Lovingly Crafted Puzzle Games Since 2013

November 25, 2023 7:46 PM

Alan "Draknek" Hazelden is an industrious creator of charming, handcrafted, fiendishly difficult puzzle games with a retro 8-bit feel (most using the open-source, HTML5-compliant Puzzlescript engine). Highlights: Sticky Candy Puzzle Saga - Spikes 'n' Stuff - Spooky Pumpkin Game - Boxes Love Boxing Gloves - Frog Wizard Gem Quest - Train Braining - A Sneeze a Day Keeps the Crates Away - Cyber-Lasso - Mirror Isles - Slime Swap - A Good Tunnel is Hard to Dig - Mouse Wants Cheese - You're Pulley-ing My Leg - I Have No Mouth, And I Must Create Blocks On All Sides Of Me - More? Check out a list of all games (older ones may break), all Puzzlescript games, iOS and Android games. Also check out the homepage for gamedev partnerships, contact info, and more commercial offerings.
posted by Rhaomi (8 comments total)

A Good Tunnel Is Hard To Dig is the first one I tried, and it's great! Image Dig Dug, but without enemies, and with semi-realistic tunnel collapses and gravity to consider.
posted by JHarris at 9:53 PM on November 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

An expanded version of Train Braining is on the Switch, as Cosmic Express!
posted by JHarris at 10:08 PM on November 25, 2023

Image Dig Dug, but without enemies, and with semi-realistic tunnel collapses and gravity to consider.

It most closely resembles Boulder Dash, but half the puzzle is getting back out of the hole you dug.
posted by pwnguin at 10:43 PM on November 25, 2023

Boulder Dash lets you move through empty spaces at will though. Most digging games (Dig Dug, Mr. Do, Boulder Dash) have that ant farm-like side view, and assume like an ant you can just walk up along the glass side. Here, you can't do that.
posted by JHarris at 12:59 AM on November 26, 2023

Four comments (three of them mine), but 25 favorites. That's a good ratio!
posted by JHarris at 6:54 AM on November 26, 2023

I would comment but I'm stuck in a sticky candy puzzle saga. Mmmm, sticky candy.
posted by taz at 10:33 AM on November 26, 2023 [2 favorites]

I recently signed up for their Thinky Third Thursday newsletter, which is a great way to discover other quality puzzle games.
posted by subocoyne at 11:22 AM on November 26, 2023 [3 favorites]

Mod note: [btw, this post has been added to the sidebar and the Best Of blog]
posted by taz (staff) at 1:16 AM on November 28, 2023 [3 favorites]