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(author's note: being a Japanese word, the exact spelling of the game's
title varies. Most sources refer to the game as Sokoban, but for sake of
continuity, I will refer to is as Soukoban)
Soukoban was created in 1980 by a man named Hiroyuki Imabayashi. The game
featured a combination of simple rules with highly intellegent and
sophisticated gameplay, and would become vastly popular throughout Asia
within a fairly short period of time. Unfortunately for those of us
over in the western hemisphere, the game never really seemed to make the
leap across the pacific. While there have been versions ported to just
about every computer OS and many game consoles, the title still seems
oddly under the radar when if comes to localized console games, save for
the Sega Genesis version, in which the title was bafflingly changed to
Shove It. While it's not much of a surprise that Shove It didn't catch
on, it's still somewhat of a mystery how a game can be classic to some
and completely unknown to others.
Thankfully, however, the simplicity of the game's design makes for a
fairly import friendly title. After playing a handful of different ports,
I must say that there is something about the SNES version that stands out.
The control is smooth, the music is decent, and the pace of the game stays
fairly consistent throughout, and the non-linear aspect keeps the game
from feeling like a mental chore. It's simply a great version of a great
game. What more could you ask for.
So what is it about this game that sets it apart? Well, the word that
seems come up most often when describing Soukoban is "elegant." There truly
is an inherent elegance to the way in which the game plays itself out. There
exists at every turn the possibility of rendering the puzzle unsolvable
through poor planning or execution. Unlike other puzzle games, however,
you don't have the option eliminating wrong moves and thus solving the
puzzle through trial and error. The game is simply far too vast, the number
of moves far too open, and the number of lateral moves required to clear
each stage can be, at times, completely staggering. This is a game that
will challenge you to think, learn, and react, all while the main task
at hand never becomes more complicated than pushing boxes over specific
spaces.
Since individual puzzles can require upwards of 2000 moves to clear, and
since the SNES port contains 300 individual puzzles, I will not be walking
you through the entire game. Instead, it is my goal that this FAQ will
act as a kind of primer, giving just enough information to get you into
the game, and then leaving the rest for you to discover on your own, as
well as offer strategic advice, and perhaps a couple of solutions, just
to give you an idea of what lies ahead.
D-pad = moves you character, navigates menus
A = confirm menu selection, access menu during game
B = acts as "back" button on menus, resets puzzle in 2 player mode
Y = hides the step counter/limit display
X = changes the light level, navigate puzzle editor
L = undo recent moves, navigates puzzle selection menu
R = redo undone moves, navigates puzzle selection menu
Select = navigates menus
Start = confirms menu selections
--THE RULES--
--1 PlAYER GAME--
You will be controlling a warehouse porter as he moves large crates around
in various, labyrinthine stock rooms. The object of the game is to push
said boxes over target spaces, which are shown to have small red circles
over them. You control the porter using the D-pad, and push the boxes by
simply walking up against them in the desired direction. Any box may be
placed over any target space.
The thing to keep in mind is that, since a box can only be pushed from
the side opposite to the direction you wish to travel, you will need to
move each box around the room strategically in order to prevent them from
getting stuck, thus rendering the puzzle unsolvable. This is usually
referred to as "deadlock" and I will speak about it more in the strategies
section of this FAQ.
Once all the boxes have been pushed over the red circles, the puzzle has been
solved. A menu will come up asking if you wish to move on to the next puzzle
or try again. Choose the first option and press A to retry the current puzzle,
choose the second option and press A, or simply press B to move on to the next
puzzle.
There is also a step limit in place, meaning that every time the player
moves one space (each space is roughly the size of a box) it is counted
as a step. If the player exceeds the step limit, he/she must must start
over. Step efficiency will also be discussed in strategies.
If the display showing the step count and limit is in your way, you may
press Y to hide it, however, as soon as you make your next move, it will
reappear. Pressing X toggles between low light and normal. As far as I
can tell, this function has no effect on the gameplay. Pressing A brings
up an in-game menu, which I'll discuss in greater detail later.
If, any any point, you wish to take back one or more recent moves, you
may do so by holding down the L button. This will act as a kind of
"rewind" and allow you to return the puzzle to a previous state. The step
counter will also roll back when you do this. If you wish to redo one or
more moves that you have recently undone, you may do so by holding down
R button. It is possible to rewind all the way back to the beginning of
the puzzle, but it would be more convenient to simply press A twice for
the same effect.
--2 PLAYER GAME--
Both players start by choosing their sprite. You are each given an
identical puzzle to solve. The winner is the person who does so first.
