Puzzle video game

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Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion.

These games involve a variety of logical and conceptual challenges, although occasionally the games add time-pressure or other action-elements.^[1]

Types of puzzle games

Minesweeper, a popular computer puzzle game found on many machines.

Some puzzle games feed to the player a random assortment of blocks or pieces that they must organize in the correct manner, such as Tetris, Klax and Lumines. Tetris, designed in 1985, is considered one of the most important video puzzle games and has spawned many sequels, variations, and clones of the "falling block" variety.^[2] Others present a preset game board or pieces and challenge the player to solve the puzzle by achieving a goal (Bomberman, The Incredible Machine). Some of the games in the former category have a mode that plays like the latter. For example, in both Tetrisphere and Tetris Attack, there is a "puzzle mode" in which the player must clear a pre-defined board within a certain number of moves. Another type of puzzle game requires you to build systems out of supplied parts. These games include Microsoft Tinker, Crazy Machines, and Crazy Machines 2.

Many adventure games and action-adventure games contain puzzle elements. Examples include Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and The Legend of Zelda series.

Because puzzle games are often so abstract, the term is sometimes used as a blanket term for games with unique and otherwise indescribable gameplay^[3]. Every Extend Extra is an example of this.

Puzzle games are often easy to develop and adapt, being manifest on dedicated arcade units, home video game consoles, personal digital assistants, and mobile phones.

The game Minesweeper is notable because of the large installed user base, as the game comes bundled with the Microsoft Windows operating system, many distributions of Linux, and some Palm OS operating system older variants, among others.

See also

• List of puzzle video games
• Hidden object game
• Reveal the picture game

References

External links

• History of Puzzle Games at GameSpot