Puzzle Games Ranking
Today, I want to rank my favorite puzzle games, but I have run into a bit of a snag. Finding a consistent definition for the puzzle genre is pretty much impossible. Searching Gamefaqs reveals several hundred games that are classified as puzzle games, and from a quick glance, I would say that most should not be listed in this category. I try to avoid including most board games and strategy games. While there is an element of strategy in basically all puzzle games, I do not feel that games like Risk or Final Fantasy Tactics really fit into the puzzle realm as they take the strategy element to a different level, although the strategy realm is definitely going to be worthy of its own list very soon. My quick impressions of a puzzle game are that it should be simple to pickup, but difficult to master, and that it is it is possibly trying to create order out of an increasingly chaotic system in the game. I don't think it is necessary for a puzzle game to not have an ending, as puzzles can have solutions.
Wikipedia defines the puzzle game as:
I would tend to agree with several parts of this definition. I think that logic and strategy are key elements to a good puzzle game, and in a sense, luck is a key element to a poorly executed puzzle game. It is easy to make a definition that includes puzzle games, but it is difficult to come up with a definition that excludes non-puzzle games. With that in mind, I have prepared two lists with my favorite puzzle games; one list following strict definitions of a puzzle game, the other list with games that could be considered puzzle games, but might not be. Please let me know what you think about both lists. Also, I have not played Meteos, Lumines, Chu Chu Rocket or Puyo Pop Fever, so it would not be fair to include them, and I also avoided using any internet games. (parentheses indicate the system upon which the game was mostly played.)
Strict interpretation list:
20. Daedalian Opus (Gameboy) - Not that much fun, and doesn't really hold up that well over time. Basically you fit pieces together to fill a rectangle. Inbetween levels there is an annoying section where you have to walk to the next puzzle and get a new piece. Trust me, not fun for long.
19. Wrecking Crew (NES) - Another game that has not held up well over time, but still somewhat fun. You have to break all of the walls to exit the level. It is fun for a while, but gets old fast.
18. Mario and Wario (SNES) - Pretty solid puzzler, where you lead Mario, who has a bucket on his head, to Luigi.
17. Qix (Gameboy) - A weird randomly moving force is in the middle of the screen, and you need to isolate it to a small portion of the screen by boxing it in with lines. This is a challenging game, but I am not sure that it really holds up as well as some other ones do. It is still fun every now and then, but not completely a classic.
16. Mario Clash (Virtual Boy) - Even though the Virtual Boy had V-Tetris and 3D Tetris, this was a much better game, basically a 3D Mario Bros. I struggled deciding whether to include this here, given the level of action, but each screen is basically a strategic puzzle that you must work out (spaces are more confined than in Mario Bros) in a limited space. Enjoyable, although perhaps it does not have the pick up and play appeal of Mario Bros.
15. Pipe Dream (NES) - Put together the plumbing to lead the liquid to the exit. Fun, easy to pick up, just not necessarily my favorite game for no real reason. By the truest definitions, one of the more innovative games on my list (possibly inspired some of the later games where you lead a character to a destination without their input, but the same could be said about Gyromite.) I had a friend in middle school who loved this game like no other, and I have always just felt fairly ambivalent towards it.
14. Beetris (PC) - There have been several Tetris clones, even if you exclude some of the games that could be classified as clones that also appear on this list. I have personally played 3D Tetris, Sextris, and Fruitris, but my favorite has always been Beetris. Beetris uses hexagons rather than squares as the basis of the falling blocks. It offers a different but familiar experience from Tetris itself. And it was Shareware, so I never paid anything for it.
13. Panic Bomber (Virtual Boy) - The Virtual Boy was a good platform to have puzzle games, but owing to its short lifespan, very few games of any sort were made. Panic Bomber appears on other platforms, and other platforms have multiplayer, but this is my preferred platform for single player. Even with single player, you are constantly playing against an opponent, and so you have to do well on your side of the screen to cause their screen to flood with extra pieces.
12. The Lost Vikings (SNES) - Innovative puzzle-action game where you have to use the skills of each of the Vikings to make it through each level. The one problem, and this plagues a few of the games on this list, is that once you have played the easier levels, there is little point to playing them again, so you never have the option to play something easy again without already knowing how to complete the level. In any case, it was a really great game. I would definitely pick up the sequel if I had a chance. (And the first one, for that matter, which was a rental for me.)
11. Klax (NES) - This game is a lot of fun, and the objectives vary by level, so there is a lot of variety. I have this game on Midway Arcade Treasures, and it is one of the games that I play most frequently. The sound effects are fun, but it definitely has a dated feel to it. I can see someone who is unfamiliar with it having trouble getting into it, which is too bad.
