Minesweeper 2 - The First C33 Game

I like Minesweeper. Yes, that Minesweeper. The game that’s been around since at least Windows 95, where you click around flagging mines. To be sure, it’s a deeply flawed game, but it’s a fun, when not frustrating, way to pass a few minutes especially over the last 15 years or so when I’ve had it on my iPhone anywhere I was. I’ve played countless games on planes, in lines, during commerical breaks, etc.

Up until recently, all was well in the world but then it started to happen: The enshitification found even my sweet Minesweeper app…well, apps. App after app was junked up with ads and bizarre design choices. I don’t mind paying for an app, but I don’t want you to share my data and shove ads in my face just for a 3 minute game of Minesweeper!

Sometimes a weekend project is thurst upon you, and now with a little AI help you can actually finish some of them.

A few months ago I quietly made and launched Minesweeper 2 on the app store.

Here’s the key features: It’s $2. No ads. No tracking data. It looks like it belongs on iOS.

There’s other stuff too though:

A new way to play: Timed Trials where hitting a bomb won’t immedately kill the game, but instead just give you a time pentalty. This smooths over the worst part of the game when you’re stuck in a true 50/50 chance or if you’re just learning.

There’s also some fun stats, a classic mode that makes it look like the old Windows version, a couple of easter eggs and, new with v1.1, an Apple Intelligence-powered coach for when you do hit a bomb.

So far a few people of found and bought it, and I hope they love it, but that wasn’t the point. I wanted to make a pure version of this game for iOS, and I have. If other people buy it, that would be great (Seriously, just $2!). Maybe I’ll sell enough to cover that (yearly) Apple Developer subscription I had to buy, but at least I got my game back.