I’m sure you’ve heard of both Puzzle and Strategy games, right? One of them was made to give people the feeling that they’re solving an issue and must put “pieces” together to do so (Puzzle Games). The other was made to give people the ability to autonomously use their decision-making skills to get through the game(Strategy Game). Sounds very similar correct? Well, there are in fact a number of differences between the 2 even though they are very negligible.
What is a Strategy game?
What is a strategy game? Well, a strategy game is basically a game-type that forces players to use their inherent strategic capabilities to achieve the desired outcome. To be successful at strategic style games a player must be able to think in a very “untypical” decision tree style way. This basically means that you must be able to consider the results of every (or most) action you can take.
Sounds easy enough right?
Don’t think about it in a “tactical” way as that will result in a misunderstanding (and a very loose one at that) of the entire strategic game-play design. For instance, a strategic game (as mentioned above, requires the player to be able to basically determine the outcome of whatever decision they make. It requires a level of situational awareness that isn’t always there for most people. A tactical way of though requires a person to think in terms of execution and organization – something that’s somewhat very far from forethought.
*Strategy games (and even the word strategy) originated during the times of the very ancient civilizations such as Rome, Greece, and Egypt. In those days we could literally find dozens, if not hundreds, of strategy games – many of which have long since “passed away” and are no longer played. However, a few games are still played to this day. A funny thing about the ones that are around today is that they have largely been adapted from the popular Samarian game, Mancala. Not chess though. That game was developed some-time during the sixth century CE and rapidly spread through trade with the western areas.
Types of Strategy Games
Below are a few examples of strategy games you’ll find.
War games: A war strategic game is basically one that simulates a battlefield in that every decision you make will affect the health of your squadron, battalion, etc. The situations you’ll face in a war game are designed to mirror the situations past leaders have faced. Due to this design, many war games have butt-loads of simulation characteristics and have a bit of a tactical flair about them.
Simulation games: The goal of a simulation strategy game is to basically simulate the effects of decision making in a real-life activity. Since the goal is to reflect real-life the rules of the game are designed to reflect the real world as well.
Abstract Strategy games: The idea behind abstract strategy games is that there is a very loose tie between gameplay and the theme of the game. For example, an abstract strategy game will tend to focus on the fact that all of the information in the game is readily available to all players. A great example of this would be Chess, in that all of the information is basically right on the board and it’s up to the players to make the best possible decisions with that information. There should be absolutely no element of chance in the game whatsoever.
Team Strategy games: A team strategy game is one that requires players (teammates) to interact with each other to make the best possible decision that they can.
Popular Strategy Games
- Spore
- Starcraft 2
- Civilization 6
- Total War: Warhammer
- XCOM 2
- Europa Universalis 4
- Company of heroes
- Supreme commander
- Crusader Kings 2
- Clash of Clans
- Dota 2
What is a Puzzle Game?
A puzzle game is a genre of video game that places a very large emphasis on problem-solving. There are a variety of different types of puzzle games, each of which requires a player to develop their logic, sequence solving, pattern recognition, and ability to finish words. A large majority of puzzle games allow players to have an infinite number of tries to finish the puzzle. *however, you will occasionally run into puzzle games that put a limit on the time you have to finish the puzzle.
In essence puzzle games have a very large focus on requiring players to focus on conceptual and logical problems. You’ll usually run into arcade games that use shapes, symbols, and or colors and will be required to manipulate them to find a specific design/pattern. The rules in most puzzle games are actually surprisingly simple but, it will be harder to follow as the game (whatever game it may be) goes on. The cool thing about most puzzle games is that each level tends to be a different variation of the first one (the theme of the game doesn’t change). The goal of each game is very simple: manipulate the pieces you’re presented with until you achieve the desired design or framework.
Types of puzzle games
Below are a few different types of puzzle games you’ll find:
Action puzzle games: Action puzzle games are basically puzzle games that put a bit more difficulty in the game in the form of a time-limit (to give the game an air of real world environment).Games like Tetris that basically require the player to think in real-time as pieces are falling tend to fall into this genre mainly because of the pressure they place on players.
Physics game: If you’ve ever played a game like “Cut the rope” then you likely understand what a physics puzzle game is. A physics puzzle game is one where players are required to use the atmosphere’s physics (no matter how made up they are) to complete the puzzle. The physics of the game are included to help make the video game a bit more challenging than it was previously. In fact, these games are so good at demonstrating real-world physics (not cut the rope obviously) that some schools use them to demonstrate certain effects to their students.
Tile matching: A tile-matching game requires that it’s players have the ability to manipulate different tiles to make them disappear according to whatever matching rule they have in the game. The matching criterion can actually be anything the game creator wants it to be but, typically you’ll find that games require players to match tiles according to number patterns.
Hidden object game: Ever played “Where’s Waldo”? Yes? Then you know what a hidden object game is. Hidden object games basically require players to find hidden objects in a picture. They are usually played by those who are looking for a more relaxed gaming experience and are relatively cheap to purchase.
Popular Puzzle Games:
- Tetris
- Portal
- The Room
- Monument Valley
- Myst
- Braid
- Threes
- The Witness
- Candy Crush Saga
- World of Goo
- Angry Birds
What’re the similarities/differences
Even though the definitions and actual mental capabilities of Puzzle and Strategy games are different, they both require players to be able to make connections and see what those connections will do to other connections – not so much for puzzle games but the need is still there. That’s what they have in common – they both require you to develop your brain if you want to be successful. On the flip side of that the types of mental capabilities that players will need vary quite a bit. For Strategy games you need to have a pretty strong ability to think into the future. In puzzle games, you may need this ability but it isn’t a prerequisite. For more information, you can check out the resources below.
At what point does a strategy game become a puzzle game?
A strategy game is a game where there are quite a few possible solutions whereas a puzzle game is one with very few while also being set in a static situation that’s determined by the game designer. Some puzzle games can actually fall into the strategy game as well. Games such as Bejeweled, don’t require any weighing of alternatives rather, they require simple pattern-recognition skills so an individual will be able to spot the largest possible group.
Dungeon Raid is a strategy game, yet the mechanics of the game is very like Checkers. Games equipped with strategy rule sets sometime have specific scenarios that are puzzle-like. This means that while the game may have strategy features one may be required to move in a way so that certain parts of the game can be exploited.
Resources:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US3365198A/en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategy_game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle_video_game#Definition_and_gameplay