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Best puzzler games on GamesNostalgia

Puzzler video games have always been popular among gamers, challenging their minds with problem-solving activities. From guessing numbers or words, and simplistic block arranging to mind-bending physics puzzles, puzzler games have evolved over the years to provide increasingly complex challenges and innovative gameplay mechanics.

Simple mechanics and addictive gameplay characterized early games; versions of Mastermind or Hangman were probably the first examples. In 1984, Lode Runner and Impossible Mission launched the genre of the puzzle-platformers, mixing platform games exploration with puzzle solving. In Impossible Mission, you have 6 hours to collect the required pieces. Every death takes away 10 minutes. And there are many ways to die, from robots to electric obstructions.

In 1985, one of the most popular computer games ever was released: Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?. It was a mix of educational, detective investigation, and puzzler. The series continued for many years, have a look at Where in Europe is Carmen Sandiego? or Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (Deluxe Edition) released in 1992.

The Sentinel (aka The Sentry) by Geoff Crammond, released in 1986, was one of the first puzzle games in 3D, like the brilliant Tower of Babel by Pete Coke, where you need to solve puzzles using three different robots.

Moving to something more colorful, Jumpin' Jackson for the Amiga and Atari ST mixed puzzle solving with cute pixel art and a top-down perspective.

The genre of puzzle games was changed forever when DMA released Lemmings in 1991, one of the most popular games ever. The success of the funny little characters trying to survive across the different levels demonstrated that puzzlers could be real hits. This influenced many other game studios, so we had Pushover and Troddlers in 1992, not clones, but games inspired by Lemmings.

We cannot avoid mentioning the arcade hit Tetris, ported and converted many times, like Tetris Pro in 1992, but also the many versions of MineSweeper in 1991, a game that every Windows 3.1 owner played at least once.

The mechanics of puzzle games, where you need to combine the skills of different characters to reach a goal, were perfected by Blizzard with their first success, The Lost Vikings, in 1993. The same year we had a great example of Rube Goldberg machine games, with The Incredible Machine.

You can find all sorts of puzzler games out there. Still, sometimes it's challenging to define puzzle games since problem-solving elements can be present in all sorts of video games, including graphic adventures, platformers, and action games. Let us know if you think some of your favorite puzzlers must be included!

Lemmings amiga

Lemmings, one of the most successful games of the early 1990s, is a puzzle-platformer created by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis for the Amiga, DOS, and Atari ST in 1991. The...

Year: 1991 Genre: Puzzler

amiga original game puzzle strategy puzzler real-time

Mario Teaches Typing dos

Mario Teaches Typing is an educational video game developed and published by Interplay Productions in 1992. The title was initially designed for MS-DOS, but over time it was ported...

Year: 1992 Genre: Puzzler

educational licensed puzzler typing

Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (Deluxe Edition) dos

“Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego” is one of the most popular retro games, as it was the very first in the line of the Carmen Sandiego series. This educational/strategy ga...

Year: 1992 Genre: Puzzler

detective educational geography mystery puzzler

Oh No! More Lemmings amiga

Oh No! More Lemmings was the first sequel to Lemmings. It was both released as an expansion and a standalone game in 1991 for the Amiga, Atari ST, DOS and other platforms. As you...

Year: 1991 Genre: Puzzler

2 players puzzle strategy puzzler real-time

Lemmings 2: The Tribes amiga

Lemmings II: The Tribes is a puzzle game released in 1993. It is the sequel to Lemmings. It was developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis. It was released for Acorn 32 b...

Year: 1993 Genre: Puzzler

amiga original game puzzle strategy puzzler real-time

Super Tetris amiga

Super Tetris is a puzzle game developed by Sphere and published by MicroProse in 1992 for the Amiga. It was later released for MS-DOS and Mac OS. The company founded by Sid Meier w...

Year: 1992 Genre: Puzzler

2d arcade co-op competitive falling block puzzle puzzler single screen tetris variant tile matching puzzle

The Incredible Machine 2 dos

The Incredible Machine 2 was created by Jeff Tunnell and released in 1994 for DOS and the following year for Windows and Macintosh. It's the sequel to The Incredible Machine and ...

Year: 1994 Genre: Puzzler

paddle pong puzzle strategy puzzler rube goldberg machine single screen

Strip Poker: A Sizzling Game of Chance amiga

Strip Poker: A Sizzling Game of Chance is an adult card game developed and published by Artworx Software Company in 1982, initially on the Apple II. Between 1983 and 1987, it was p...

Year: 1986 Genre: Puzzler

adult cards ham mode poker puzzler tiles

Tetris Pro amiga

Tetris Pro is a Tetris variant created by Logic System for Amiga and released for free in the public domain in 1993. Apparently, it's a simple Tetris "clone", but in reality, Tetri...

Year: 1993 Genre: Puzzler

amiga original game falling block puzzle freeware puzzler shape combination single screen tetris variant tile matching puzzle

All New World of Lemmings dosamiga

All New World of Lemmings (a.k.a. Lemmings Chronicles) is the third entry into the Lemmings franchise and was developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis in 1994 for Amiga and DOS.

Year: 1994 Genre: Puzzler

aga management platformer puzzle strategy puzzler real-time

Holiday Lemmings amiga

Holiday Lemmings, also known as Xmas Lemmings 1993, is a holiday edition of the classic puzzle game created by DMA Design. It was published during the festive season in 1993. The g...

Year: 1993 Genre: Puzzler

amiga original game christmas holidays puzzle strategy puzzler

Diggers amiga

Diggers is a sci-fi puzzler created by Millennium Interactive originally for Amiga in 1993 and later ported to MS-DOS and Acorn 32-bit. The game, designed and programmed by Toby Si...

Year: 1993 Genre: Puzzler

aga amiga original game lemmings variants puzzler science fiction

Xmas Lemmings 1991 amiga

Xmas Lemmings 1991 is a special version of Lemmings that includes 4 levels, released during Xmas 1991. Two of the levels are also present in Oh No! More Lemmings, while the oth...

Year: 1991 Genre: Puzzler

christmas holidays puzzle strategy puzzler real-time

Xmas Lemmings 1992 amiga

Xmas Lemmings (aka Holiday Lemmings) is a 1992 special demo version of Lemmings and Oh No! More Lemmings, featuring four entirely new Christmas-themed levels. Jingle Bells and ...

Year: 1992 Genre: Puzzler

amiga original game christmas holidays puzzle strategy puzzler real-time