1000 IQ In-Game Moments That Were Absolutely GENIUS

When video games force you to use your full brain.
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0:00 Intro
0:40 Number 10
2:18 Number 9
3:51 Number 8
5:38 Number 7
7:27 Number 6
8:42 Number 5
9:40 Number 4
11:10 Number 3
12:32 Number 2
14:12 Number 1
15:39 BONUS

[@Animal_Magic38]

Hey Falcon, you're far and away my favorite sentient bird on KZbin.

[@gameranxTV]

🤝🦅

[@Jam-xg3qx]

🤝

[@NicotineRosberg]

I wish I could see his face though. All these years.. nothing

[@TheMemeExplainer]

🦅🦅🦅🔫🔫🔫

[@Animal_Magic38]

I don't mind not seeing his face, I love having a voice from my generation. Like in a recent video he explained camcorders for the young folks, I felt uplifted rather than old.

[@AshenCasey]

No idea how you people manage to come up with something new every time, appreciate it.

[@gameranxTV]

🤝

[@brandonklerck3580]

"What do you mean you PEOPLE" - RDJ , Tropic Thunder.

[@christianporter3638]

​@brandonklerck3580 what do YOU mean "you ppl?" (That black soldier lol) Classic

[@Agnes135]

It's their job funny enough..

[@PoloMoney]

they probably use weed and creativity

[@rocketrabbit69]

MGS's Psycho Mantis where you had to change the controller port was also a great in-game/in-RL puzzle.

[@soliid_snake_xx4113]

How did they not include that one!?

[@zakbradow1972]

@@soliid_snake_xx4113 Was thinking the same thing. 😢

[@Justforvisit]

@@soliid_snake_xx4113 Probably because mentioning how awesome it was / is is waaay overdone nowadays, everybody and their dead grandparents know about that by now.

[@John_on_the_mountain]

I am also surprised it wasnt mentioned.

[@NormanDurkee]

So are we just not going to mention the fight with Physco Mantis in MGS1, where you have to swap the controller ports so he cant "read your mind" and predict your moves? Such a great moment in video game history that makes you feel like such a big brain when you finally figure it out.

[@Mitrashi]

I like how it used something from the real world that affected the game. Meta

[@jamesbell2902]

I was waiting for this one the whole video. Granted he’s still beatable using the statues or 7 hit pattern but switching ports is a legendary move & you do feel like a genius when you realize that’s what you gotta do.

[@elbandito5411]

When I played it for the first time that blew me away when he said he can control my controller and it moved. I was shocked. That was cool.

[@ThugLife42041]

And he could also read ur game saves from the memory card

[@clays4038]

They’ve already mentioned it in so many videos they probably wanted to leave it out as a result.

[@Fenrir7]

I'm so glad you included The Outer Wilds in this list. There are so many moments in that game that are 1000 IQ, there isn't another game like it.

[@Spvrinnaeli]

its just "Outer Wilds".

[@user-ki3wj3dw3z]

Agreed Outer Wilds consistently made me feel like a genius. 😂😂

[@OllieW501]

Speaking of Metal Gear Solid, the Pyscho Mantis fight when he reads your memory cards history and the dialogue references earlier saves......plus the ability to predict your movements.....and psychically moving your contraller by vibrating it ..... around the carpet, blew my mind. The added genius of tricking the boss by plugging the controller in port 2, then he screams at you "Why....why can't i read your mind!?" I don't know of any other 4th wall breaks as well done as this.

[@sergiofernandez7318]

Batman punching the keypad is such a batman thing to do

[@trevorchong4160]

I think you’ve brought this up before, but my favorite 1000 IQ moment from my childhood was Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass when you had to close your Nintendo DS to stamp the map in-game. Back then KZbin didn’t have as many walkthrough videos and I felt like a champ figuring it out. Love the content btw!

[@Yitzaak]

I never played that one but that is really really cool.

[@marcbarber1231]

I feel like Hotel Dusk: Room 215 does that, but better. To solve one puzzle, you need to flip the literal puzzle over to look at the backside, and you do that by closing it. It then appear upside down on the other screen. There's a few other times in that game where you had to close it to solve the puzzle. Loved it.

[@MrG0DW1N]

Thank You Falcon, Jake and Team Gameranx. Your videos have been a great source of entertainment and relief from stress. This summer is hectic, stressful and depressing for me and I've been looking forward to watch your videos everyday cause it's so relieving seeing these videos and hearing you guys. Thank You so much.

[@gameranxTV]

Glad you like them!

[@serious.business]

Isn't Falcon and Jake the same person?

