Puzzle video game

Minesweeper (1990) is a popular puzzle video game.

A puzzle video game is a genre of video game that includes traditional puzzles played as a video game, and also new puzzle games which can only be played because of video game hardware and software. I define a puzzle game as one which requires applying logical thinking and memory to develop a plan which will achieve a goal. There typically isn't much difference between a "puzzle" game and a "strategy" game in terms of the underlying mechanics, so I generally differentiate a strategy game if the players are competing. For example, solitaire is a puzzle game, while poker is a strategy game, and Sokobon is a puzzle game, while multiplayer Bomberman is a strategy game.

Some of the very first video games ever made, even as far back as the 1960s were computer versions of traditional puzzle games like trivia questions, peg solitaire, and brain teasers. However, as computers became more powerful, the puzzle games made for them began to use more multimedia beyond that which was possible with traditional means and puzzle video games became more elaborate. As video games began to come into their own, and different genres of video games took shape, puzzle games were incorporated into them. Today, although pure puzzle games are still being published, most are given additional mechanics like a story line, fast moving graphics, and sound effects and music.

Personal

Although I always enjoyed picking up traditional puzzle games, I rarely work hard enough to become really good at solving them. Pure puzzle games are usually about discovering a trick and then exploiting it to solve the puzzle, and I don't get much satisfaction in such a pursuit. I find video games to be much more accessible medium for puzzle games because they can add material to make the game more interesting like attractive graphic art, music, and good writing. Most of the puzzle games I like aren't too hard, and can be solved with only a fair amount of intelligence and perseverance. I generally dislike puzzle games that require esoteric knowledge or ones that keep getting harder to the point of frustration.

Games

This is a list of puzzle video games that are important to me. For all games in this genre, see the puzzle category.

Title	Released	Developer
The 7th Guest	1993-04-01	Trilobyte
Anika's Odyssey	2007-??-??	Tricky Sheep
A Boy and His Blob: Trouble On Blobolonia	1990-01-??	Imagineering
Castle Adventure	1984-??-??	Kevin Bales
The Frostrune	2017-02-01	Grimnir
Glittermitten Grove	2016-12-26	Twinbeard
Her Story	2015-06-23	Sam Barlow
Ittle Dew	2013-07-05	Ludosity AB
King's Quest series	1984-05-10	Sierra On-Line
Limbo	2010-07-21	Playdead
Little Inferno	2012-11-18	Tomorrow Corporation
Loom	1990-01-??	Lucasfilm Games
Pony Island	2016-01-04	Daniel Mullins Games
Portal series	2007-10-10	Valve
Shadowgate	1987-07-30	ICOM Simulations
Space Quest series	1986-10-??	Sierra On-Line
Tetris	1984-06-06	Alexey Pajitnov
ZZT	1991-10-??	Tim Sweeney

Links

   

• giantbomb.com/games/?genre=18 - Giant Bomb.