Daniel Truong
Pixel Blocked
Rating:
5 Stars
'Pixel Blocked!' is a brand new game from Daniel Truong, an indie developer out of Vancouver. Hailed as This unique puzzler finds inspiration from the popular pastime 'Picross' and blends it with mechanics from the popular 'Bust-A-Move' series and a little dash of 'Tetris'. Of course, it adds a few twists of its own and wraps it all up with a nice 8-bit inspired presentation.
Featuring over 180 puzzles across 3 difficulty levels, players are faced with an incomplete 'pixel image' and are challenged to fill in the remaining blank spots by shooting blocks onto the grid while doing so with as few moves as possible. It sounds easy, but as the levels progress, it can become really taxing on the mind. Not to worry though! Your struggle will be rewarded with additional game modes, backgrounds, characters, and 'Awardments'.
The Fun Stuff:
‘Pixel Blocked!’ is a fast paced puzzler that’s really easy to grasp and play, but very hard to perfect. The concept is incredibly simple: finish the pixel image. It’s this kind of simplicity that makes the game incredibly addictive. The controls are minimal and easy to learn so anyone can pick it up almost instantly. There’s plenty of content to go around too. With so much to unlock, it keeps you hooked as you try to unlock a new character or background.
The puzzles are grouped into four categories, designated by difficulty. They unlock in succession upon completion of 50% of the previous group. Once a group is unlocked, every single puzzle within the group is instantly available and can be played in any order. This is great for when one particular shape is really giving you trouble. You can simply pass it up and come back later to try again. It’s likely you’ll find yourself using this strategy frequently, as staring at the same shapes again and again can get rather taxing. You’ll swear a particular puzzle is impossible, give up, try again tomorrow, and easily find the solution. Somehow, this never grows old though because the game wraps you in its spell and demands you finish every puzzle.
Perhaps it’s the charming design, which follows the suit of the ever-popular ‘Minecraft’ with its “less is more” graphics. Everything is pixelated, as the name suggests, and everything looks fantastic. Everything is straight forward. Blocks that look cracked crumble, blocks that have magnets snag blocks that try to pass by, and the solid metal blocks are permanent. The soundtrack adds to the nostalgic feel as well. Despite being completely original, you’ll feel like you’ve heard all the songs in various games from the 8 and 16-bit era. The sound effects are also in character with the soundtrack, often tricking you into thinking they’ve been ripped right out of other classic games.
The Frustrating Stuff:
The whole game is frustrating, incredibly frustrating! However this is one of those very rare instances where that’s not a bad thing. Perfecting ‘Pixel Blocked!” takes an unbelievable amount of dedication. If you’re going to attempt to get a gold ranking on both moves and time in every puzzle, the game demands perfect reflexes and practically memorizing solutions. It’s the fist-clenching, controller-throwing, explicative-inducing kind of frustration. What’s so special about ‘Pixel Blocked!’ is that, much like ‘Super Mario Bros.’ – the later levels, not the first few that everyone beats – or the slightly more recent ‘Demon Souls’ and ‘Dark Souls’, it throws your failure right in your face... yet has you crawling back for more and more.
Bottom Line:
If you like puzzle games, nostalgia, or painstakingly difficult yet addictive games, you’ve found your next gem. Anyone with the slightest interest should definitely pick it up because it’s easy enough for anyone and everyone to play. You don’t have to be in the elite group crazy enough to perfect the game to play, because simply completing the puzzles is enough to still experience the game to its full potential. Be warned, though, after a short time with ‘Pixel Blocked!’ it’s charm will have you locked in and wanting to 100% it, so maybe you should consider purchasing a wrist strap for your controller, grabbing an otterbox for your phone, or putting a barrier between you and your monitor.
Pixel Blocked! was developed by Daniel Truong and was independently published. It was released in North America on July 20, 2012. This review was based on an Xbox 360 copy of the game provided by the developer for the purpose of reviewing.
If you're interested in checking out 'Pixel Blocked!', you can visit the website here to purchase it for PC, DRM free, or download the game from the appropriate link below:
Xbox 360 (trial)
Xbox 360 (full game)
Windows Phone 7 (free)
Windows Phone 7 (full game)
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