The main focus of puzzle games is channeled towards solving puzzles. The player’s problem-solving skills are tested when playing puzzle games. In some of these games, gamers have unlimited time and attempts, while others have a time limit. The historical aspect of puzzle games throughout the centuries goes back to mind teasers and puzzles. Below is a clear picture of the history of how some of the current puzzle games we play were developed.
Traditional thinking games
Traditional thinking games have greatly influenced many puzzle games. An example is seen from the math game, which is a digital version of the Android Nim for the TRS-80. The mastermind and the Hangman are also some of the traditional games that got their early video game interpreted.
Atari Puzzle Games
The Atari 2600 is the first video game from Atari. Game developers were quick to create games for it after its release in 1977. Predecessor, currently known as the Minesweeper, was the first-ever puzzle game for the console.
A blockbuster for the Atari 8-bIt was released in 1981 by Stephen Bradshaw and Alan Griesemer. A copy of the board game was released in the 1970s. Snark Hunt was then released for the Atari 8-Bit in 1982.
Action Games with Puzzles
Konami released locomotion in 1982. The game was an action game that had some puzzle elements. Some of the elements in the game can be seen in the game called the LucasArts’ Pipe Mania which was released in 1989.
In 1984, an action-puzzle game called Puzzle Picnic was released for the Atari 8-bit. In the same year, the game developers also released Boulder Dash. Avoiding rocks and collecting diamonds were some of the things featured in the game. Many clones called rocks and diamond games were developed from this game.
Chain Shot introduced gameplay where gamers were required to remove tiles of the same color. Uncle Henry’s Nuclear waste Dump functioned just like Tetris, although the game developer claimed he was never aware of this aspect. Way before Tetris reached the Us market, the game had already been released.
Tetris
According to Gaming enthusiasts, Tetris is viewed as a game that revolutionized the puzzle genre. The game was developed by a Russian designer by the name of Alexey Pajitnov in 1985. According to Alexey, he got his inspiration from a traditional puzzle game known as Pentomino. In Pentomino, gamers were expected not to produce any gaps while trying to arrange failing blocks.
After Holobytehas released the game for MS-DOS in 1987, the game became very popular. Atari Games released it in arcades in the following year. More than 30 million units of the game were sold on the Game Boy.
In a nutshell, it is clearly evident that in the past 40 years, the gaming world has undergone a reinvention of new puzzle games that have widely spread globally. The puzzle genre has been diversified over these years, and there is no possibility of it stopping in the near future.
