6

What do you call games where you have to move and re-arrange cars or boxes to move a goal box into a location. There have been games like this since Atari, as far as I know. It's some kind of tactical game. I can maybe draw an example, as a kind of flow chart:

1.

Goal Block Item
xxxx       xxxx

2.

Goal       Item
xxxx Block xxxx

3.

Goal Item  <--
xxxx Block xxxx

4.

WIN  <---------
xxxx Block xxxx

If you possibly know the first game of this kind, I would be interested in that, or any game names. If you add pictures or media or links to the same, that would be useful.

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4
  • 2
    Sounds like "Traffic" or "Rush Hour"
    – drxzcl
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 0:08
  • 1
    You may also have a look at Jaap Scherphuis' beautiful puzzle page. There is a graphical overview and some of the pages contain Java applets you can run in your browser :) jaapsch.net/puzzles/indxgraf.htm
    – fjdumont
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 7:50
  • Some of the Hoshi Saga mini-games are also clever, original and beautiful sliding blocks puzzles. Do not hesitate to give it a try !
    – Anto
    Commented Jan 22, 2012 at 22:53
  • @Anto it's noisy.
    – Wolfpack'08
    Commented Jan 23, 2012 at 9:03

3 Answers 3

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25

I'd say puzzle game, and more accurately sliding blocks puzzle game.

Examples of sliding puzzles

  • Fifteen puzzle
  • Inakube
  • Klotski (mentioned here by Hex)
  • Minus Cube
  • Jumbly
  • Sokoban (mentioned here by Konrad)

Otherwise, there's also a list of puzzle game types on Wikipedia, but I think that the previously given term is the best match.

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3
  • 2
    Aaaannnnnd I've just discovered there was even an already existing tag for that kind of game xD
    – Anto
    Commented Jan 19, 2012 at 14:55
  • Would a sort-of similar sort of piece-rearranging game, like the magnet puzzle be considered a sliding puzzle game?
    – Peter Olson
    Commented Jan 19, 2012 at 14:59
  • Looks like, in my opinion.
    – Anto
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 15:04
9

Sounds like Sokoban (or its clones) to me.

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5
  • 4
    That wikipedia page says that is a "transport puzzle". I think that is a fitting name.
    – Ither
    Commented Jan 19, 2012 at 11:57
  • Sokoban was exactly the kind of game I was looking for, Konrad. Do you know if this was the first game of its kind, and if there's an analog analogue?
    – Wolfpack'08
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 13:44
  • Now I'm really conflicted. I think this answer may be more accurate than the top answer.
    – Wolfpack'08
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 13:49
  • If this is what you were looking for, then this is what should be accepted. Votes come from community, "tick" from original poster. :-)
    – Konrad Garus
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 14:02
  • There's doesn't seem to be a precise name for this kind of games, Wikipedia calls them "Sokoban-type puzzles". If you google for sokoban, there's a ton of clones available for free.
    – Konrad Garus
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 14:04
8

I know a nice flash version of this called Gridlock. There was a Windows version of this game quite a few years back called Klotski.

These games generally seem to fall into the "sliding block puzzle" category.

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2
  • Do you know the genre? I'm going to leave the question open for a day or two in hopes someone will post it.
    – Wolfpack'08
    Commented Jan 19, 2012 at 11:42
  • Aw, man. I want to say this is the best answer because Gridlock was such a great recommendation, but the community had so much love for the "Sliding Puzzle" reference that I had to put my own opinion aside. Thanks for the speed, though, man.
    – Wolfpack'08
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 13:42

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