absolutely never forget this. Truly inspiring, especially around the end of the video

Extremely well done video (and game by the looks of it), you seem really talented, gonna check out the rest of your channel, thanks for sharing.

one year later, and the conclusion of the video is still up to date and very helpful - thanks for sharing :D

Wow! that was so insightful and mindblowing!

holy shit! That ending was so unexpectedly amazing! Most of the video I found myself _almost_ falling asleep, but that *_ending_* was something else! Why I subbed right there.