OK, so as hardcore gamers as we are, there used to be a time when puzzle games were huge in the console market.
We got things like Tetris and Dr. Mario taking over a big chunck of the overall software sales. Tetris single handling made the GameBoy successful.
We had the biggest makers such as Sega making these kind of games using their own IPs for them, as we saw with Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine in the Sonic's Universe. Things like Puyo Puyo were huge in Japan as well, making a lot of cash for Sega just like Magical Drop II, Puzzle Bobble (Bust-A-Move) did for Taito, Data East, and SNK on the Neo-Geo.
Nintendo was also doing the same thing with Wario's Woods, and Yoshi's Cookie, both coming out for both consoles, the Nintendo, and the Super Nintendo. The first Yoshi was a puzzle game, and Yoshi's Cookie even had the creator of Tetris working on it.
Nintendo also released Kirby's Avalanche made by Compile the same people that made Dr. Robotnik and M.U.S.H.A.. Nintendo also put out another amazing puzzle game called Tetris Attack featuring a Yoshi's Island theme.
Time went by and somehow we lost track of how important this genre was for us console gamers because all of the sudden those games started getting released mostly on handhelds, and later on, they became even more popularized on smart phones.
Now somehow we see them as something only "casuals" play. Yes, casuals do play puzzle games like Bejeweled and Candy Crush, but they don't realize those ideas were already on games like Tetris Attack.
They are amazing games that simply happen to be popular. There is a reason why a huge chunk of the entire planet's population is addicted to them even through social media. There is a reason why Candy Crush is more expensive than Star Wars and has sold more tablets than any other app on Android.
In fact, I was trying to find a puzzle game on consoles that met those requirements from the classics, and this Australian company gets it (Infinite Interactive). Not only they have created successful entries before, they had also added the unexpected.
They had made Gems Of War into a RPG with turn based combat, something I would normally would not be giving the time of the day, and now I'm slowly getting into the genre through this game. That is huge for me.
Not to mention it is free so everyone with a PS4 can try it, and I'm sure it is on PC as well, and who knows how many other platforms.
Balder knows I like casual stuff. He has seen me playing Solitaire, Minesweeper, Hearts, Spider Solitaire, and other stuff like that. I also like casino games, and puzzle games are not the exception.
There is nothing to be afraid. If you want to try a "casual" game. It is totally fine. You won't be less of a gamer for it.
Also I was tired of you guys suggesting games I never heard about. So this is payback time too.
