Guild Wars 2

First off, I really enjoy jumping puzzles (and puzzles in general), and I think that ANet has done a great job overall on this aspect of the game.

The Winter Wonderland puzzle, for me, suffers from the same problem that the Clock Tower had: the time limit. While I agree that this element brings a new challenge to jumping puzzles (I often take my time), it’s not particularly fair to those with low-end systems.

Personally, I am running a rather low-end laptop that is capable of running the game quite well on its lowest settings, and can take part in all aspects of the game (rendering issues/FPS lag is common in high-action areas, such as large battles in WvW or the Karka event). Having a low-end system is a real problem when attempting to complete a jumping puzzle with a time limit condition, as the area has often not loaded by the time the time limit has begun.

For instance, in my many attempts at the Winter Wonderland puzzle, the first snowflake melts nine times out of ten before the loading screen has disappeared, making it very unlikely that I will be able to even complete the very first jump, let alone the countless others that come after it.

Timing in other circumstances are fine with a low-end system, however, such as needing to jump at the correct moment to land on a platform, or running past gusts of wind in puzzles such as Goemm’s Lab. The issue comes where a time limit encompasses the entire length of the puzzle.

I do like the idea of time-limited puzzles, and I’m sure I would have no complaints if I were playing on a much better laptop, but for those with low specs, it’s often a much greater challenge that can’t always be avoided. Not sure how many other players have the same issue as I do, but at least for me, it made the Clock Tower puzzle impossible to complete – just hoping that the opportunity to complete this puzzle won’t pass me by due to the same issue.