Be warned, however, that every now and then, the computer will randomly
rotate your puzzle by 90 degrees. A point is awarded to the player who
solves his/her puzzle first, and the winner is the first player to get
3 points. After a winner is decided, you will have the choice to either
keep playing with same sprites, or with different ones.
Be warned, however, that you cannot rewind the puzzle in this mode, so
if you accidentally end up in a deadlock, you must press B button and
reset the puzzle back to it's original state. There is a display at the
top of the screen showing each players progress, as well as a porter
running back and forth with a box in hand. He will randomly fall over
and whichever half of the display he lands on will determine which
player is about to have their puzzle rotated.
Since the name of the game is speed, these puzzles tend to be a little
more open in their design, and can be solves more than one way.
All of the menus in this game are in Japanese. This can be a bit of a
problem for those of us who have no understanding of the language. To
get around this problem, I will be describing each menu option in terms
of it's placement on said menu.
--TITLE SCREEN--
The title screen contains 3 menu options, which are as follows:
-1- 1 player game
-2- 2 player game
-3- level editor
You may press either Start or A to make a selection.
--PUZZLE SELECTION MENU--
If you choose to play a 1 player game, you will be sent to the puzzle
selection menu. You may return to the title screen at any time by
pressing B.
There are 6 sets of puzzles, each of which contains 50 individual puzzles to
choose from, all of which are available as soon as you begin. Use the L and R
buttons to choose which set you wish to play, and the D-pad allows you move
your cursor over the individual puzzle. Once you've chosen your puzzle, press
A to start playing.
There is a password at the bottom of this screen that allows you save your
progress. If at any point during the game, you return to the Puzzle selection
menu, your password will be updated to show those puzzles that you have
solved. To enter a different password. Move the cursor to the bottom of the
menu and press down. Thankfully, the passwords use characters from the Latin
alphabet. Select the characters and press A to enter them. Press B to cancel.
--2 PLAYER MENU--
The two player menu is pretty simple. Each player chooses his/her sprite and
presses A to confirm. Player 1's cursor is on the above the sprites, and
player 2's is below them. Once both players choose a sprite, the game begins.
Either player can return the game to the title screen by pressing B
--LEVEL EDITOR MENU--
(see next section)
--IN GAME MENU--
If, at any point during the game, you press A button, if will bring up a menu
box containing 4 options. Press A again to select an option, or B to get rid
of the menu box. The options are as follows:
1 - reverts the puzzle back to it's original state
2 - returns player to puzzle selection menu
3 - shows a demonstration of the puzzle's solution (This feature is only
available after the puzzle has already been solved)
4 - return to the title screen
The third option on the title screen is the level editor, giving players a
chance to try their hands at creating their own unique puzzles. As of this
point in time, I've yet to find any way to save these puzzles for later
use.
Given the amount of time and energy put into level design, I personally am
of the opinion that this feature serves mostly to demonstrate just how
elegant the level design really is, though I suppose there is some fun to
be had in trying to design a puzzle to stump your friends.
--LEVEL EDITOR MENU--
The level editor menu is divided into 5 options, which are as follows.
1 - edit current map
2 - play current map
3 - load existing map
4 - clear map
5 - return to the title screen
--EDIT CURRENT MAP--
If you choose the first option on the list, you will be able edit the current
map. A small cursor should appear on the screen. Place the cursor over the
appropriate square on the map and press A to place an object there. To remove
an object, place the cursor over it and press B. You may place either a wall,
target space, box or your starting point on the map. A small box in the
corner will display whichever item you currently have selected for placement,
and you may press either L or R to cycle through them.
Pressing Select will allow you to show/hide the square grid over the floor.
--PLAY CURRENT MAP--
You are not allowed to play your current map until you've established your
starting point. Once you have done this, you may choose the second option in
the list to give your newly designed level a try. Wile the starting point is
the only actual requirement, It does help, to also have at least one box, one
target and some walls to enclose the puzzle you wish to create.
If you successfully push each box over a target, you are returned to the level
editor menu. If you are unable to solve the puzzle, or simply wish to make
additional edits, you may return to the level editor menu at any time by
pressing A
--LOAD EXISTING MAP--
From the third option on the menu you are allowed to choose one of the 300
official game maps, and change it around. Press L and R to cycle through the
six sets, left and right to cycle through the individual puzzles ten at a
time, or up and down to cycle cone at a time. Press A to select a puzzle, and
press B to cancel.
