blocks that matter

posted by misterhaan in gaming, review on jul 13, 2012

blocks that matter came to me through the humble voxatron debut. all i knew about it when i started to play is that it had something to do with a white cube (a block, perhaps?) with a drill coming out of it. i expected a silly, grid-based game and was happy to find it combines that with puzzles.

there are a lot more levels than i expected, each requiring your robot to collect and replace blocks until you can get to the exit. if that’s not enough for you, there are also two optional goals in each level. the first is to collect the locked block, which is then revealed as a block that matters, representing a block-related game that apparently matters somehow. the other is to be efficient / greedy and bring as many blocks to the exit with you as possible, earning a star if you have enough. bonus levels become available based on how many blocks that matter or stars you’ve collected. if that’s still not enough levels for you, there are also a handful of chocolate-themed levels as well as easily downloadable community levels.

it does a good job of being difficult enough to stay interesting but easy enough to get through without having to look up solutions on the internet. the bonus levels and popular community levels were more difficult though. i’ve only figured out about half of those so far. there’s also some action involved, such as running from a giant monster or sneaking through lava drips without letting it actually drip on you. i wasn’t really expecting that but ended up enjoying those parts as well.

progress is saved as you exit a level, so there’s usually enough time to make some progress. of course if you’re looking to get all the achievements there’s one that requires doing all the adventure levels in one sitting. also when the levels start to get more difficult you need more time to figure them out.

i spent 14 hours playing blocks that matter to get all the blocks and stars in adventure mode as well as trying some of the bonus levels. it’s $5 regular price, and it’s worth it even if you’re not especially into puzzle games.