And the PlayStation 2 puzzle library is filled to the brim with games that tried to innovate the genre using the power of the console, as well as others that presented new takes on classic formulas. You’d better be at the top of your game here, cause these puzzle titles don’t pull any punch!
15. I.Q. Remix+: Intelligent Qube
Intelligent Qube is back, but it lost a bit of the novelty factor that made it so popular during the PlayStation 1 days. I.Q. Remix+: Intelligent Qube is effectively the same as the original game for PS1. But with all the bells and whistles allowed by the more powerful console. You still have to clear cubes from the rectangular platform, create chains, and manage to empty the field before it is overrun with them. The visual effects don’t add much to the experience, but they are spectacular enough… until they start getting in the way, making you wish for a simpler time when silhouettes and blocks were all it was needed to keep you entertained.
14. Puyo Pop Fever
Some games are eternal. They’re fun no matter the year or age. Puyo Pop Fever doesn’t attempt to revolutionize the series’ formula in any major way, preferring to introduce a few tweaks and additional play modes that take advantage of its best traits. So you’ll be matching colored gumdrops as you have for the past few decades. But you will put a bigger emphasis on chains if you’re playing against an opponent to fill their screen quickly. If you’re not feeling particularly competitive, you can also jump into Mission Mode to complete a series of special stages. And if the game seems too slow for you, speed everything up by triggering the blazingly fast Fever Mode, and enjoy the Puyo Puyo experience on steroids.
13. Tetris Worlds
Tetris Worlds spins the classic formula, and it’s a world of fun. So clever! Jokes aside, Tetris Worlds is a very good rendition of Tetris, featuring five different modes that introduce some light tweaks to the formula. These modes are nicely integrated with some of the mechanics that have become a staple of modern Tetris, like the ability to hold a piece for later use. Or the ability to continue spinning a piece once it lands. And there’s even the “ghost piece” that makes it easier to place Tetriminoes as intended. Nothing revolutionary, sure. But enough to make Tetris Worlds as engaging as its classic iteration, and tons of fun on the PS2.
12. Pipe Mania
Video game plumbers don’t just jump on turtles and eat mushrooms. Some of them also build networks of pipes. Controlling a rookie plumber, Pipe Mania players must create a network of pipes using pieces coming in different shapes to make sure the Flooze doesn’t leak out. The more intricate the pipe network, the more points you will get and the more medals you will obtain at the end of the stage. Which can be used to unlock more levels and content. With later stages coming with increased difficulty and boss battles that can mess up your network, Pipe Mania is an involving puzzle game that requires your full attention at all times.
11. Detonator
Destroying buildings is a lot of fun in Detonator, as it comes with no consequence whatsoever. Or almost. Detonator is yet another game that twists the basics of Tetris to offer a different kind of experience. Players still have to manipulate blocks coming in familiar forms, only that they have to set up so that buildings can be destroyed by dynamite charges. While quite straightforward on paper, the variety of different scenarios and the limited number of deployable charges make the experience dynamic and fresh. And the stylish graphics give an interesting flavor to a markedly simple presentation. The worst thing about Detonator, sadly, is that it may be hard to come by in certain regions. The game only launched in Europe and Japan. But roms do exist out there…
10. Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness
Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness eggs on you the idea that eggmen are absolutely normal. They are not, but the game they star in is definitely fun. Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness definitely doesn’t win any award for originality, as it offers a mix of tweaked features lifted from Tetris and Mr. Driller. Controlling an Eggman, you’ll have to arrange blocks falling from the top of the screen as to create a platform that can be used to reach the exit. The thing is, the platform needs to have a solid foundation. Else it’ll fall and you will have to start from the very beginning. As you are always playing against an opponent, the game manages to create a very dynamic balance between speed and safety that is quite engaging. As much as throwing eggs around.
9. Aqua Aqua
Aqua Aqua is Tetris with water. Now doesn’t this sound ludicrous! The main goal in Aqua Aqua is to create water pools and then make the water evaporate. This is done by first placing land blocks, all shaped like Tetriminos, then water pieces and a little fire to start the evaporation process. Adding more spice to the experience are special blocks like ice blocks. Not to mention boss characters who use earthquakes to mess up with your setup, forcing you to make quick changes on the fly. All relatively simple, but a lot of fun. Especially if you’re looking for an experience that twists the Tetris formula the right way.
