Mindseeker (Japan)

Mindseeker is a familiar puzzle game released for the NES in Japan, essentially an adaptation of the classic Minesweeper game. The main objective for the player in Mindseeker is to uncover all the squares on a grid without hitting any of the bombs hidden underneath.

When the game begins, the player is presented with a grid of blank squares. The player chooses a square to open. If that square is empty (contains no bomb and no number), it will automatically reveal adjacent squares until it encounters a numbered square or the edge of the grid. If the opened square contains a number, that number indicates how many bombs are located in the eight surrounding squares (including diagonals).

Players must use logic and these numbers to deduce the locations of the bombs. For instance, if a square displays the number '1', it means there is only one bomb among its eight surrounding squares. If that square is surrounded by already known safe squares and only one unopened square remains, then that square is definitely a bomb. Conversely, if a '1' square already has a bomb identified nearby, then all remaining unopened squares around that '1' square must be safe.

The game allows players to "flag" squares they suspect contain bombs with a flag icon. This flagging helps players keep track of potential bomb locations and avoid accidentally clicking them. However, incorrectly flagging a bomb location can lead to players missing safe squares or clicking on actual bombs.

The ultimate goal is to open all squares that do not contain bombs. If the player accidentally clicks on a square containing a bomb, the game ends immediately. Mindseeker offers various difficulty levels, typically by changing the grid size and the number of bombs, providing challenges from easy to hard for players of all skill levels. It is a game that requires concentration, logical thinking, and deductive reasoning to succeed.