[@bhargavshatrughna489]

​@@serious.businessnegawatt

[@MrG0DW1N]

@@serious.business no. They are different.

[@serious.business]

@@MrG0DW1N How do you know?

[@demoonmunkay]

I remember the first time I played The Witness thinking, “this is kinda like Myst and Riven… I can probably handle this.” Then found that rock wall that looked… unnatural right angles and went, “wait a minute… is this…???” And then then after solving the puzzle had an immediate “They’re in the walls!” Realization

[@MrTehNoms]

For me, it was, "Those clouds look funny." Granted, those puzzles are meant to be done, as they give you the answer in the form of a puzzle that does nothing. But, the only feeling that ever rivalled this was, "The moon is white" in portal 2.

[@Shoarma2]

@@MrTehNoms I mean, the entirety of Portal 2 is finding out that the portals only work with moonrocks and that they use moonrock based paint and paste for portal based surfaces. And even if you do not, there is so much attention pushed to the moon (you're literally forced to look at it, even Wheatley keeps talking about it and you're literally given access to the portal gun). In The Witness, you think a lot of the environment is shaped like that because its literally everywhere else. It's not until you are like "I wonder if I can line this up" that you find out about the environmental puzzles. You could literally finish The Witness without doing any of the environmental puzzles. The environmental puzzles are just part 2+ a secret ending if you replay the game.

[@angrymikko]

Witness is one of the best puzzle games ever made. It constantly reinvents the simple premise.

[@TheNightmareFrequency]

Fun addition to the MGS1 moment. When they re-released MGS1, 2, and 3 in a collection box set for the Ps2 they included one screenshot from each game on the box sleeve. The MGS1 screenshot was that Codec call just so you could still have the fun of finding it out the intended way.

[@treynitza2849]

Arkham knights has got to be my favorite. Such a clever puzzle that feels like a natural part of the story and isn’t tied to any previous gameplay elements that make the solution obvious. I wish there were more like it out there.

[@bibicmoi2697]

Talos principle is pure genius, seeing this specific puzzle in the list made me aww in nostalgia, once figured out it is awesome but the game is so filled with such moments. The dlc was full of those moments too. And 2 just been announced can't wait.

[@shiddyangler]

The puzzles in Outerwilds were incredible. The time constraint was a fun feature too that made it feel like a virtual escape room in space. One of my all time favorites.

[@makeupminx6103]

The Witness is one of the most brain boggling games ever. I loved the satisfaction I got from figuring out the puzzles myself but also some are so damn difficult I had to look up walkthroughs 😅

[@leucifer2]

What is the "aha" moment he's talking about?

[@makeupminx6103]

@@leucifer2 when you realize that your surroundings are puzzles themselves! The environment, at certain angles, create the same start and end points (as the puzzles plates) and you can actually click to solve them! Examples at 16:00 and 16:15

[@leucifer2]

@makeupminx6103 oh wow. Thx. I just started the game and stopped. Still have it on my system but hit a wall w patience. Thx!

[@michelcarlini]

The "true" ending in live action was a great surprise for me. I think it really is the best first person puzzle game, even with the sound puzzles which are so difficult for me.

[@cameronk7012]

​@@leucifer2Please please please give it another shot. It's one of my favorite games of all time! So many delicious Ah ha! moments throughout. Each area introduces different mechanics/rules that begin to mix in with older puzzles. If you can't understand a puzzle, try going to a different area and learn those ones first. You'll slowly build up your understanding of the puzzles and the satisfaction they bring is so worth the effort. Also, as the video explained, keep an eye on the environment for "out of the box" puzzles and also clues to help solve certain areas. Not everything is on each puzzle screen. Sometimes you need to look around to get a clue. Trees, shadows, sounds, lighting can all affect the different puzzles. That and sometimes a paper pad and pencil can help you try out different solutions. Stick with it and good luck!

[@malaez88]

I'm a big fan of The Legend of Zelda: the Phantom Hourglass, where you have to make a copy of the map by pressing your parchment against a stamp, and to do it, you close your DS to "press" the top screen against the bottom to copy it. Very clever.

[@jakesthewatcher535]

Always had a “I’m smart” moment when I solve a game puzzle on the first try without a guide. Which was rare.

[@KyleSetFire]

"I'm a smarts!"

[@yugorisfriwan]

i remember that metal gear solid codec thing so well, it was one of those highlight moments of gaming for me when i was a kid, since i read the cd discs over and over before bed, while i cant wait to play the next day after school, i had this real AHA! moment when that happened in the game and remembering the disc having the codec number on it, such nostalgia

[@goobatroopa_]

I love how every entry is a specific moment and the last one is just "the whole game". And I wholeheartedly agree.