8. Super Bust-A-Move 2
On PlayStation 2, the Bust-A-Move experience has become a classic. Super Bust-A-Move 2 sticks to the tried and true gameplay formula, seeing players match three or more colored bubbles to clear stages before the top of the screen falls down. The inclusion of a Story Mode adds a nice sense of progression, while Puzzle Editor mode allows you to go wild with your imagination and create your own stages. The most addicting inclusion, however, is Chain Reaction. This is a mechanic that makes multiplayer against AI or real player umpredictable by shooting the last bubble in a line you broke towards a similarly colored one, resulting in some real chaotic fun. Who said puzzle games are relaxing?
7. Fantavision
Everyone loves fireworks. And setting them off. In Fantavision you must capture flares of the same color in groups of three or more to set them off, and including special flares in the mix allows you to obtain certain bonuses. Stuff like score multipliers and so on. The game’s multiplayer mode features a very interesting twist to the formula, as you can reduce the opponents play area using certain flares combinations and make their game a living firework hell. Simple, yet very effective.
6. Lumines Plus
Stylish is the name of the game in Lumines Plus. And addicting. In Lumines Plus, you must clear the screen of blocks falling from the top, blocks made out of smaller ones coming with two different colors. To clear them you must create lines of blocks with the same color, activate the timeline that moves in time with the music, and add more blocks of the same color to initiate chains. This creates a colorful explosion that is pleasing to the mind, the eyes, and the ears. And the ego as you win each round. The game doesn’t offer much more than this. But it is so addicting that you won’t be able to put it down easily.
5. Mercury Meltdown Remix
Don’t ever play with mercury. But if you really need to, play Mercury Meltdown Remix. In Mercury Meltdown Remix you control blobs of mercury and guide them to the finish line of increasingly complex stages. This is done by tilting the stage itself with the analog sticks, splitting the blobs into multiples, heating them up, etc. The complex level design makes for a very challenging experience that can sometimes become too frustrating due to the oversensitive controls. But if you are not one to shy away from a good challenging puzzle fight, you have found your game.
4. Bombastic
Bombastic isn’t just the name of a song by. It’s the name of one of the most nerve-warking, brain-melting puzzle games ever made. Explaining the rules of Bombastic is a puzzle game unto itself. A sort of spiritual sequel to Devil Dice, in Bombastic players control a little creature who has to clear out a field of dices by matching them with others of the same value in an equal number. And once the dices start to burn, you can move them around so that the incoming explosion can clear more dices. On paper the rules are quite complicated. And they indeed feel that way at first. But the tutorial system eases you into the experience as nicely as possible. This makes it a really fun game to pick up and dive into.
3. Katamari Damacy
Surreal. Crazy. This is Katamari Damacy! After a night of revelry, The King of all Cosmos woke up to find that he had lost all the stars. Thinking it difficult to find them all again, he sends the Prince of all Cosmos to Earth to gather enough objects to create new ones, which will be done by rolling around stages and stuck things to the cute Katamari. Does the story even matter? This simple formula is made interesting by the thematic design of every single level, which asks you to make a Katamari of different sizes and to get the right items to stick into it. Such an open-ended experience will bring you back for more often enough to discover crazier ways to clear each level. If you’re playing a crazy game, better go all out!
2. The Adventures of Cookie & Cream
What is better than a solid puzzle game? A party puzzle game, of course. The Adventures of Cookie & Cream sees players control the titular Cookie and Cream on their quest. They’re trying to restore the Moon so that the yearly clan festival can proceed unhindered. To do so, the two will have to explore a variety of stages filled with obstacles, traps, and puzzles before time runs out. What makes the experience so engaging are the co-op mechanics, which allow up to four players to take on the game’s many challenges. And if you’re a loner, the single-player mode is possibly even more challenging, as you’ll have to control both Cookie and Cream. Double duty for double the fun.
1. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
The Warlords of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is a game that will bow to no one. And why should they? I mean, these two star in the best puzzle game ever released on PS2! Challenge of the Warlords masterfully combines the casual-friendly puzzle game experience of match-3 puzzle games like Bejeweled, with other role-playing game mechanics. In the game you’re not only able to choose between different characters, but also able to improve their stats and buy equipment that will allow them to take on even more dangerous foes. The only difference with a traditional RPG is that battles are played like match-3 puzzles, with the ability to gather different types of mana to unleash special attacks that can kill the opponent and put an end to the match fast. With so many different strategies and customization options, you’ll be sucked in from the first round. Absolutely worth a try if you’re into obscure puzzlers.