--CLEAR MAP--
If you wish to wipe the map clean and try again, choose the fourth option. You
will be asked if you are sure. Select the first option and press A to confirm.
To cancel, select the second option and press A, or simply press B.
--RETURN TO TITLE SCREEN--
Choose the fifth option when you are done playing with the level editor.
While the cornerstone of the game is pure logic and the ability to plan ahead,
there are a number of basic points that come back every time. Once you have
identified these elements, you stand a much greater chance of successfully
planning future moves without all the hassle of trial and error.
The following key elements are just a few of the points that must be kept in
mind as you progress.
(author's note: The names given to different elements within this section are
mostly just terms I've made up. If you use them in conversation and no one
knows what you're talking about, that would be the reason why.)
--DEADLOCK--
At any point during the game, you might push the boxes in such a way that they
become stuck, or "deadlocked." When this happens, you have no choice but to
either take back your most recent moves, or start over, as the situation would
require.
The most obvious form of deadlock occurs when a box is pushed into a corner.
At this point, there is simply no way to get in behind a box to push it out of
it's current position. Another common deadlock is when 4 boxes are pushed up
against one another in a 2x2 pattern. If it appears as if these patterns are
about to occur, you will need to rethink your approach, and possibly take back
a few moves to accommodate this.
Other deadlocks are not quite so easy to spot, the key to remember is that a
box can only be pushed from one of it's exposed sides, provided that the
opposite side is open. Plot moves in such a way that keeps the mobility of the
boxes open, and if you must block a box temporarily, make sure that there is
a way to clear a path for it later on.
--INEVITABLE DEADLOCK--
After you get the hang of spotting deadlocks, you should begin to notice boxes
that are in a position where they are free to move, but where all possible
moves will inevitably lead to a deadlock situation. This situation is a little
more delicate, and requires a great deal of finesse.
The thing to remember is that no box on the puzzle starts off in an inevitable
deadlock position, otherwise the puzzle would be unsolvable. The trick to
dealing with this situation is to backtrack to a point before the box was put
into an inevitable deadlock, and begin plotting other moves that prevent the
situation from coming up at all.
This is where it becomes necessary to plan many moves in advance, and to spot
boxes that start off in precarious situations.
--UNLOCK--
In later puzzles, it will seem like every possible move leads to either a
deadlock, or at best, no progress whatsoever. In these situations, there is
often a single box that, when moved out of the way, allows the rest of the
puzzle to be solved with relative ease. This is what I like to call the unlock
move. Once an unlock has been established, it offers, at the very least, a
plan of action that may be taken in order to solve a puzzle.
--STEP EFFICIENCY--
Also of great significance is that you try not to waste individual steps as
you work towards your goal. Waste too many steps before solving the puzzle and
you run the real risk of being told to start over. Also, since many puzzles
can be solved more than one way, try to find the one that wastes the least
amount of steps.
The most common cause of wasteful steps is a failure to plan moves in advance.
It is important for many reasons to keep future moves in mind as you plot the
best course of action. As you get better, it should become increasingly
apparent what pre-emptive moves ought to be made in order to prevent you from
wandering back and forth needlessly later on.
--LATERAL MOVES--
A lateral move is any move that doesn't bring the puzzle any closer to being
solved, but is otherwise necessary to prevent deadlock. As the game progresses,
the percentage of moves that one could consider lateral increases greatly. It
is very tricky to plan these moves in advance, and it would sometimes be a
better strategy to simply make a few educated guesses, just to see if you can
keep the game from going into deadlock.
--SEQUENCE--
In most stages, the boxes must be placed over the targets in a very particular
order, otherwise, certain target spaces might no longer be accessible. Also,
the targets themselves might also need to be covered in a specific order. This
part of the game can become fairly elaborate. The key here is to think about
future accessibility issues, sometimes as early when the first box reaches a
target. Much like lateral moves, the exactness of the sequence increases
exponentially as the game progresses.
--PLANNING--
As is fairly apparent, planning comes into play in just about every aspect of
this game. The very nature of the game requires that you repeatedly update your
mental picture of potential moves. The sooner you can catch mistakes, the sooner
you'll be able to take measures to prevent them from happening. The downside of
this is that you could find yourself in a situation where there are seemingly no
potential moves from the very start. It would be wise to remember that there are
no unsolvable puzzles in this game. If you get stuck, try not looking quite so
far ahead, and dealing with one issue at a time, then plotting a way to put it
all together.
