Blocks That Matter - One Shot

The Game Is Okee-Dokee!

Am I a racist for all the written dialogue in this game being rendered in my head as the Swedish Chef from The Muppets? Eh, whatever, bork bork bork!

I always imagine walruses and meatballs, not indie games

Now, racism aside, Blocks That Matter is a neat game. Combining aspects of Tetris and Minecraft into a puzzle platformer is clever, but the game isn't without it's frustrations. I have no real problem with the key mechanics of the game, quite the opposite, I love them. Finding materials around the level to build Tetris-shaped platforms is fun, and often pretty challenging, but my problems come down to a puzzle-genre fundamentals one.

Similar to Aquaria, Blocks That Matter seems to disregard the additions to puzzle games over the years that have seen them becoming more prevalent, especially in the indie space. One could consider Portal the start of the puzzle-craze, and while many cite the humour and environment as the highlights of Portal, the core puzzles in it are still challenging and engaging, but the reason it was so open and reached such a wide appeal was because implemented the idea that there wasn't really a way to 'fail' a level, no matter what you did, you could still finish the level with what you had available.

Fuck yeah Rayman!

Blocks That Matter doesn't do this. It is entirely possible to screw yourself at the very start of a puzzle, but you are only able to realise it at the end of the level, when you are one block away from the finish. This becomes even more infuriating towards the end of the game, when the platforming is also a challenge, so having to replay a level from the start isn't so much a challenge as it is a drag. And it really dampens the experience as a whole, which is a huge shame.

While I may come across as entitled or whining, the reason I rag on games like Blocks That Matter and Aquaria for not having features that are a standard of that genre is because it's exactly that: a standard. The reason they caught on is because they made life easier, while not cheapening the experience. And it's a shame that Blocks That Matter didn't adapt some of these, because it would've been a good game with them. Instead it becomes a middling, frustrating experience without them.

Stockholm is calling! Bork bork!

Next up...Borderlands 2! (And I'm bringing a friend!)