Ir/rational Redux: a puzzler unlike anything you've played before

When you tell a bloke you're a fan of puzzle games and he tells you he's created one unlike anything you've played before, it's impossible not to be intrigued. Even if you are standing in a crowded bar at a games development conference, and every other person in the room is simultaneously saying the same about their shooter / racer / fighter / deep sea fishing simulator.

But a few days later, Ir/rational Redux creator Tom Jubert followed up with an email. "I've staked my reputation on your not having played a puzzle mechanic like mine," he wrote. "Do let me know if I should hang my head at next year's conference."

You can hold your head up high, Tom. I've never played a puzzle game quite like yours. Though to be fair, when I said "I like puzzle games", I mainly meant, "I like match-three games, that thing where you shoot the balls out of the frog's mouth and Pokémon Puzzle League."

Ir/rational Redux is not like any of those games. It's more of a point and click adventure, except there's nothing specific to point at. The puzzles are based around logical reasoning, and like all the best puzzles they leave you feeling smart when you solve them. The whole thing is neatly put together, with polished visuals, an eerie soundtrack and some good jokes.

It's a browser-based game and can be found over at Newgrounds. The average playtime, according to Tom Jubert, is 15 minutes. I am thick, so it took me about 45 minutes. (And that's with cheating.) In any case it's well worth a look, especially as it's free.