[@marionetamtz]

The Witness is a fantastic game. I didn't 100% finished it but I got the platinum trophy, and I'm very proud of that. The feeling of completing the final challenge after hours of trying is the best. I even recorded the moment and uploaded it to my channel. I was so obsessed with the game that I started seeing patterns in real life everywhere. 😅

[@Hawk_of_Battle]

I remember playing the original Tomb Raider back in 96 with my sister and we'd routinely get stumped on various puzzles until one of us figured it out (I was 8 and she was 12 at the time). My biggest iq moment came twice in the same level, the Temple of Midas, when I figured out the binary door code puzzle room, and that the giant statue hand could be used to turn lead bars into gold. That game was very sparse on hints and I felt like a goddamn genius.

[@buddinghumanist6285]

I don't do puzzle games that often, but this was a great list. I was hooked on Linelight for a while (maybe not the same level as some of these games, but I found it fun).

[@Case_]

I would probably not consider the MGS1 codec thing that spectacular, because it was a very common way of doing anti-piracy protection back in the day for the game to ask you something from the manual (yes, kids, games had actual printed manuals back then, sometimes quite elaborate, books basically) or from the cover (be it the actual box or disk case), something that is required to proceed further. So I always assumed the MGS1 to be just another case of exactly this. The Psycho Mantis thing from MGS1 is a lot more of a genius in-game moment, IMO, if we were to stay with MGS1.

[@shaggyj9094]

I’m very surprised superliminal didn’t make this list, that whole game is a 1000 iq moment. Also just want to express my thanks to you, jake and the rest of the team for given me something to look forward to each evening❤

[@bpdcraft]

Nothing much compares to the #4 on the list. That's my favorite one. MGS1 doing escape room stuff before it was cool.

[@cq963]

very nice video. The whole zelda totk game feels this way when you actually go to all the places and search everywhere

[@MandalorianRevan]

If you actually pay attention, Mass Effect 2 actually tells you throughout the game: recruitment missions, loyalty missions, ship dialogue, who all is suited for each role in the Suicide Mission.

[@NicholasBasile]

Very nice list as per usual. The one that comes to mind for me is in Phantom Hourglass where you solve a puzzle by closing your Nintendo DS. I'm not sure if that game is too old or not though -- these lists are made for only recent games, right? I feel like I rarely see older games mentioned.

[@LinkOfLegendOfZelda]

Omg yes! I couldn't figure that one out, so I closed my DS. When I decided to try again and opened my DS, I noticed that I solved the puzzle by accident. I was mind blown and felt stupid at the same time in that moment, that was so smart and actually pretty logical if you think about it. 😂

[@AJ-es1cw]

Love this list! Uncharted 4 for me has some very satisfying puzzles 🧩 Make you feel like a true Indiana Jones.

[@theTobytheTitan]

X-Men (1993) Sega Genesis “Reset the computer”… was mind blowing at the time and, honestly, still would maybe be that.

[@job8]

Baba is you and the Witness: two of the games that not only made me feel so clever, but that moved and touched me the most. I think Braid is on that level too.

[@MukiMuki688]

I always get stumped by those sliding square puzzles like the one in the castle section of RE4...

[@Mitrashi]

I had the same issue. But when i focused on where i want each square to be, it gets easier.

[@PeachM0de]

The Arkham one is the only one I’m personally familiar with. I don’t typically go for straight up puzzle games. I just deal with them as they come along in game.

[@Cyanspark]

Same

[@Dakhoth]

The real mind-bender for the Arkham puzzle is how did Johnny know Batman's birthday?

[@root0062]

After all these years. Gameranx still keeps strong. I love it!

[@ThePaJomaster]

Myst and Obduction.. Those are games that left me speechless at how clever they are. Obduction is especially difficult

[@smoknjoe99jdw]

Great video! I would like to add my all time favorite one to the list that wasn't mentioned though. For me it's gotta be X-men "reset the computer" on the genesis. That one had tearing my hair out until I reset it to try again instead of shutting it off like I had been doing.

[@gameranxTV]

Thanks for sharing!

[@digidv85]

They covered that on another list, JSYK. Not sure exactly which one, though.

[@brianollivier]

Love you Falcon, you're my favorite here on this whole channel and yes, flattery does work.

[@gameranxTV]

You're the best!

[@bandmonkey101]

I was late to the glory of video games but all of these are so fun to learn about.

[@thejackal007]

Flattery's not needed, friend bird. We keep coming back because you're fun.

