The best maneuvering games

Maneuvering games are grid-based puzzle games in which moving the player character (PC) around is a significant challenge in itself. The complexity is reliant on the PC taking on different states that change their movement options in the course of the level.

For instance, a maneuvering game could include an acceleration-inspired rule that enables players to jump two spaces ahead when moving in the same direction as their previous move. If the PC needs to jump across a gap to their right, they’d have to come from the left, and not from the top or from the bottom. The PC is in a different state and has different movement options depending on the direction they came from.

Maneuvering mechanics roughly fall into two categories. Either the PC has inherent abilities that change their movement options based on their orientation (such as in Kine or Nuworm), or the movement options are dependent on items picked up within the level (such as in Prickle or Clover’s Quadrants).

Solving maneuvering puzzles usually involves a fair share of bumping into walls or falling down the level while pinpointing the solution path. Some games define reaching the level exit as the only goal, though this can be mixed with sokoban objectives such as relocating items or changing their own states. Stephen’s Sausage Roll famously blends unwieldy fork-lifting movement with tricky double-sided sausage grilling.

The games listed below are the most favorited maneuvering games in the Thinky Games database.