''Microsoft Minesweeper'' (formerly just ''Minesweeper'', and also known as ''Flower Field'') is a
minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
-type
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
created by Curt Johnson, originally for
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
's
OS/2
OS/2 is a Proprietary software, proprietary computer operating system for x86 and PowerPC based personal computers. It was created and initially developed jointly by IBM and Microsoft, under the leadership of IBM software designer Ed Iacobucci, ...
, that was ported to
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
by Robert Donner, both
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
employees at the time. First released as part of the
Microsoft Entertainment Pack 1 in 1990, it was first included in the standard install of
Windows 3.1
Windows 3.1 is a major release of Microsoft Windows. It was released to manufacturing on April 6, 1992, as a successor to Windows 3.0. Like its predecessors, the Windows 3.1 series run as a shell on top of MS-DOS; it was the last Windows 1 ...
in 1992, replacing
Reversi
Reversi is a strategy board game for two players, played on an 8×8 uncheckered board. It was invented in 1883. ''Othello'', a variant with a fixed initial setup of the board, was patented in 1971.
Basics
Two players compete, using 64 identi ...
from
Windows 3.0
Windows 3.0 is the third major release of Microsoft Windows, launched on May 22, 1990. It introduces a new graphical user interface (GUI) that represents applications as clickable icons, instead of the list of file names in its predecessors. ...
.
''Microsoft Minesweeper'' was included without major changes in all subsequent Windows releases until
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, released five years earlier, which was then the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft W ...
, at which time an updated version by
Oberon Media replaced it. In
Windows 8
Windows 8 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012, made available for download via Microsoft ...
and later the game is not included with a fresh Windows install, but
Microsoft Studios
Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, spun out from an internal Games Group, fo ...
has published an updated version of it, developed by
Arkadium, on
Microsoft Store
The Microsoft Store (formerly known as the Windows Store) is a digital distribution platform operated by Microsoft. It was created as an app store for Windows 8 as the primary means of distributing Universal Windows Platform apps. With ...
.
Gameplay
The goal of ''Minesweeper'' is to uncover all the squares on a grid that do not contain
mines without being "blown up" by clicking on a square with a mine underneath. The location of most mines is discovered through a logical process, but some require guessing, usually with a 50-50 chance of being correct. Clicking on the game board will reveal what is hidden underneath the chosen square or squares (a large number of blank squares
ordering 0 minesmay be revealed in one go if they are adjacent to each other). Some squares are blank while others contain numbers (from 1 to 8), with each number being the number of mines adjacent to the uncovered square.
To help the player avoid hitting a mine, the location of a suspected mine can be marked by flagging it with the right
mouse button; however, if a player is unsure if a square is safe or not, they can tag it with a question mark (?). The game is won once all blank or numbered squares have been uncovered by the player without hitting a mine; any remaining mines not identified by flags are automatically flagged by the computer. However, in the event that a game is lost and the player had mistakenly flagged a safe square, that square will either appear with a red X, or else a red X covering the mine (both denoting the square as safe). The game board comes in three set sizes with a predetermined number of mines: "beginner", "intermediate", and "expert", although a "custom" option is available as well.
Evolution
In early versions of the game, a
cheat code
Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...
let players peek beneath the tiles.
By the year 2000, the game had been given the name of ''Flower Field'' instead of ''Minesweeper'' in some translations of Windows Me and Windows 2000 (most notably the Italian version), featuring flowers instead of mines. ''Flower Field''s gameplay was otherwise unchanged, as was the executable file name.
Minesweeper Flags
In 2003, Microsoft created a variation called ''Minesweeper Flags'' in
MSN Messenger
MSN Messenger (also known colloquially simply as MSN), later rebranded as Windows Live Messenger, was a Cross-platform software, cross-platform instant messaging client, instant-messaging client developed by Microsoft. It connected to the now-di ...
, which is played against an opponent with the objective to find the mines rather than the surrounding squares.
A version of Minesweeper Flags for
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
was developed by TikGames LLC and published by Microsoft Studios on the
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade (or XBLA) was a video game Digital distribution in video games, digital distribution service that was available for the Xbox (console), Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. It focused on smaller downloadable games from both major publisher ...
in 2010.
Windows Vista and Windows 7
The game's color scheme changed with the release of Vista (from gray to either blue or green). The icons were updated to match the
Aero
Aero is a Greek prefix relating to flight and air. In British English, it is used as an adjective related to flight (e.g., as a shortened substitute for aeroplane).
Aero, Ærø, or Aeros may refer to:
Aeronautics Airlines and companies
* Aero (A ...
look. It also came with a "flower" motif (called "Flower Garden") as an alternative to the landmines (a game style called "Minesweeper").
The visual change also allowed for the Board to be "Silver and Blue" or "Green".
This iteration of Minesweeper was created by
Oberon Media. The controversy over the
land mine
A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...
theme of the game was settled by defaulting the appearance based on region so that "sensitive" areas used the flower theme, but some still wanted the game removed from Windows altogether.
The regionalization effort also included changing the game's name in some cases to match the theme.
Windows 8 and later
Microsoft removed ''Minesweeper'' from
Windows 8
Windows 8 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012, made available for download via Microsoft ...
and instead published it as a free game on the
Microsoft Store
The Microsoft Store (formerly known as the Windows Store) is a digital distribution platform operated by Microsoft. It was created as an app store for Windows 8 as the primary means of distributing Universal Windows Platform apps. With ...
. The new version is developed by
Arkadium and is ad-supported. The initial release was supported by 30-second video ads. Later releases had monthly and annual subscription options to remove the ads.
Multiple news outlets criticized the change as greedy.
This version updates both motifs (themes called "Modern" and "Garden" as of Windows 10). Daily challenges and an adventure mode were also added.
As of Windows 10, the non-premium version has six modes of play: Classic (8x8), Easy (9x9), Medium (16x16),
Expert
An expert is somebody who has a broad and deep understanding and competence in terms of knowledge, skill and experience through practice and education in a particular field or area of study. Informally, an expert is someone widely recognized ...
(30x16), Custom, Adventure, and Daily Challenges. "Retro" theme or the default modern theme are available. On the main menu, there are sections for Awards, Leaderboards,
Statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...
, and Tutorials.
Some of the game options are only relevant for a
touchscreen
A touchscreen (or touch screen) is a type of electronic visual display, display that can detect touch input from a user. It consists of both an input device (a touch panel) and an output device (a visual display). The touch panel is typically l ...
, like the flag mode and swiping.
Reception
''
Business Insider
''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Inside ...
'' called the game an "iconic part" of the
Windows operating system.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Application listing on theMicrosoft Store
The Microsoft Store (formerly known as the Windows Store) is a digital distribution platform operated by Microsoft. It was created as an app store for Windows 8 as the primary means of distributing Universal Windows Platform apps. With ...
.
{{Windows Components
1990 video games
Microsoft games
Video games developed in the United States
Windows games
Windows Phone games
Minesweeper (video game)
Video games about bomb disposal
Oberon Media games
Single-player video games