A list of puzzle games similar to Tetris. The games should satisfy the following criteria: - The games should only be workable as video games (and can't be replicated as board games, card games etc). - The games should be puzzle based and relatively abstract. - There should be an element of timing i.e. sitting back and doing nothing eventually leads to a game over. - There should be only one list entry per series unless later games are significantly different from their predecessors e.g. there shouldn't be list entries for Tetris 2, Tetris 3 etc.
In Tetris, shapes (made of squares) fall from above, and the player can shift (left and right) and rotate the shapes as they fall. Filling an entire horizontal row with squares, makes that row of squares disappear (and the player gains points). If the squares reach to the top of the screen, it is game over. Many variations and copies of Tetris have been made, including 3D Tetris, Super Tetris (which has bombs to destroy bricks), Tetrisphere etc.
2
Columns
Vertical columns (typically made up of three coloured gems) fall from above. The player can change the order of the columns while they drop (and shift the column left and right). Getting a sequence (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) of three or more gems of the same colour makes them disappear (and the player gains points). The player gains more points if they cause a chain reaction i.e. disappearing some gems causes the gems above to fall, resulting in more gems to disappear.
3
Puyo Puyo
A pair of coloured beans (with eyes) fall from above. The player can rotate the pair while they drop (and shift the pair left and right). Getting a cluster of four or more beans of the same colour makes them disappear (and gives the player points). The player gains more points if they cause a chain reaction i.e. disappearing some beans causes the beans above to fall, resulting in more beans to disappear. When playing against an opponent (human or computer controlled), disappearing beans (especially with a chain reaction) can cause black beans to fall into your opponent's area. Black beans don't form clusters, but can be removed by disappearing adjacent coloured beans. Variations of Puyo Puyo include Puyo Pop, and the Sonic Hedgehog spin-off Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.
4
Block Out
Block Out is like Tetris, but 3D with a top-down view.
5
Bust a Move
Bust a Move is Puzzle Bobble 2 (a Bubble Bobble spin-off). At the bottom of the screen is a cannon which shoots coloured balls (the colour is randomly generated). The player controls when the ball is shot, and the angle at which the ball is shot. At the top of the screen are clusters of balls. A ball shot from the cannon will stop if it hits a ball cluster, otherwise it will bounce off the walls and/or ceiling. Combining a cluster of three or more balls of the same colour will make them disappear (and gain points for the player). If there are other coloured balls hanging off the disappearing cluster, those balls will drop off the screen. A level is completed if all of the balls are eliminated.
6
Fantavision
Fantavision was one of the earliest PS2 games. Coloured fireworks shoot onto the screen (like coloured balls from a Roman candle). The player controls a cursor which highlights the fireworks. The cursor surrounds the most recently highlighted firework, and the player points to the next firework to be highlighted by using the analogue stick. The fireworks highlighted must be in a consecutive chain of the same colour, with the rainbow fireworks counting as all colours (allowing chains of different coloured fireworks to be highlighted). The player can explode the highlighted fireworks (if there are at least three of the same colour). Fireworks of the same colour will also explode if they are caught up in the previous explosion. A firework will eventually burn out if it is left alone for too long. The player loses energy each time a firework burns out (and it is game over if the player loses all of their energy).
7
Lumines
In Lumines, blocks (made up of 2 by 2 squares of two different colours) fall from above. The player can rotate the block while it is falling (and shift the block left and right). A vertical beam passes across the playing area regularly. When the beam moves across the screen, any 2 by 2 (or larger) blocks of squares of the same colour disappear (and the player gains points).
8
Squarez
In Squarez, the player moves blocks made up of 3 by 3 units (mostly mono-coloured squares). Unlike Tetris, the blocks aren't subject to gravity. The player can move the current block left, right, up or down. After each block placement, any rectangle with an area of at least 3 by 3 and filled completely with squares disappears (and the player gains points). Within each block of squares being shifted, there are usually other things inside the block which make things more complicated. For example, when a white cross square disappears, it produces a large white cross which can get in the way. When a green acid square disappears, it produces an area of green acid squares, which dissolve squares that touch it.