10. Columns (GENESIS) - I now play this game on the Sega Classics Collection. This was a major game for Sega back then. I think that it is perhaps a little too simple for my tastes now, but at the time it was a lot better.
9. Kwirk (Gameboy) - This game still holds up very well. The sound is fun, the graphics are simple but effective, and the gameplay is easy to learn, but very challenging. I would say that the one drawback to this title, as long as you do not consider black and white graphics a drawback, is that like other games, once you have learned how to complete a level, it is no longer really a challenge. Still, a great game, and it has aged well.
8. Lemmings (SNES) - Assign roles to the lemmings and save as many as you can while leading them to the exit. The game can get quite frantic as you keep track of lemmings at several different locations on the map, and you need to make sure you assign them their tasks at just the right time. I played this again a few weeks ago, and it was still pretty fun. I tend nowadays to play more King Arthur's World, which is the medieval action version of lemmings, but I don't get far because the levels get to be far too long, and there are some enemies that basically do not fight fair. Lemmings would definitely win in a head to head mainly because of the level design.
7. Krusty's Super Fun House (SNES) - I enjoy this game because of the simplicity in each level. This game is another one where you lead a character, in this case rats, to the end of the level, where they get destroyed rather than finding an exit. The animations when the different people destroy the rats are one of the best parts. My favorite is when Corporal Punishment eats the rats. Classic!
6. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA) - This is a newer game, but it is already a classic. It combines the best elements from several games, like Krusty's Super Fun House and Donkey Kong Jr. Unlike most puzzle games, and admittedly, this is a puzzle action game, this also has boss battles. I am surprised that more people have not gotten into this game.
5. Zookeeper (DS) - Fun and addicting Bejeweled clone. Bejeweled does not have cute animals, so this is the far superior version. Easy to pick up, easy to learn. If it suffers from anything, it is that success depends far too much on luck, much more so than the games that are higher on the list.
4. Tetris (Gameboy) - The game that launched a handheld empire and that launched a thousand clones. Most people put this game higher, but as brilliant as it is, and as fun as it was, I think that it lacks a bit of soul for me. I don't enjoy this game as much as I used to, and I am not sure if I should have it this high up, but I am giving it the benefit of the doubt.
3. Emerald Mine (Amiga) - I know that not many people had an Amiga, but this was one of my favorite games. You have to get to the exit of the room and pick up a certain amount of gems while avoiding cave-ins and monsters. Very clever, and very well-designed. This game is very out of print, but I have seen it available on the internet and also with extra levels.
2. Dr. Mario (NES) - Great music, great premise, great game. Simple and fun, and based upon skill rather than luck. You can play for a short time or a long time, and just because you have completed a level before does not mean it is not as challenging to play again. Almost the perfect puzzle game, if not for...
1. Bust A Move (SNES) - Comparing Dr. Mario and Bust A Move, there are good arguments for both. I give the graphics nod to Bust A Move, but music nod to Dr. Mario. Randomized variety is obviously a part of Dr. Mario and not Bust A Move. It is the control and gameplay itself that for me gives Bust A Move the edge. For me, I could pick up and play this game anytime, whereas I need to be in the mood for Dr. Mario, but that is not taking anything away from Dr. Mario. (Bust A Move also has several sequels to make up for the lack of random levels.)
Tomorrow, I will post my list of (currently 13) games that could be considered puzzle games, but did not quite fit the standards of my strict list.
Please let me know what you think of this list.
Wikipedia defines the puzzle game as:
Computer puzzle game is a genre of computer games that emphasize puzzle solving.
The types of puzzles involved can involve logic, strategy, pattern recognition,
sequence solving, word completion or, in some cases, just pure luck.
I would tend to agree with several parts of this definition. I think that logic and strategy are key elements to a good puzzle game, and in a sense, luck is a key element to a poorly executed puzzle game. It is easy to make a definition that includes puzzle games, but it is difficult to come up with a definition that excludes non-puzzle games. With that in mind, I have prepared two lists with my favorite puzzle games; one list following strict definitions of a puzzle game, the other list with games that could be considered puzzle games, but might not be. Please let me know what you think about both lists. Also, I have not played Meteos, Lumines, Chu Chu Rocket or Puyo Pop Fever, so it would not be fair to include them, and I also avoided using any internet games. (parentheses indicate the system upon which the game was mostly played.)
Strict interpretation list:
20. Daedalian Opus (Gameboy) - Not that much fun, and doesn't really hold up that well over time. Basically you fit pieces together to fill a rectangle. Inbetween levels there is an annoying section where you have to walk to the next puzzle and get a new piece. Trust me, not fun for long.
19. Wrecking Crew (NES) - Another game that has not held up well over time, but still somewhat fun. You have to break all of the walls to exit the level. It is fun for a while, but gets old fast.