[@javierisms]

Falcon's jokes get me every time lol. I've been looking forward to your videos most days now. Thank you for your hard work.

[@daxota_6750]

I love that you guys constantly pump out fresh content, good job Pelican!

[@eggsngaming]

While it's not as well known of a game, The Case of the Golden Idol has some truly 1000 IQ puzzle solving moments that are immensely satisfying.

[@antihero_antics]

I figured out the metal gear one back in my youth and felt like a genius. What really solidified my superiority was when I brought it up to all my gamer friends who first didn’t believe me then when proven i was the greatest man to walk the earth lol, it was amazing.

[@MrDv1lowes]

I had no idea that if you pick different characters for certain missions in Mass Effect 2, that could influence the outcome those characters dying or living. I just always picked the characters I wasn't too attached to or wasn't trying to get in the space sack with. In theory, could you save most of them?

[@iangray1980]

You can save ALL of them

[@iangray1980]

It dawns on me that you missed a fuck ton of me3 if you played 2 this way

[@burningbronze7555]

Get a full team through is rather easy.

[@jefekenh]

Asking falcon to like this is a 1000iq strat

[@eduardolimabarros931]

Falcon liked it

[@drizztfirefly]

This video reminds me of the old school infuriating puzzle video you did a while ago. Would love to see more of these types of videos. Thank you for the great content.

[@johnfinnegan9647]

That Talos Principle Puzzle hits different in VR, if you havent played this in VR, its a must try

[@YoSmoked]

*Let's just appreciate how much of work and time he put into these videos 💘💘*

[@kingshadow8782]

🤨

[@SarpsTube]

Going through the arches to build and unbuild bridges in Hellblade could easily be on this list 😂

[@lancebaxter6612]

Finishing the last boss in Portal 2. Most people will reflexively solve it pretty quickly, and then be astounded that it actually worked.

[@Crow_Rising]

My favorite kind of high IQ moment in games is the kind where you don't need to discover it to progress through the game, but it is still a fully intended possibility for you to make use of and can make things easier for you. For example: In the Mega Man Battle Network games, the battle system involves the use of "Chips", which are basically just skill cards that are shuffled from your "folder" or what is basically just your deck randomly into your hand. You can only use certain chips together, and the order you use them in is also important. I'm not going to get too into the mechanics in too much specificity here, but it's possible to pull off chip combinations that are just absolutely busted, and this can make certain tricky encounters turn into an absolute breeze, and you simultaneously feel like a powerful badass and a galaxy IQ genius for both figuring it out and pulling it off.

[@RegularEverydayNormalGuy]

Sometimes I click the videos just to hear Falcon’s voice. I’ve been watching these for so long it feels like I’m hearing a close friend. I enjoy the content too though haha, I’m not that weird.

[@gameranxTV]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@BrooksSoljah]

MGS was so ahead of its time. Not only the codec, but beating psycho mantis and various other cool things.

[@LucaMiolla]

My 1000IQ moment in Tears of the Kingdom was realising that the shrines were connected to the lightroots underground, and that peaks and throughs between surface and underground were actually inverted :D It made me happy

[@redacted2513]

Outer Wilds is one of the greatest games ever made, so glad it made it onto this list :)

[@juliosilva2301]

Falcon hitting us with, "It really makes you feel like Batman."

[@W468thetruth]

The metal gear moment was mind blowing! I still remember when i figured it out. Genius!

[@jeremynash6237]

The Meryl frequency clicked for me after the mantis fight when the controller moving slots to beat him clicked.

[@nicholasmccormick3411]

Number 1 should go to all the people who solve cod zombies Easter eggs

[@chalupasuperman]

My favorite was the Jindosh Riddle from Dishonored 2. Super satisfying to solve without any help, spent about 30 minutes working the riddle out on a piece of paper

[@K_i_t_t_y84]

I love Falcon's voice, it's like a warm hug ♥

[@edwinsaez82]

Great list. I thought the psycho mantis fight would have been the moment from that game. That was super mind blowing

[@Amin52J]

Having someone else solve the tough puzzles for you is also very smart 🙂

[@pumirya]

This video was genius too!

[@gameranxTV]

🤝🦅

[@JohnCottier]

I'm so glad Baba Is You was #1. It is both incredibly fun and one of the most frustrating games I've ever played when I get stuck on a puzzle. It's brilliant.

[@XeroCreator]

I've replayed MGS1 so many times and every time I play it I pull out my original cd case and feel like a badass :)

[@user-ss8ex5zy2k]

"The CD case for Kuzco" I nearly painted my computer monitor with coffee when you said that. Well played😂

[@clivematthews95]

You gotta make a part 2 of this I need to see Portal 2 mentioned here 😊

[@Mayhem-Maximus]

I'm curious to see what they do in MGS remaster for Psycho Mantis.

