Top 10 puzzle games for mobile phones

Mobile phones and puzzle games go hand in hand. Or, to use a more fitting analogy, they fit together like two perfectly matched geometric shapes.

Even a bog standard match-three block-dropper effortlessly overcomes all of the format’s perceived weaknesses - basic controls, lack of processing poke and limited screen real estate. None of that matters when all you have to do is guide a bunch of coloured blobs into position.

But the puzzler also takes advantage of the mobile format’s strengths - ultra-portability, intuitive controls and mainstream penetration. Gamers and non-gamers alike know Tetris, and they’d all like a quick go on it when their train’s been delayed by ten minutes.

As mobile phones have evolved, though, so has the humble puzzler. There are now countless sophisticated hybrid games that incorporate puzzle elements into platformers (SolaRola), point ‘n’ click adventures (Mystery Mania) and time management sims (Diner Dash). Not to mention the many brain training and sudoku games out there.

So we thought we’d cut to the core of the matter and establish the ten finest pure puzzlers you can play on your phone today. Let us know what you’d include in the comments section below.

Top 10 mobile puzzle games

Mobile gamers had to wait a long time for a Puzzle Bobble they could truly call their own, but Puzzle Bobble Evolution is that game. It boasts the familiar PB mechanic of firing coloured bubbles into an existing pack in order to match three or more, but there’s more to it than that.

Mission mode splits the classic gameplay up into separate tasks, such as ridding an entire field of bubbles with a single shot or completing a stage with an ever-moving bubble-gun. Add in a thoughtful selection of destructive power-ups and you’re in portable puzzling heaven.

It’s something of a truism that you shouldn’t mess with the classics, but that never stops PopCap from tweaking their own. Fortunately, they’re very good it, as evidenced by Bejeweled Twist’s subtle evolution of the Bejeweled formula.

You still need to match three or more gems in order to make them disappear, hopefully setting off a chain reaction in the process, but you now initiate this by rotating a block of four rather than swapping two adjacent gems.

It’s not a huge reinvention on the surface, but it shakes things up enough to make the game well worth a purchase even for Bejeweled veterans.

Luxor Quest isn’t the first mobile game to ask you to fire coloured balls into a snaking line in order to match three (that would probably be Zuma). It’s not even a massive improvement over the two prequels.

But it stands as the best game of its kind on mobile, which concurrentlysequently makes it one of the best puzzlers on the platform.

Where Luxor Quest has improved over other versions is in the smoothness of the game engine and the sheer polish of the package, as well as a more varied range of levels. It’s a beautifully executed refinement of the Zuma/Puzz Loop formula.

Go! Go! Rescue Squad (Connect2Media)

When we said we’d only be considering pure puzzlers on this list, that didn’t mean we’d just be sticking to match-three games. Make no mistake, while Go! Go! Rescue Squad has nothing to do with establishing patterns or manoeuvring shapes, it’s one of the purest puzzlers we’ve played this year.

You control a bunch of fire fighters as you strive to guide a number of ‘Darwins’ to safety, as raging fires and lethal drops stand in your way. To do this you have to master a brilliantly implemented throwing mechanic, along with some absolutely fiendish level design.

Tetris (EA)

We’ve had Tetris Ultra, Tetris Mania, Tetris Blockout and Tetris Pop, but the definitive version of Tetris on mobile remains Tetris. Plain and simple. That’s no slight on the other releases (Tetris Pop in particular is a gem), but more a reflection of the timeless brilliance of Tetris.

The granddaddy of block-puzzlers doesn’t need power-ups, mini-games, bonus levels or 3D perspectives to improve it. Why? Because it’s as close to a perfect game as you’re ever likely to find. The only reason not to download this to your phone is if you have a portable version of it already. And even then…

Tropical Towers (Real)

Where so much of this list is about destruction and the removing of elements from the field of play, Tropical Towers is quite the opposite. Here you must build a series of structures to enable a group of monkeys to reach each level’s exit point.

Construction is a simple case of joining wooden poles together in roughly triangular clusters, making sure you do so with the limited materials at your disposal. The beauty of Tropical Towers is its believable physics engine, which often means that there’s no pre-defined solution to the levels. Fans of World of Goo on Wii and PC should snap this up right away.

Boom Blox (EA)

Boom Blox calls to mind the kind of elaborate, physics-based chain reactions seen in car ads, Wallace and Gromit films and the good old fashioned domino rally. Each level is a tightly wound mechanism, just waiting for you to nudge it into action and admire the ensuing fireworks.

The ‘puzzling’ part is where to nudge it to get the maxium effect. With the goal of each level being to remove as many point-scoring blocks as possible from each stage in as few moves, the onus switches from simply completing each level to completing it perfectly. A thoroughly unique mobile puzzler.

Chuzzle Mobile (PopCap)

Okay, it’s yet another match-three puzzler, but this one features cute fuzzy creatures. Who stare at you with their big googly eyes. Heart warming appeal aside, though, Chuzzle sports enough original touches to stand on its own fuzzy feet in the mobile puzzle genre.

For example, when you match four or more creatures in a square you’re not instantly rewarded as in other similar games. Rather, the cluster is turned into a single giant chuzzle, which requires additional effort to get rid of.

But mainly we just like the cute fuzzy creatures, with their big googly eyes.

Diamond Tumble (Digital Chocolate)

Like Boom Blox and Tropical Towers elsewhere on this list, much of Diamond Tumble’s appeal lies in its incorporation of physics. Here you have to strategically remove blocks from a series of stacks, with the objective being to drop the gem sat on top onto the altar below. The catch is that you only have a limited number of moves at your disposal.

There's also a load of special blocks to worry about, such as those that destroy adjoining blocks or grow in size. Being a Digital Chocolate game, it also looks gorgeous and plays beautifully on a mobile pad.

Chop Sushi (THQ)

While we’re on the subject of adorable match-three puzzlers, here’s another. Yet again, though, this one makes its way to our best-of list by virtue of being much more than a pretty face. Chop Sushi boasts an unusually competitive edge, with your sushi chef lining up against a series of personal demons-made-physical.

You take it in turns to manoeuvre items on a shared sushi board, with the goal of whittling down your opponent’s starting total. You can also aid your cause by following pre-set recipes, which grant you additional benefits. Appropriately for a game about sushi, Chop Sushi is both moreish and unique.