18. Mario and Wario (SNES) - Pretty solid puzzler, where you lead Mario, who has a bucket on his head, to Luigi.
17. Qix (Gameboy) - A weird randomly moving force is in the middle of the screen, and you need to isolate it to a small portion of the screen by boxing it in with lines. This is a challenging game, but I am not sure that it really holds up as well as some other ones do. It is still fun every now and then, but not completely a classic.
16. Mario Clash (Virtual Boy) - Even though the Virtual Boy had V-Tetris and 3D Tetris, this was a much better game, basically a 3D Mario Bros. I struggled deciding whether to include this here, given the level of action, but each screen is basically a strategic puzzle that you must work out (spaces are more confined than in Mario Bros) in a limited space. Enjoyable, although perhaps it does not have the pick up and play appeal of Mario Bros.
15. Pipe Dream (NES) - Put together the plumbing to lead the liquid to the exit. Fun, easy to pick up, just not necessarily my favorite game for no real reason. By the truest definitions, one of the more innovative games on my list (possibly inspired some of the later games where you lead a character to a destination without their input, but the same could be said about Gyromite.) I had a friend in middle school who loved this game like no other, and I have always just felt fairly ambivalent towards it.
14. Beetris (PC) - There have been several Tetris clones, even if you exclude some of the games that could be classified as clones that also appear on this list. I have personally played 3D Tetris, Sextris, and Fruitris, but my favorite has always been Beetris. Beetris uses hexagons rather than squares as the basis of the falling blocks. It offers a different but familiar experience from Tetris itself. And it was Shareware, so I never paid anything for it.
13. Panic Bomber (Virtual Boy) - The Virtual Boy was a good platform to have puzzle games, but owing to its short lifespan, very few games of any sort were made. Panic Bomber appears on other platforms, and other platforms have multiplayer, but this is my preferred platform for single player. Even with single player, you are constantly playing against an opponent, and so you have to do well on your side of the screen to cause their screen to flood with extra pieces.
12. The Lost Vikings (SNES) - Innovative puzzle-action game where you have to use the skills of each of the Vikings to make it through each level. The one problem, and this plagues a few of the games on this list, is that once you have played the easier levels, there is little point to playing them again, so you never have the option to play something easy again without already knowing how to complete the level. In any case, it was a really great game. I would definitely pick up the sequel if I had a chance. (And the first one, for that matter, which was a rental for me.)
11. Klax (NES) - This game is a lot of fun, and the objectives vary by level, so there is a lot of variety. I have this game on Midway Arcade Treasures, and it is one of the games that I play most frequently. The sound effects are fun, but it definitely has a dated feel to it. I can see someone who is unfamiliar with it having trouble getting into it, which is too bad.
10. Columns (GENESIS) - I now play this game on the Sega Classics Collection. This was a major game for Sega back then. I think that it is perhaps a little too simple for my tastes now, but at the time it was a lot better.
9. Kwirk (Gameboy) - This game still holds up very well. The sound is fun, the graphics are simple but effective, and the gameplay is easy to learn, but very challenging. I would say that the one drawback to this title, as long as you do not consider black and white graphics a drawback, is that like other games, once you have learned how to complete a level, it is no longer really a challenge. Still, a great game, and it has aged well.
8. Lemmings (SNES) - Assign roles to the lemmings and save as many as you can while leading them to the exit. The game can get quite frantic as you keep track of lemmings at several different locations on the map, and you need to make sure you assign them their tasks at just the right time. I played this again a few weeks ago, and it was still pretty fun. I tend nowadays to play more King Arthur's World, which is the medieval action version of lemmings, but I don't get far because the levels get to be far too long, and there are some enemies that basically do not fight fair. Lemmings would definitely win in a head to head mainly because of the level design.
7. Krusty's Super Fun House (SNES) - I enjoy this game because of the simplicity in each level. This game is another one where you lead a character, in this case rats, to the end of the level, where they get destroyed rather than finding an exit. The animations when the different people destroy the rats are one of the best parts. My favorite is when Corporal Punishment eats the rats. Classic!
6. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA) - This is a newer game, but it is already a classic. It combines the best elements from several games, like Krusty's Super Fun House and Donkey Kong Jr. Unlike most puzzle games, and admittedly, this is a puzzle action game, this also has boss battles. I am surprised that more people have not gotten into this game.
5. Zookeeper (DS) - Fun and addicting Bejeweled clone. Bejeweled does not have cute animals, so this is the far superior version. Easy to pick up, easy to learn. If it suffers from anything, it is that success depends far too much on luck, much more so than the games that are higher on the list.
4. Tetris (Gameboy) - The game that launched a handheld empire and that launched a thousand clones. Most people put this game higher, but as brilliant as it is, and as fun as it was, I think that it lacks a bit of soul for me. I don't enjoy this game as much as I used to, and I am not sure if I should have it this high up, but I am giving it the benefit of the doubt.