If is my belief that this game has a fairly reasonable learning curve, but in
the interest of getting the ball rolling, I will offer solutions to the first
four puzzles of the first set. Each solution will be offered in the form of a
basic explanation, followed by the precise directional sequence needed. While
this will clearly take care of the how, it is my opinion that neither solution
nor sequence truly explains the why. Instead of simply following the solution
in a rigid, step by step form, I would advise that you observe how it is that
these solutions untangle the mess of boxes on the screen. Much of what you
need to know later on can be learned in the first few puzzles.
(for the sequence section, each letter will correspond to a direction on the
d-pad. U=up D=down L=left R=right)
--PUZZLE 1 - 1--
solution -
Start with the box directly below you, and push it downward by exactly two
spaces, giving you just enough room to walk around the lower box, then push
first one back upwards against the top wall. Now push it into the far right
corner. Head back down and push the lower box one space to the right, then
push it back up and to the right, so that it is directly beside the first box.
Now, walk all the way around the last box and push it up from below. Walk
around it again and push it to the left. It should end up in the same space as
the first box. Just like the first box, push it downward, walk around it and
then push it back up into position.
sequence -
D D D L L D D R R U U U U L U R R R L L D D D L L D R D R U U U U L U R R D
D R R R D D L L U D R R U U L L L U L D D L D D R U U U U L U R
--PUZZLE 1 - 2--
solution -
Take two steps to the right and push the box downward, stop when there is only
one space between the box and the lower wall. Walk all the way around the box
and push it to the right until the wall stops it. Now get below the box and
push it upwards one space. Now push it to the right again, then up into the
top right corner. Repeat this process for the other two boxes, one at a time.
sequence -
R R D D D D R D D L L U R D R U L U R R R D R U U D L L L L U U U U L L D R
U R D D D D R D D L L U R D R U L U R R R D R U L L L L U U U L L D R U R D
D D R D D L L U R D R U L U R R R
--PUZZLE 1 - 3--
solution -
Push the first box one space to the right, then push the box directly below
you one space down. Walk another space to the right and push the box below you
one space down. Walk around the boxes and push the lowermost box into the
bottom-left corner. Walk two spaces to the right, two spaces up, one space to
the left and push the box directly below you down one space. Now, push the box
to your left up against the left wall. Move down one space and push the box to
your right into the bottom right corner, then simply push the remaining two
boxes against the bottom wall.
sequence -
R D R D R D D L L R R U U L D L D R U U U L D D U U U U R D D D D
--PUZZLE 1 - 4--
solution -
Walk to the right and push the box as far right as it can go. Walk around the
boxes and push the box to the far right up one space, then the box to your left
one space to the left. This should give you a clear path through the upper
corridor. Push the box at the upper-left end down two spaces, push it to the
right once, then down onto the bottom right target. Move up once and to the
right once. Push the box that is blocking you path one space to the right, then
walk around and push it back to the left until it is below the left opening of
the top corridor. Head back to the right. Enter the corridor through the right
entrance and move all the way to the left. Now, push the box down as far as you
can.
Move up one space and head three spaces to the right, two spaces down and one
more right. Push this box up exactly one space then push it to the left until
it is (like the previous box) directly below the left opening in the top
corridor. Walk all the way back to the right entrance, through the corridor,
then push the box down as far as it will go, then walk around it and push it
to the right. Walk all the way back to the right and push the remaining box
one space to the left. It should be under the right entrance to the top
corridor. Walk through the corridor from the left entrance, push the box down
one space, then to the right until it's under the left entrance to the top
corridor. Walk all the way around yet again, through the corridor, then push
the box down as far as it will go.
sequence -
R R R D D R R U U L U U L L L L D D L D R U R D U R R D D R R U U L L L L R
R R U U L L L L D D D U R R R D D R U R U L L L L R R R U U L L L L D D L D
R U R R R R R R U L D L L L L L U U R R R R D R D L L L L R R R U U L L L L
D D
(for fear of writing a novel, I'll leave the rest of the puzzles for you to
solve on your own.)
University of Alberta website.
For offering all kinds of insight into the "elegance" of the game, as well as
it's colourful history.
Wikipedia
Without which I'd never have known about the many legitimate versions of this
game. Also for directing me to the U of A website mentioned above.
Caltron 6 in 1
Had it not been for the sub-standard, bootleg version found on this cart. I
would likely have gone my whole life without ever even finding out about
Soukoban.
Alexey Pajitnov
For Tetris.
and of course, GameFAQs
For giving me a soapbox, upon which to stand and sing the glory of old school
puzzle games like this one.
