6 Columbus games you need to discover

In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.  He had three ships that left from Spain.  He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.  He sailed by night, he sailed by day – he sailed to find a game to play!

Silly Columbus – if all you were looking for was a great game, you could have just hopped on to Gamezebo.com!  But Columbus’ folly doesn’t have to be yours as well.  To celebrate Columbus Day, Gamezebo has rounded up six fun games inspired by the famed explorer.  Some feature Columbus himself, others are tales of the New World, and others still celebrate the spirit of discovery.

Can’t wait to “discover” a great game?  Then peruse onward, dear reader!

Columbus: Ghost of the Mystery Stone – Stepping off the Santa Maria for the first time onto the shores of the New World, There must have been plenty of strangeness to discover.  And what better way to explore strange new surroundings that with a hidden object game?  This one tells the lost tale of how Columbus was thrown overboard and saved by a spirit that lives in a rock.  Revisionist history at its finest.

The Promised Land – Discovering the New World is only half the battle.  After all, what good is a new territory if you haven’t settled it?  This casual take on strategy sets players in the role of colony-builder as they keep an eye out for the greatest possible discovery man as ever known – the “Spring of Eternal Happiness.”

Ancient Spirits: Columbus’ Legacy – Why travel back 500 years for a Columbus’ story when we can pluck a fictional one right out of the mid-20^th century?  Columbus’ Legacy is a hidden object hunt that tells the tale of researchers searching for a lost galleon of Columbus, and the discoveries that result from finding it.

Adventure World – Of course, Columbus’ isn’t the only explorer of note from the history books.  There’s also, well… you!  Adventure World places you into the shoes of an Indiana Jones-alike (and now features the Indiana Jones license!) as you engage in the age-old act of exploration.  What secrets can you uncover in the world of overgrown jungles and abandoned temples?

Adelantado Trilogy: Book One – There were plenty of expeditions during the Age of Discovery, and some of them?  They didn’t turn out so well.  Such was the case for a group of Spaniards who went missing.  As the leader of the follow-up expedition, you’ll try to keep an eye out for any survivors while trying to bring gold and riches back to the Spanish Crown.

Seven Cities of Gold –  Of course, if you want to one up Columbus at his own game, you’re going to have to go all the way back to 1984.  That’s when EA published the now classic Seven Cities of Gold – a game that lets you take your own fleet to the New World to explore and exploit.  Not enough for you?  Then how about this: Sid Meier counts this amongst the most influential games he’s ever played.  This one isn’t available to purchase anymore, but maybe if we all close our eyes really tight and start wishing it’ll show up on GOG.com or get re-imagined for the App Store.

Jim Squires

• 

Jim Squires is the Editor-in-Chief of Gamezebo. Everything you see passes his eyes first, so we like to think of him as "the gatekeeper of cool stuff." He likes good games, great writing, and just can't say no to a hamburger. Also, he is not a bear.