3. Emerald Mine (Amiga) - I know that not many people had an Amiga, but this was one of my favorite games. You have to get to the exit of the room and pick up a certain amount of gems while avoiding cave-ins and monsters. Very clever, and very well-designed. This game is very out of print, but I have seen it available on the internet and also with extra levels.
2. Dr. Mario (NES) - Great music, great premise, great game. Simple and fun, and based upon skill rather than luck. You can play for a short time or a long time, and just because you have completed a level before does not mean it is not as challenging to play again. Almost the perfect puzzle game, if not for...
1. Bust A Move (SNES) - Comparing Dr. Mario and Bust A Move, there are good arguments for both. I give the graphics nod to Bust A Move, but music nod to Dr. Mario. Randomized variety is obviously a part of Dr. Mario and not Bust A Move. It is the control and gameplay itself that for me gives Bust A Move the edge. For me, I could pick up and play this game anytime, whereas I need to be in the mood for Dr. Mario, but that is not taking anything away from Dr. Mario. (Bust A Move also has several sequels to make up for the lack of random levels.)
Tomorrow, I will post my list of (currently 13) games that could be considered puzzle games, but did not quite fit the standards of my strict list.
Please let me know what you think of this list.
posted by Xryz - kingofallcosmos at
4:15 AM
3 Comments:
I've never played Daedalian Opus, Qix, Mario Clash, and a number of others on your list. Oh, wait, Qix. Fuck, of course I've played Qix. Never mind.
Lemmings and Lost Vikings are good, but I don't know that I'd call them proper puzzle games. I feel like the scrolling environments and long-term strategies involved make them different. The games do present the player with puzzles, of course, but to me "puzzle games" are something different.
(if your list is going to include Lost Vikings and Lemmings, you are a fool for not including Adventure of Lolo)
I think I would define "puzzle games" as games that give the player the task of visually processing and sorting objects onscreen using simple controls. Like Tetris, Qix, or Dr Mario, a genuine puzzle game can be played using strictly visual reckoning, without linguistic reasoning (internal or otherwise). Puzzle games, as I think of them, are primarily action games, not strategy games (these being Chris Crawford's two major categories of computer game in his highly recommended and web-available 1982 opus The Art of Computer Game Design).
You missed a number of great games, of course, but here's an old favorite of mine.
Torus takes the puzzle genre as far as it can go into twitch gameplay. Because it was designed with keyboard arrows in mind, you can make inputs much faster than a stylus or D-pad will allow. You're still sorting and grouping colored objects -- the typical puzzle game activity -- but very quickly. It was part of that early 1990s shareware scene, back when PC games were regularly weird and interesting. This one's a gem. It might also cause carpal tunnel.
I think it's kind of silly for you to extend the list to 20 if you just end up including games you don't even like, like Daedalian Opus, but any listmaker honest enough with himself to not reflexively stick Tetris in the number one position is okay by me. Dr Mario has better visuals than Bust-A-Move, but I respect your differing opinion.
By
Zack, at 12:05 PM
Beetris? huh.
I'd forgotten all about Sextris until reading your list. There was a major Tetris revival in my life freshman to sophomore year of college, but the one I played most was Stygian Tetris, but my computer died and I lost it. Too lazy to find it again.
What's your high score on Zookeeper? I like Time Attack mode best.
By
lydia, at 8:04 PM
Sheepishly I admit to not playing Lolo, or the sequels. (Unless I did and then forgot that I did, which does not bode well for Lolo.) Just so you know, I did not include EVERY puzzle game I had ever played. Not a big Torus fan, and it is fairly similar to several of my other games, only not as good in my opinion. In fact, I only included one shareware or PC game at all, and only because I like Beetris that much. I also skipped my most recent puzzle purchase, Polarium. It is okay for a few levels, but gets old really fast.
It has been a while since I saw The Art of Computer Game Design, good to see again. I do not necessarily take it all as religion, just expert opinion. (On a related note, on first run through I thought that you wrote that those were Cindy Crawford's two major categories, which made me stop to try to remember whether she did a lot of game theorizing.)
As for Zookeeper, I am not that good, but in the interests of full disclosure I am willing to share all of my high scores.
Time Attack (my favorite as well): 414080
Normal: 338580
Tokoton: 684330
Quest: 1439
Tokoton is fundamentally flawed, in that the difficulty ramps up all at once.
On the puzzle questions, I know that there were several NES puzzle games that I liked that I cannot remember. For some reason, when I think of NES games that I do not already own, I only think of Amagon, Startropics and Duck Tales, in that order.
By
Xryz - kingofallcosmos, at 12:54 AM
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