Ishidou (also known as Ishido: The Way of Stones) is a challenging solitaire-style puzzle game released in 1990 for the Famicom Disk System by Hiro. Originally distributed exclusively through Nintendo’s Disk Writer kiosks in Japan, this thoughtful board game tasks players with emptying a pouch of 72 stones by carefully placing them onto a grid based on matching patterns.
How to Play
To place a stone on the board, it must match either the color or the symbol of every adjacent stone. The game begins with a few pre-placed stones, and you must draw and place your stones one by one. You earn points for successful placements, with the highest scores awarded for “four-way” connectionsโplacing a stone in a spot surrounded by four other stones, matching two by symbol and two by color. Default NES controls apply: use the D-pad to move your cursor, A to select or place a stone, B to cancel, and Start/Select for game menus (mapped to arrow keys, Z/X, and Enter/Shift in your browser).
Tips
- Prioritize four-way moves: Focus your strategy on setting up four-way connections early. The board becomes heavily crowded over time, and missing these early opportunities can leave you with no valid moves later.
- Examine your pouch: Always look ahead at your remaining stones before making a move. Avoid placing stones that block future potential matches, as the game heavily relies on keeping the board open to accommodate your remaining inventory.
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