A Hudson and Game Freak puzzle-action on NES. Flip tiles to trap enemies. Original and addictive concept, enjoyable two-player mode. Overlooked but genuinely recommendable.
Your verdict
Category
Puzzle1 player3+
Description
Puzzle game in which Quinty flips tiles to push enemies off the grid. Published by Hudson Soft, released in the USA in 1990. Quinty in top-down view flipping tiles to push enemies into the void. NES port of Game Freak's Mendel Palace puzzle game.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
Compare prices
Loading eBay listings…
Alert active — budget
$
Collector interest
Mendel Palace marks Game Freak's console debut before Pokémon, an action puzzler designed by Satoshi Tajiri and localized by Hudson Soft for America. That historical footing, as the first game from the studio that went global, outweighs the puzzle's modest price by far. Its strictly North American release and Game Freak credit make it a landmark sought by collectors tracing the origins of the Pokémon franchise.
An underrated gem
The very first game from the studio that would go on to create Pokémon, this action-puzzler has you flipping floor tiles to sweep away waves of enemies in a colorful whirlwind. Its singular concept left it in the shadow of the era's hits. Frantic and clever, it'll delight anyone curious to trace Game Freak back to its roots.
Is Mendel Palace still worth playing in 2026?
Mendel Palace, Game Freak's first game published by Hudson Soft, is an action puzzler in which Quinty flips the floor tiles to push enemies off the grid, in single-screen boards that grow increasingly tricky. The original concept, snappy and strategic, demands anticipation and speed, and the two-player game energizes the clashes. The presentation and repetition show their age. For fans of retro action puzzlers and curiosities tied to Game Freak's origins, it is a historical and ingenious discovery.
