Through Blocks

the game is too confusing and just boring. Even for 50 cents (got a discount from tf2 trading cards) I want a refund.

I'd seen the reviews. I knew the game wasn't "good." But I had a coupon sitting in my inventory queue and a $0.34 game (plus $0.02 tax) is almost too cheap/good to pass up. Now, don't misunderstand: Even [i]with[/i] a significant percentage off, [i]Through Blocks[/i] is a dud. After clearing Level 5 (the final level in the game), I'd clocked in over an hour, and most of THAT was spent trying to figure out what does what. There's a small controls legend in the top-left corner of the screen—the "E" is your "use" key, the "V" key rewinds time to manipulate in-game play (very necessary, as you spend a LOT of time watching your little block characters die). The "Esc" key brings up a pause window to resume, restart, or exit the game. Curiously, the game neglects to include the proper input key for "jump"—one of the most necessary block functions—which is where most of my hour+ playtime was spent. (It was the "W" key for me, if anyone cares to know.) Once that mystery was solved, I was probably in the 25-35 minute range actually beating the game. There is [i]some[/i] level of thought and strategy necessary to progress...buuuuuuut really and truly the most trying aspect is just na…

Through Blocks is yet another of literally thousands of 2D retro pixel platformers infesting Steam and lowering the average quality of all video games everywhere. This one uses even lazier graphics than usual as you control a pair of squares, because, you guessed it, we're using the tired and overdone "move two avatars at once" schtick that never caught on and never will. From a technical perspective, the game doesn't meet basic minimum requirements that most PC gamers expect as standard. A choice was made to use obsolete, decades old retro pixel "art" as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics. It's unclear if this is due to lack of budget or talent, regardless, the overall visual quality of the game is extremely low as a result. There's an ugly screen filter meant to make the game look even more obsolete... like the game looks bad enough already, but they actually went out of their way to make it look worse. There's no way to turn this off. While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality. Without any other substantial …

Through Blocks is a 2D puzzle-platformer developed and published by NedoStudio that centers around a distinctive core mechanic: controlling two characters simultaneously with a single set of inputs. On paper, this idea immediately stands out, promising layered puzzle design where every movement must account for dual consequences. In practice, the game builds its entire challenge structure around this synchronized control system, asking players to carefully guide both characters through hazard-filled levels while collecting required objectives and avoiding traps. The concept is simple, but the execution leans heavily into precision and strict coordination. Each level is structured as a maze-like environment filled with obstacles such as spikes, lasers, and narrow corridors. Both characters mirror each other’s movements, meaning that moving left affects both figures at once, regardless of their relative positions. This creates a constant balancing act where a safe path for one character may place the other in immediate danger. As a result, progression demands foresight and trial-and-error learning. Players must anticipate not just the immediate effect of an input, but how that input…

This is like Braid if it was cynical instead of pretentious.

https://youtu.be/6FdkAaLP6Iw Rough onboarding lacks the conveyance to guide players to solve even the first level, if it's possible.