The Nintendo Entertainment System was home to many great puzzle games that challenged players’ minds and reflexes. While they were once the pinnacle of gaming entertainment, the passage of time has seen them long surpassed by even the most terrible mobile games. However, one game that still holds up to this day is Tetris, because let’s face it, Tetris needs buttons. Nevertheless, there is something charming about the simplicity of these old-school games, and they offer a unique challenge that you just can’t find in today’s games.
Here are our top NES puzzle games that are worth revisiting, whether for nostalgia’s sake or to put your puzzle-solving skills to the test.
Don’t have a NES to play these games? No problem, take a look at our guide to NES Emulators and play these on your modern system.
1. Tetris
Tetris is the foremost greatest video game of all time, and for good reason. Since its creation in 1984 by Russian game designer Alexey Pajitnov, Tetris has sold over 200 million copies across various platforms, making it one of the best-selling video games in history. In fact, there is an upcoming movie regarding the development of this game with the same title.
Its simple, addictive gameplay has captivated players of all ages and skill levels for nearly four decades. Beyond its success as a standalone game, Tetris has also influenced countless other puzzle games and has become a staple in the gaming industry. Despite its age, Tetris continues to be relevant and engaging, with new versions and adaptations released regularly. Its long-lasting appeal is a testament to its enduring quality and its position as a true classic in the world of video games.
2. Klax
Klax is originally an Atari Lynx killer app, and it was intended to be a direct competitor to the iconic puzzle game Tetris. Although Tetris is considered one of the greatest video games of all time, Klax has managed to carve out its own niche in the puzzler world, thanks to its unique gameplay and engaging challenges.
In Klax, players control a paddle that can be moved from side-to-side along the bottom of a conveyor belt. Square tiles tumble down the conveyor belt, and the goal is to catch each tile and drop it into Klaxes, which are positioned at the top of the screen. At first, the task is relatively simple, involving lining up three or more tiles of the same color to form a horizontal, diagonal, or vertical line. However, as the game progresses, the challenges become increasingly complex and require more strategy and skill.
It would be a mistake to reduce the gameplay of Klax to mere words, as the experience of playing the game is an absolute riot. The colorful blocks are charmingly animated, and the music is spectacular, adding to the overall excitement and enjoyment of the game.
Despite being a port of the arcade game, players can enjoy the same addictive and challenging experience that they would get from playing the arcade version.
3. Dr. Mario
This certainly illustrates the greatness of Tetris as this is the third straight game on this list that is either Tetris or a derivative of it.
Developed and published by Nintendo, this game features the iconic character Mario as a medical doctor who must use his Megavitamins to defeat the pesky viruses that have invaded the Mushroom Kingdom. With its simple yet addictive gameplay, colorful graphics, and catchy music, Dr. Mario quickly became one of the most popular puzzle games of its time, and it still holds up today as a fun and challenging game for all ages.
The gameplay of Dr. Mario revolves around matching-colored pills with the viruses that populate the playing field. Players start each level with a bottle filled with viruses of three different colors: red, blue, and yellow. To clear the viruses, players must match them with pills of the same color, which drop down from the top of the screen in pairs. The pills can be rotated and positioned in any way the player sees fit, but they must be strategically placed to create matches with the viruses. As the player progresses through the levels, the speed of the falling pills increases and the viruses become more plentiful and harder to clear.
One of the unique features of Dr. Mario is the split-colored pills, which add an extra layer of challenge to the gameplay. These pills are made up of two halves, each of a different color, and must be strategically positioned to clear the correct viruses. The split pills can be both a blessing and a curse, as they can create matches that clear multiple viruses at once, but they can also block the player from clearing certain viruses if they are not placed correctly.
4. Solomon’s Key
Solomon’s Key is an action puzzle game where you play as a wizard named Dana, tasked with escaping a series of dungeons using a magic wand to create or destroy blocks. The aim of each level is to obtain the key and reach the exit, but as you progress, the puzzles become more intricate and enemies more difficult to avoid.
With around 50 rooms in total, the game offers a fun, timeless blend of platforming and problem-solving gameplay.
While the graphics and sound may be dated, Solomon’s Key remains a faithful rendition of the original arcade game and one of the better NES games. If you’re a fan of puzzle games, this is definitely one to check out.
5. Adventures of Lolo
Adventures of Lolo is a puzzle game where the hero, Lolo, does not have any superpowers or impressive abilities. Instead, he relies on his high IQ to conquer the puzzles presented to him in a maze-like fortress to rescue Princess Lala from the villainous Eggerland.
This game consists of 50 different puzzle-based rooms, each requiring the collection of Heart Framers to open treasure chests or activate staircases. Lolo must navigate past different enemies, each with its own unique attack, by using his limited egg-shooting ability or block placement to block off deadly gaze.
The Adventures of Lolo offers addictive and engaging gameplay that will keep players intrigued and challenged. It’s a game that has been lost over the years, but it’s still worth playing for puzzle action and maze game fans. Although Lolo doesn’t have any impressive abilities, his high IQ makes him a worthy hero to conquer the puzzles presented in the game.
6. Fire ‘n Ice
Fire ‘n Ice is a puzzle game developed as a sequel to Solomon’s Key and released in 1992 for the NES. The game features puzzle-solving wizard Dana, who needs to extinguish fires by pushing or dropping ice blocks onto them. Dana can create ice blocks with his wand, but only diagonally downwards, which adds a challenging aspect to the gameplay.
This Solomon’s Key sequel is extremely flexible in terms of progression, allowing players to move freely between the nine main worlds and subareas without time limits or lives. However, each world has a boss level that is unlocked after completing nine areas within it.
