Whereas writing a wide-ranging historical past of Home windows Minesweeper for Boss Struggle Books in 2023, I ended up enjoying many variations of Microsoft’s beloved unique sport. These embody variations with hexagonal tiles, variations with bizarre board shapes, and variations that reach Minesweeper into 4 dimensions or extra, to call only a few.
Most of these variants messed just a little an excessive amount of with the cautious stability of simplicity, readability, reasoning, and luck that made the unique Minesweeper so addictive. None of them turned video games I return to day after day.
However then I stumbled onto Dragonsweeper, a free browser-based sport that indie developer Daniel Benmergui launched unceremoniously on itch.io final month. Within the weeks since I found it, the sport has change into my newest puzzle obsession, filling in a worrying proportion of my spare moments with its addictive, easy RPG-tinged tackle the Minesweeper components.
Exploresweeper
Like Minesweeper earlier than it, Dragonsweeper is a sport about deducing hidden info based mostly on the restricted info you may already see on the grid. However the numbers you reveal in Dragonsweeper do not merely let you know the quantity of threats on adjoining squares. As a substitute, the “numbers are sum of monster energy,” as the sport’s cryptic “Monsternomicon” explains. So a revealed sq. with a “14” may recommend two 7-power devils close by or two 5-power slimes and a 4-power ogre, and even seven 2-power bats in a very bizarre randomized association.
Destroying these monsters means consuming into your avatar Jorge’s well being complete, which is prominently displayed within the bottom-left nook. Jorge’s well being can safely go all the way down to zero hearts with out dying—which feels a bit counter-intuitive at first—and will be restored by utilizing found well being potions or by leveling up with gold amassed from downed monsters and gadgets. If you happen to can degree up sufficient with out dying, you may have the well being essential to defeat the titular dragon sitting in the course of the board and win the sport.