9
Magical Drop
In Magical Drop, a stack of coloured balls descend from the top of the screen. The player controls a character at the bottom that can move left and right, and can pick up and launch balls. If the player launches a ball and creates a column of three or more balls of the same colour, those balls will disappear. It is game over when a ball reaches the bottom of the screen.
10
Money Idol Exchanger
Money Idol Exchanger is similar to Magical Drop, but instead of balls there are coins which are replaced with more valuable coins. Stacking five '1' coins will replace it with a '5' coin. Stacking two '5' coins will replace it with a '10' coin. Stacking two '500' coins will make both disappear.
11
Gururin
In Gururin, swords and sorcery type characters fall into a large container. The player can rotate the container, which causes the characters to fall to the bottom. Getting a sequence of three or more of the same character will make those characters disappear (and gain points for the player).
12
Zoop
In Zoop, there is a square (4 by 4 spaces) in the center of the screen where the player's controllable cursor can move. Coloured shapes gradually move towards the square from above, below, left and right. The player's cursor can hold one shape at a time. The player can point their cursor at an incoming shape, and launch their shape at it. If the player's cursor shape matches the incoming shape, the incoming shape disappears. If the shape behind the incoming shape is also of the same colour, then it too will disappear. If the player's cursor shape is different to the incoming shape, then the two shapes are switched around. The more shapes that are disappeared in a single move, the more points the player would obtain. It is game over if the moving shapes reach the central square.
13
Bejeweled
Bejeweled starts with a playing area filled completely with gems. Each turn, the player can switch two selected gems around. A sequence (row or column) of three or more gems of the same colour will disappear, and then new gems would fall from above until the playing area is entirely filled. A switch can only happen if it will cause gems to disappear. If there are no possible moves, all the gems will fall from the screen and the playing area would be refilled with gems from above.
14
Puzzle Quest
Puzzle Quest is essentially Bejeweled merged with a swords and sorcery RPG. Each Bejeweled style game represents a single battle with an enemy. The player and the computer controlled enemy each take turns making switches. Instead of gems, there are coloured spheres (which give the combatant mana of the corresponding colour when disappeared), gold (which acts as currency), purple spheres (which give extra experience points) and skulls (which deal damage to the opponent when disappeared). The player wins (loses) the battle if their opponent's (their own) hit-points reach zero. During the battle, the player and their opponent can cast spells. During the game, the player can build an empire (and tax the conquered for gold), buy equipment, build up various stats, learn new spells, attempt quests (including side-quests) and follow a story.
15
Bejeweled Twist
Bejeweled Twist is like Bejeweled but instead of switching two gems, the player rotates a selected 2 by 2 square of gems.
16
Gyromancer
Gyromancer is to Bejeweled Twist, what Puzzle Quest is to Bejeweled. It is essentially Bejeweled Twist merged with a swords and sorcery RPG.
17
Wetrix / Aqua Aqua
The Wetrix series (including its sequel Aqua Aqua) are 3D puzzle games. Blocks of sand (shaped like 3D Tetris shapes) fall from above. The player can rotate and shift the blocks as they fall. Water and other things also fall from above. If too much water falls off the edge of the land, it is game over. Water can be contained by piling up blocks of sand to create lakes. If the lakes are deep enough, 'lake mates' begin to inhabit the lake. If there are enough lakes, then rainbows can form. Lake mates and rainbows act as point multipliers. Various hazards (such as earthquakes) make containing the water more difficult.
18
Dr Mario
In Dr Mario, pill capsules made of up to two colours (out of red, blue or yellow) fall into the container from above. The player can rotate the pills as they fall (and shift them left and right). The objective is to eliminate all of the coloured anthropomorphised viruses in the container. A sequence (row or column) of three or more pill parts will automatically disappear, along with any virus of the same colour that is inline and adjacent to the sequence.
19
Kirby's Star Stacker
In Kirby's Star Stacker, pairs of stars and/or Kirby's friends fall from above. The player can rotate the pair (and move it left and right). Sandwiching a column of stars in between two like friends will make those friends and the stars in between disappear. Occasionally a row of stars/friends would be added to the bottom, resulting in the rest of the stars/friends being shifted upward.
