Do you remember your Commodore 64 that took forever to load games recorded on those little cassettes, and each game was some new surprise and a treasure chest just waiting to be opened? One of those games you accidentally bumped into had to be either Bone Cruncher or Boulder Dash. Kids these days would be hard to appreciate the appeal of these early masterpieces as they compared them with their 4K resolution open-world games that frighteningly resemble reality.

How to explain to the average Millennial the excitement of being in Rockford’s shoes as one explores hidden treasures while avoiding traps and unpredictable obstacles? Those who relish playing Assassins Creed these days may not understand why being a dragon entrepreneur going into a soap business is a great idea. Let us educate you a little bit by presenting some of the most cherish titles in this genre that paved the way for all future adventure games while revolutionizing secret game mechanics.

Rocks-and-Diamonds Games: The TOP List of All Time

When one thinks about a puzzle, he probably thinks Tetris. Understanding rocks-and-diamonds requires understanding the hidden mechanism inside us that urges people toward finding patterns and fitting solutions. We cannot help it, it is our nature, and game developers quickly used this fact as one stepping-stone while developing some game mechanics that will revolutionize gaming for generations to come.

By deepening this concept, they paved the way for future point-and-click adventures and even all puzzle-like creations or any game requiring some simple movement mechanics. This simple idea of allowing players to move their characters or objects, thus influencing their behavior or paths, meant one shift in paradigm from digital to analog mechanics. By making us feel like we control their destiny and the chain of events, a new age of gaming emerged and spread rapidly.

If you enjoyed playing Tomb Raider, then know that all those avoiding traps plus solving puzzles originate from rocks-and-diamonds pioneers that seem so ancient when you reminisce those early days. Applying a few groundbreaking algorithms that introduced realistic physics laws into game play meant that players’ decisions directly influence the story. It all began with an idea of one protagonist collecting some valuable shiny diamonds while moving and avoiding rocks from falling onto his head. Who would have thought that one day even online games would benefit from introducing such mechanics into their titles?

Triple Diamond

One of the first online games that hit this market was none other than Triple Diamond free slots adventure that introduced something that was a game-changer back in those days. It was testing the market before upgrading this new concept of gaming.

Reactions were overwhelming, as one can imagine because players fell in love with its elegance plus simplicity that remains a trademark of this game. Who can say no to an idea of diamonds falling from the sky straight into one’s lap? This game marked the beginning of some new era in our gaming world.

Edge Extended

Who could imagine that a little cube can have so much personality, make one care for it, and feel protective toward it? This charming platform puzzle game introduces fast-paced gameplay that transports a player into another dimension filled with cube-like objects floating in some dark, mysterious place.

Game physics is adjusted to the new universe where cubes exist and live their lives. Once one enters this new place, he becomes a cube, feels like one cube, and acts like one too. Escaping the reality and becoming some little rolling cube for a while is a great meditation that enhances one’s problem-solving skills while providing hours of quality, immersive gameplay.

Candy Crush

This game is a perfect title for those who suffer from a sweet tooth, as nothing can bring joy into candy-lovers hearts more than a rain of tasty treats falling from above. Aside from beautiful graphics plus rewarding gameplay experience, Candy Crush is free-to-play puzzle game will always be one of the most memorable and favorite titles.

It has a Jenga plus Connect four vibe to it, as you swipe tasty animated candies that set things in motion in some chain reaction manner. While one connects more than three of kind pieces of tasty treats, he will not endure long before having to grab a few bites of some real candy while playing.

Da Vinci Diamonds

Now imagine that instead of delicious candies, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and famous works of art are falling from the sky in some similar manner. It was the basic idea behind Da Vinci Diamonds. The revolutionary idea that was a game-changer meant turning diamonds into one’s that fall like rocks from the sky. Whoever invented this concept was no doubt an avid fan of those old-school rocks-and-diamonds titles from where he surely dug his inspiration for this masterpiece.

2048

Sometimes, a great idea can merge from a simple question like — what is two plus two. This sliding block puzzle game answers this question with another question. What is four plus four or eight plus eight? It transformed into one Tetris-like game where numbers add together to form more valuable building blocks that do not put just your arithmetic skills to the test but also your Rubik’s cube skills as well.

Adding things together is always fun because it means that you are getting more and more of it, but as they start disappearing, one feels an uncontrollable urge for adding some more blocks into this mix.

Limbo

Another platform puzzle took things to another level by turning the previously used concept into an adventure game. An adventure game with a compelling background story and immersive atmosphere that blurs this line between a puzzle game and an open-world adventure. This game features one little boy in his journey through a nightmarish place where he faces his fears and demons.

Sounds grim, but this setting represents a goldmine of opportunities for inducing physics mechanics that make its gameplay unforgettable. We came a long way from collecting diamonds to here where all previous ideas meld together; giving a player multiple choices as he solves in-game puzzles that keep on coming.

Tetris

This seems like an appropriate title to end this discussion with, as it is considered as most cherished by generations of players who cannot resist its appeal. Whether one is a new player or an old dog who grew up playing the old Soviet-era version, no one can deny tile-matching puzzle uniqueness of Tetris and a genial idea behind its compelling gameplay.

Graphics may evolve, sound effects may upgrade, but a core value of this gem remains intact. It embodies the spirit and the essence of rocks-and-diamonds games, which is an everlasting appeal incorporated into their game mechanics. Their shape may change, but we will always come back because of a gameplay value that makes us feel so alive.

4 COMMENTS

    • that’s true. There are so many versions of Tetris that you would have to write another long-read article to know all the details. Check out Wikipedia’s list 😛 Seriously though, I like seeing their new adaptations for the new generations. Like the Hello Kitty one, it’s so cool to see such a fundamental game being reborn again and again! I grew up playing Tetris and I always remember feeling soo excited when I was allowed to play this game! How cool is it that younger generations get to have it. This list is missing one thing: Microsoft Mahjong! This game is a legendary one and so many games have been based on its logic!!

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  1. @Heromangyu12 that’s true. There are so many versions of Tetris that you would have to write another long-read article to know all the details.
    Seriously though, I like seeing their new adaptations for the new generations. Like the Hello Kitty one, it’s so cool to see such a fundamental game being reborn again and again! I grew up playing Tetris and I always remember feeling soo exited when I was allowed to play this game! How cool is it that younger generations get to have it? But I have to say that this list is missing one thing: Microsoft Mahjong! This game is a legendary one and so many games have been based on its logic!!

    Julia did not rate this post.
  2. I would’ve been too young to experience playing Rocks’n’Diamonds, though I think I’ve played games similar to it. It’s so easy to find clone-games. But Tetris is definitely a game I remember; it’s so simple yet so fun. You have many variants of Tetris (NES Tetris, Tetris Effect, etc.), it’s the most popular game of all time, and there are even Tetris tournaments held annually.

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