[@Cyanspark]

Thank you jake for making the best game videos

[@Tomewarden]

Falcon and Modest Pelican are tied for my favorite English-speaking birds. On one hand, Falcon and the GameRanx team provide interesting things about games, while Pelican provides jokes about and gameplay of games.

[@car34bx]

Return of the Obra Dinn had me stuck in the beginning but by the end I wanted to play 5 more games like it

[@michaelhopper1759]

Also, so glad to hear Falcon swear during the Witness reveal 👌🏽

[@TuneBlender]

So nice to hear Falcon talk about Outer Wilds. I've played so many hundreds of games, but Outer Wilds holds a very special place!

[@jer103]

I listened to an interview of Jonathan Blow describing the challenge of puzzle game Braid. He said that in puzzle games your try and try until you finally get "an Eureka" moment. That's why we play puzzle games.

[@michaelhopper1759]

The CD Case For Kuzco 🤣🤣🤣

[@Eyesaiah14]

You really got me with that one falcon! Well played

[@ASSASIN123100]

Great list, definitely the Jindosh Riddle from Dishonored 2 is on there.I spent 3 hours cracking it 🤣

[@emwbjr]

10:42 That was one of the most difficult puzzles I ever struggled with as a kid. Especially since I had a used version that did not come with the original case. Thankfully there's a small set of frequencies so I just had to go one by one until I found it. But it all made sense when I got my hands on an original copy as well as Twin Snakes

[@jj5652]

I thought for sure the Psycho Mantis fight in MGS would've made the list. That was mind-blowing for its time.

[@christopherbyrne9864]

Yeah the Batman puzzle really made feel like an actual genius 😂

[@controlcommerce]

Back in the day a friend and I rented Metal Gear Solid from Blockbuster. Blockbuster printed the Meryl codec frequency on the back of the rental case. So we solved the puzzle the intended way. It was mind blowing.

[@j-p4194]

Just beat TOTK and yeah still having that "too soon" moment for Princess Zelda!

[@Zylo82]

Here's the thing about Metal Gear and Blockbuster.... I remember renting the game from it and behind the rental plastic case had Meryl's codec number on it. They knew or... The Employee who worked at the place was a gamer that knew it had to be there.

[@Solidsnake8608]

Falcon, I could watch these videos all day and never get bored. Reminds me of watching G4 when I was a kid, but a lot better.

[@HighGroundoverAnnie]

Ratchet and Clank "A Crack in Time" had great puzzles with Clank recording himself multiple times. When I solved the hard bonus puzzles, I really had a big brain moment ^^

[@YuniorGamboa]

Superliminal has some fun and good puzzle pieces through its gameplay. Love that game

[@thelastmilkman583]

Gameranx with 6969 iq Nice

[@Handz_Maxson]

Nice

[@Takarr]

Falcon always makes my day. You're awesome man

[@xandermerrick]

When you mentioned Metal Gear I thought for sure it was gonna be about the Psycho Mantis 2nd controller port trick lol

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

The Talos Principle had some of the best puzzles ever

[@slickstretch6391]

The Cuzco line wrecked me LMAO

[@RelaxThruHeaven_RuleAllHell]

Than you for the hours of good content and lovely experiences. Hats off to you, my favourite Falco tinnunculus.

[@cannox255]

I loved the TOTK mystery. That was honestly really awesome to figure out.

[@yodatw]

Thanks for another great Video and great content. Always find it interesting the things you guys remember! I forget a lot of this stuff until you bring it up and you are like oh yeah that batman thing was pretty cool.......or oh yeah that metal gear solid thing had me and buddies playing on the phone figuring it out for hours! lol

[@gameranxTV]

Thanks again!

[@lowtierpleb7459]

10:33 Can't help but laugh out loud on that one. Didn't expect to see an Emperor's New Groove reference here. Good one falcon 😂

[@Mechamore]

Another good one is from The legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass where you need to copy a map. The map appears on the top screen of the Nintendon DS and you need to move it from the top screen to the lower screen. You do this by closing the DS and opening it again, the map has now move from the top screen to the bottom screen😊

[@JimAirborne25]

Obra Din was a beautiful game. I never thought to look at the shoes to decifer the differences between the Chinese crew members. Now the recent urge to replay it is going to have to be realized. I've played twice in order to get the Platinum, but now... just for the pleasure of replaying it.

[@duartevilelas9688]

The Talos Principal level, was a big "No Way!👀" moment for me 👌