Push Blox

[b]push blox[/b] is a minimalist block-pushing puzzler from 2018 that somehow took 4 years to travel from itch to steam, with no actual steam features. I don't care about them, but looking at the delay and the fact that the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/894430/]sequel[/url]'s been here since 2020, it's weird. anyway, it's sokoban(ish), so not the 1 out of 10 among puzzle games that isn't. you might think it's top-down, at least that's what I figured, but it's from the side and [b]gravity applies to certain blocks but not you[/b], every white tile is available for movement, unless blocked. no move counter, limit or rating system, but [b]some timing is involved[/b]. the game points out that it only goes as far as pushing blocks in mid-air, but it's not true. level 4-4 (the orchard) and h-1 (metronome) have a bunch of it. [b]34 levels[/b] in 4 worlds, but there's branching progression with multiple levels unlocking occasionally and the final 4 stages are considered a bonus. the goal is to stick all the red and blue tiles together, like in those jelly-based games, for instance. they cling to each other wherever they touch, even on the sides while falling, and disappear if a…

My first thought at the, shall we say, "functional" aesthetic of this series was: With such a sparse presentation, the level design had better be excellent. Fortunately, it is. Seriously, the level design in this series is genuinely great. It's leagues ahead of most other puzzle games, though maybe not quite on the level of qrostar titles like Jelly no Puzzle (and for the sequel, even that is debatable). The one major shortcoming of this title, and one that is remedied in its sequel, is that the level progression here is mostly linear, and unnecessarily so. So you're *constantly* stuck in the current level, rather than getting to explore, spread your wings, and "breathe". This is very very bad in games with difficult puzzles, like this one. (Tip for game devs: Linear progression is poison in cerebral games. In a linear title, I have to bang my head against every hard puzzle until I solve it or look it up; whereas in a nonlinear level progression, I can alternate banging my head against all the hard puzzles!) So if you're only going to play one title of this series, make it the sequel. That said, a full video walkthrough is available, and I ultimately only had to look up 5/35 level…

This title and its sequel are among the best puzzle games I've come across. Very elegant puzzle design and a satisfying challenge.

As far as puzzles go, the only problem of this game is it was too short. No word to describe how much i enjoyed it. Can't wait to play the second.

👍