Game system for providing a puzzle game and a method for providing a puzzle game using the same

A method, performed by a game server, for providing a puzzle game, comprising steps of:

• processing a user login in response to an request from a user terminal through a data network;
• and
• controlling the user terminal to execute the puzzle game in response to a game execution request of the user terminal,
• wherein the step of controlling the user terminal to execute the puzzle game comprises:
• controlling the user terminal to display blocks arranged in a matrix form of N rows and M columns, wherein N and M are each an integer of 3 or more, in a puzzle game area, each of the blocks having one of a plurality of colors, and to display one game character in an action display area;
• exchanging a selected block selected by a user block selection input with another block neighboring the selected block in a direction of upper, lower, left, right, upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right in a block exchanging step in response to a user block control input;
• determining if determining if a matching block group is generated as a result of the block exchanging step, the matching block group consist of at least three consecutive blocks having the same color in a row direction or a column direction;
• removing the matching block group in a block removing step;
• controlling the game character to perform an action according to a result of the block removing step in a game character action control step;
• after the block removing step, filling block-removed spaces with substitution blocks from neighboring blocks, each of which was placed at a side of each block of the matching block group, and generating a block having one of the colors to fill the block-removed space if no substitution block exists in a block filling step, wherein the block-removed spaces are spaces that had been occupied by the matching block group before removing the matching block group;
• and
• repeating the block removing step, the game character action control step, and the block filling step until three or more consecutive blocks having the same color in the row direction or the column direction are not generated,
• wherein the block filling step comprises:
• generating a special block having the same color of the matching block group and filling one of the block-removed spaces when a number of blocks in the matching block group is equal to or greater than a predetermined number;
• and
• filling other spaces of the block-removed spaces with the substitution blocks;
• and
• generating a block having one of the colors to fill the block-removed space if no substitution block exists,
• wherein the executing the puzzle game comprises a step of, when the special block is selected by the user block selection input, removing the special block,
• wherein the game character action control step comprising step of controlling the game character to perform an action corresponding to the color of the special block when the special block is removed.

A game server comprising:

• a main processing unit, connected to a user terminal via a data network, configured to perform user login;
• and
• a game processing unit configured to control the user terminal to execute a puzzle game in response to a game execution request signal from the user terminal,
• wherein the game processing unit processes:
• controlling the user terminal to display blocks arranged in a matrix form of N rows and M columns, wherein N and M are each an integer of 3 or more, in a puzzle game area, each of the blocks having one of a plurality of colors, and to display one game character in an action display area;
• exchanging a selected block, selected by a user block selection input, with another block neighboring the selected block in a direction of upper, lower, left, right, upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right in a block exchanging step in response to a user block control input;
• determining if a matching block group is generated as a result of the block exchanging step, the matching block group consist of at least three consecutive blocks having the same color in a row direction or a column direction;
• removing the matching block group in a block removing step;
• controlling the game character to execute an action according to a result of the block removing step in a game character action control step;
• filling block-removed spaces with substitution blocks from neighboring blocks, each of which was placed at a side of each block of the matching block group, and generating a block having one of the colors to fill the block-removed space if no substitution block exists in a block filling step, wherein the block-removed spaces are spaces that had been occupied by the matching block group before removing the matching block group;
• and
• repeating the block removing step, the game character action control step and the block filling step until three or more consecutive blocks having the same color in the row direction or the column direction are not generated,
• wherein the block filling step comprises:
• generating a special block having the same color of the matching block group and filling one of the block-removed spaces when a number of blocks in the matching block group is equal to or greater than a predetermined number;
• filling other spaces of the block-removed spaces with the substitution blocks;
• and
• generating a block having one of the colors to fill the block-removed space if no substitution block exists,
• wherein the game processing unit is further configured to perform a process of removing the special block when the special block is selected by the user block selection input
• wherein the game processing unit is further configured to perform a process of controlling the game character to perform an action corresponding to the color of the special block when the special block is removed.