Ishido - The Way of Stones (GB)

Ishido - The Way of Stones is a puzzle game that demands strategic thinking and foresight. The primary objective of the game is to place stones onto a 6x6 board (a total of 36 squares) according to specific rules.

At the start of each turn, the player is presented with four random stones from a set of 52 unique stones. Each stone has two distinct attributes: a color (e.g., red, blue, yellow, black) and a symbol (e.g., circle, square, triangle, star). There are a total of four colors and four symbols, making 16 different color-symbol combinations. This means there are four stones of each combination within the 52-stone set.

The rules for placing stones are simple yet create the game's depth. To place a stone into an empty square, at least one of its four sides must be adjacent to an already placed stone on the board. More importantly, the newly placed stone must match the adjacent stone on one of its two attributes: either its color or its symbol. For example, if you place a red, circle stone next to a blue, circle stone, it's a valid move because their symbols match. Similarly, if you place it next to a red, triangle stone, it's also valid because their colors match.

The game encourages players to make "combination" moves by matching both color and symbol with multiple adjacent stones. When you place a stone and it matches two or more adjacent stones (e.g., one stone matches by color above and another by symbol to the side), you receive bonus points. The ultimate goal and greatest challenge is to make an "Ishido" move – placing a stone such that it matches all four of its adjacent stones, both by color and symbol. This is the most difficult move to achieve and is often the objective players strive for to maximize their score and successfully complete the game.

The game ends when the player can no longer make any valid moves, or when all 52 stones have been placed. Ishido - The Way of Stones is known for its calm, meditative gameplay, yet it still requires careful calculation and planning to achieve high scores and unlock those elusive "Ishido" moves. The Game Boy/Game Boy Color version faithfully retains the essence of the original game, offering a classic puzzle experience that players can enjoy anytime, anywhere.