Fire ‘n Ice has well-animated visuals and a cutesy story of an old woman telling her grandkids the story of Dana. Additionally, the game offers fifty extra stages beyond the initial one hundred and an option to create custom levels. The game lacks a hint function but gradually introduces new mechanics to ease players into the basic concepts. Overall, enjoyment in Fire ‘n Ice largely depends on the player’s interest in logic puzzles
7. Wario’s Woods
Wario’s Woods is an excellent puzzle game that provides a fun and frantic experience. The game challenges players to clear out stacks of bombs, monsters, and other objects by matching them together. The gameplay is fast-paced and addictive, with a variety of power-ups that add to the excitement. The graphics and sound are also impressive, with colorful visuals and catchy music that keep players engaged.
8. Palamedes
Palamedes is a unique puzzle game that requires players to strategically shoot colored balls at an advancing wall of blocks. The goal is to clear out the blocks before they reach the bottom of the screen. The game is challenging but rewarding, with a variety of power-ups and bonuses to help players along the way. The graphics and sound are simple but effective, with a clean and polished presentation
9. Yoshi
Yoshi is a charming and enjoyable platformer that puts players in control of the lovable dinosaur as he navigates through colorful and imaginative worlds. The gameplay is fun and engaging, with a variety of enemies and obstacles to overcome. The game also introduces new mechanics, such as egg-throwing and tongue-grabbing, that keep things fresh and interesting. The graphics and sound are bright and cheerful, with catchy tunes that add to the whimsical atmosphere. Overall, Yoshi is a must-play for fans of platformers and cute characters.
10. Kickle
The game features a character named Kickle, a small white man in black coveralls, who has the ability to turn his enemies into ice cubes and create ice pillars from the ground. He can also kick the ice blocks he makes around, creating bridges in the chilly waters surrounding him and knocking out his enemies.
This game is unique in its gameplay style, which is a methodical, somewhat slow-paced puzzle game that relies on its addicting nature and an ongoing story to constantly up the ante and makes things interesting. The story follows Kickle as he sets out to rescue the four princesses who have been imprisoned by the Wizard King, who has usurped the Fantasy Kingdom throne and confined its inhabitants to frozen wastelands. The puzzles become increasingly difficult and incorporate rotating hammers, rogue bombs, cannons, turrets, and smug sunglasses-wearing roosters, among other elements.
11. Panic Restaurant
Despite its fun and innovative gameplay, Panic Restaurant was largely overlooked upon its release and remains an underrated gem among NES puzzle games. If you’re a fan of quirky and challenging puzzle games, it’s definitely worth checking out.
The puzzle aspect of the game comes with the level design, which requires you to carefully time your jumps and attacks to progress through the stages. Each stage is themed after a different section of the restaurant, and they all offer unique challenges and puzzles to solve. The game also features a variety of power-ups and special items to help you on your journey.
12. BurgerTime
BurgerTime was first released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1982 and was praised for its unique gameplay and quirky theme. Due to its popularity, the game was ported to many home game systems and personal computers of that time. The NES release, although it came later, was a faithful interpretation of the arcade original and had responsive play controls and solid visuals.
In BurgerTime, players must build hamburgers by walking on different sections of the burger and dropping them down to the platform below while avoiding hostile meats and condiments chasing them. The ultimate goal is to get all the sections of the hamburger on top of each other at the bottom of the screen, squashing any enemies underneath. The game also includes a limited number of pepper shakes to temporarily stun enemies. The play controls stick closely to the arcade original, and the game does an excellent job of recreating the levels. The tunes and sound effects adhere pretty closely to the arcade version.
13. Marble Madness
Marble Madness is a classic arcade game where the player controls a marble through a series of short levels, avoiding obstacles such as acid, birds, and vacuum cleaners while trying to reach the goal within a time limit. The game has an isometric perspective, and the player can choose between 45-degree or 90-degree rolling. The game’s simplicity makes it easy to pick up and play, and it’s possible to complete the game in less than five minutes. However, the game is notoriously difficult, and players must navigate narrow platforms, drop-offs, and other hazards.
Despite its age, the game holds up well today as a fun, pick-up-and-play title for a few minutes of entertainment. Its simplicity is still a draw, and the game’s graphics are still appealing. However, the difficulty may frustrate some players, and two-player matches can be difficult due to the level of teamwork required. Overall, Marble Madness remains a classic arcade game that still offers a fun challenge today.
14. Puzznic
The graphics of this game is nothing groundbreaking, but they are colorful and fitting for an NES game. The sound is typical for a puzzle game, but the soundtrack is surprisingly awesome with its trippy puzzle music and unique panic music when you’re running out of time.
The gameplay is where this game truly shines with not one, but two challenging games to enjoy. Puzznic requires you to slide boxes left and right in varied layouts to group them together, while Gravnic has you moving all of the boxes at the same time in the direction of your choosing. The puzzles themselves are presented in a simple layout, but they are anything but easy. The game is challenging and requires a lot of timing and strategy, making it more difficult than most modern puzzle games.
15. Krazy Kreatures
While Krazy Kreatures may not be a standout puzzle game, it does offer some engaging challenges and unique level designs that set it apart from other games in the genre. The different types of objects and the need to strategize on how to clear them to add a layer of depth to the gameplay that puzzle enthusiasts may appreciate.
Additionally, the game is stable and playable, making it a reliable option for those looking for a fun distraction. While it may not be as well-known as Tetris or Dr. Mario, Krazy Kreatures offers its own brand of fast-paced sorting gameplay that can provide a satisfying experience for players who enjoy a good puzzle challenge.
