Ishidó: The Way of Stones (1991). Play online

Summary

Ishido: The Way of Stones arrived on the Atari Lynx in 1991, carrying the same elegant puzzle mechanics that made the Accolade original a cult hit. You work with 72 stones—each a unique blend of one of six colors and one of six symbols—placing them on a 96‑square board while matching at least one attribute to neighboring tiles. The game rewards clever "4‑way" placements, where a single stone simultaneously aligns by color and by symbol with the four surrounding pieces, unlocking a special I Ching oracle that consults the yarrow‑stalk method and delivers an answer crafted by designer Michael Feinberg.

Beyond the core challenge there are five different board layouts and six themed stone sets, all wrapped in calming Oriental chimes and detailed graphics by Brodie Lockard. The Lynx version earned a perfect 5‑out‑of‑5 rating in Dragon magazine, a testament to its deep yet accessible design that still feels fresh for anyone who enjoys thoughtful, match‑by‑attribute puzzles.

Storyline

Ishidó: The Way of Stones opens on a mist‑shrouded spring morning in 1989, high in the remote Han Shan mountains of China. A solitary Mendicant monk from the Northern School of the White Crane branch of Taoism steps out of the Heavenly Peak Temple’s gates, his presence the only sign of life in the silent landscape.
Clutched in his hands are three enigmatic objects: a stone board, a set of seventy‑two intricately carved stone pieces, and an ancient scroll written in elegant calligraphy. According to the prologue, the scroll contains a secret that has been hidden within the monastery for thousands of years, waiting for the monk to unlock its power.