20
Klax
In Klax, coloured tiles fall from above from a conveyor belt. There is a narrow platform which can carry up to three tiles stacked vertically. The player controls the platform by moving it left and right, and using it to drop tiles into the 5 by 5 container below, or throwing tiles back onto the convey belt (to be dealt with later). Getting a sequence (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) of three or more tiles in the container, makes them disappear (gaining points for the player). The player gains more points if they cause a chain reaction i.e. disappearing some tiles causes the tiles above to fall, resulting in more tiles disappearing. It is game over if too many tiles from the conveyor belt fall without being caught by the platform. To complete a level, the player must satisfy that level's objective e.g. disappearing a certain number of tiles, making a certain number of diagonal disappearances, lasting for a certain length of time etc. Some levels have a sub-objective which when completed allows the player to skip levels.
21
Baku Baku Animal
In Baku Baku Animal, pairs of tiles (of animals and/or foodstuffs) fall from above. When an animal is positioned adjacent to a tile containing its favoured food, the animal eats the food (and the tiles disappear).
22
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo is a puzzle game which has Street Fighter and other Capcom characters. Pairs of coloured gems fall from above. The types of gems include: normal gems, crash gems, super gems, counter gems and power gems. Placing a crash gem adjacent to a normal gem of the same colour, eliminates those gems and drops counter gems into the opponent's playing area. Counter gems eventually become normal gems, but until that time are only eliminated when adjacent normal or crash gems are eliminated. Power gems are formed by creating a rectangular cluster (of at least 2 by 2) of normal gems of the same colour. Eliminating power gems causes even more counter gems to fall into the opponent's playing area. Super gems eliminate all gems with the same colour as the gem it is dropped on.
Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles is an independently produced puzzle game, that was released on the GP2X (a Korean portable games console) in 2007, the Sega Dreamcast in 2008, and since 2011 has been available for free on Windows. It was developed by Yuan Works (based in Costa Rica).
The gameplay's basic setup has a set of columns of coloured blocks. The columns staggered in a way that an individual block's vertical edges, overlap with two blocks on each side (as opposed to one on each side, if the blocks formed a conventional grid pattern). The player can rotate a diamond of four blocks clockwise or counter-clockwise. When four or more blocks of the same colour form a diamond, those four blocks will disappear along with any other blocks of the same colour that are connected to that diamond. After the blocks disappear, the above blocks would fall down to fill the gaps. If the player disappears the blocks too slowly, the 'presser' from below will rise up, limiting the playing space and eventually resulting in a game-over.
The game has various modes including a story mode. The story mode has a map for your character to walk around, missions which can be repeated, mini-games, a shop and other places to visit.
Landmaker (also known as Builder's Block) is a puzzle game available on arcade and the PS1. Blocks gradually move down from the top of the screen (with the corners facing downwards). The player shoots individual blocks upwards from the bottom of the screen. If a block hits the corner of a block of the same colour, that block and the cluster of coloured blocks it collides with will disappear. If a block hits the edge of another block, it will slide along the edge of the blocks until it can't move further. Buildings are created by getting the blocks of the same colour in a square formation e.g. 2x2, 3x3, 4x4 etc. Bonus points, trouble for your opponent, and power-ups are granted, depending on the size of this square formation.
25
Panel De Pon
Panel De Pon and Tetris Attack are almost identical games, but with Tetris Attack starring Nintendo characters such as Yoshi. Despite the name Tetris Attack, the gameplay is very different from Tetris. Pokemon Puzzle League is also based on Panel de Pon. The gist of Panel de Pon: Rows and columns of three or more consecutive identical blocks will disappear. A player will start with blocks in their container, and rather than falling from above, the blocks rise up in rows from below. A player can switch two horizontally adjacent bricks at a time (or one brick and a space). The bricks are affected by gravity. A combo is scored when more than three blocks are removed at a time, and a chain is scored when falling blocks from blocks disappearing result in more blocks disappearing.
This game is similar to Tetris as you have to complete rows and gain points.
27
Color Surge
Swap the rows, columns or buckets to align the cubes and then quickly drop them into their matching buckets. Dropping multiple cubes scores major bonus points.
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