Classic Games Database
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Minesweeper

Review
Also known as
マインスウィーパー

Clear mines by deducing their locations from numbered clues on a grid. Features multiple grid sizes and a global mission mode.

The Game Boy version of Minesweeper, developed by Arc Co., Ltd. and published by Pack-In-Video, was released in Japan in 1991. The original Minesweeper game was first released in 1990 as part of Microsoft Windows 3.0.


							Minesweeper cover
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Released
1991
Original release
1990
Genre
Perspective
Top-down
Size
20.20 KB
Rating
0 votes
Developer

About Minesweeper

Minesweeper for the Game Boy adapts the established logic puzzle where players uncover numbered cells on a grid to deduce the locations of hidden explosives. The core challenge involves interpreting numerical clues that indicate adjacent mines, allowing safe spaces to be revealed and dangerous ones to be marked.

Multiple play structures are offered. A standard progression features three distinct grid sizes, with each completed field leading to another of the same dimensions but with an increased mine count. A separate mission-based mode presents a series of ten fields across various global locations, beginning with very small grids that gradually expand in size; this mode uniquely provides several pre-revealed cells at the start of each puzzle. Players can also design custom challenges using an editor to specify grid dimensions and bomb quantity.

The Game Boy iteration supports two-player competition via a link cable. While the source notes a PC Engine version includes an extra "Cook's Quest" mode involving escaping boulders on a minefield, this feature is specific to that platform and not part of the portable release.

Minesweeper Screenshots

12 images
Title screen
Mode select
A virginal minefield on level 1
At this level, it's easy to find the mines.
At this level, it's easy to find the mines.
All clear!
Hit a bomb.
Level 2 has a bigger field with smaller tiles.
The enormous field of level 3
All clear!
Starting out in the mission mode.
Puzzle 1 in the South Pacific