Puzzle games for children without fluffy graphics (not "educational")

Question

I'm in search for games my 4 and 7 year old can play that are satisfying, intellectually stimulant and that make them happy. Not the crappy that appears in any search for "games for kids" (I mean stupid games with lots of colors and sound and bouncing pictures of cats).

I've had some small success with some 2 or 3 games from Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection, plus Okay?, Physic Drop, Slider and THREES, but that's all.

The experience was not great in any of those games, since they are made for adults, they're somewhat simple to grasp, but then out of nothing they start to add gotchas that I can perceive easily, but not the children (I'm thinking more about the Android games here).

I imagine that the ideal puzzle for children would be a abstract game with easy controls and a linear learning curve, if that makes any sense.

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The game should run on Android, Windows or Linux (or in the browser, if that's a thing).

I'm brazilian, so if the game makes use of language then I don't want it (I'll not ask you to find a Portuguese game, if some game has a "Portuguese" version stamped in it then it is probably a shitty automated translation), but maybe it will be useful for someone else, so please don't restrain yourself from posting it here.

Answer 1

A game worth looking at is Flow Free, available on Android. The concept of the game is simple and abstract: there are colored dots on a grid, and you must draw lines through the grid squares to connect each dot with the other dot of the same color, without crossing lines, while also filling up the whole grid.

The simplest levels are quite easy and might even be doable by a 4-year-old, and certainly would be suitable for a 7-year-old. The levels do increase in difficulty and may move out of the ability of a young child. However, there are level packs available for in-game purchase, one of which is a "Kids Pack" containing easy boards (although I haven't tried this myself).

Of course it's hard to say whether your kids will enjoy this game, but it's worth a look. As a bonus, it's also a fun brainteaser for adults to fill some spare minutes, especially on the harder levels.

Answer 2

World of Goo is a physics based puzzle / construction game available for Windows, MacOS X and Linux. Not sure about your prerequisite about "no fluffy graphics", but this is a great physics simulation with a child-friendly, playful visual representation. Definitely something for the 7-year-old, and the older one should be able to show the 4-year-old how to play, too.

Answer 3

I suggest Crayon Physics, at least for the older one.

Despite its childish interface, some levels can become really tricky. This will also stimulate their imagination, as every level can be solved in many different ways.