Review: Bloxter HD
Score:
76%
In the great explosion of Tetris clones in the mid-eighties, many companies sought to tweak the format very slightly to have a game that was a bit like Tetris, but couldn’t be called the same if it ever came to court. One of the more popular alternative formats that’s still programmed by developers is the “spinning block of four colours/try and match three colours in a row” format.
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Here’s the latest twist on that format – it’s called Bloxter, and while the core gameplay remains the same as those games from such delights as the Sega Game Gear, there’s enough here to make Bloxter an attractive package.
Let’s start with the graphics. Sure this game would work in a 2d grid, and if you abstract it, that’s what’s going on here. But by giving it a 3d appearance and dropping shapes into a bucket, that then happily wobbles with the impact of the dropping pieces and shifts slightly around the axis, you get a feeling of solidity that is rare in the block puzzle game genre. Rather than moving a graphic around, you are moving something physical.
Controls are touchscreen-based, and work very well. Tap anywhere on the screen and the 2x2 block of colours will rotate, letting you set up the three in a row you need, or build up a cascade effect so when one line disappears another falls in its place (which of course leads to lots more points). Slide your finger left and right to position the 2x2, and flick down to drop it. Intuitive, simple, and just works.
You will need to keep an eye on more than the colours as different special blocks will appear, from drills that will zap nearby blocks, to damping blocks that cannot be deleted as part of a three in a line. It’s all designed to keep the game exciting and changing, which it does need.
My problem with this game isn't the graphics, it’s actually the game itself. Tetris has that certain something that keeps it fresh and pulls you in. As you play Tetris the need to play builds up in your brain. Bloxter’s game mechanic doesn’t have that exothermic addiction that a classic game really needs. Bloxter, for me, need a little bit of effort to enjoy.
That dulls the score of Bloxter slightly, but it’s more than made up in the presentation of the game. With the four different coloured zones, each with their own levels, there’s a lot of variance here to avoid the endothermic nature of the game mechanics. While the initial levels present you with an empty space, as you progress you have pre-filled levels with patterns of coloured blocks that need to be unlocked in chain reactions of cascading colour for you to make any decent progress.
Adding this puzzle-esque element into a block-destroying arcade game is a smart move, and it is this structure, rather than the game itself, that makes Bloxter something to keep coming back to. The graphics are for show, and act as the initial hook, while the levels keep your attention. One point to look at would be that when the game opens in landscape mode, the layout is squished to the vertical space available, and some of the great visual impact is lost. At £3, Bloxter is in the second tier of pricing, and for me it's a little bit overpriced, but that's based on my reaction to the style of game. If this is your thing, then there's a lot of value for money in here.
I would love to see how Norbyte get on with a genuinely unique design of a game, because from what I see here, it would be 3-d, it would have great design, and it would be something that I really want to play!
-- Ewan Spence, Feb
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at