Feedback on our game, Mr. Blocko

[Grindie]

Hey.

Another member of our team posted a topic about our website here a while ago, but go no replies. So I thought a topic just about the game would get atleast 1... right?

DESCRIPTION

Mr. Blocko is similiar to Tetris but instead of controlling the lines, you control a little square guy who pushes them around. The goal is the same: Clear lines to gain points.
However, you only gain points for the blocks in your color, and the only way to turn blocks into your color is to push them!

SCREENSHOTS

Virtual Theme (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/thomas.mccloskey/PR/blocko01.gif)
Egyptian Theme (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/thomas.mccloskey/PR/blocko02.gif)
Emerald Theme (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/thomas.mccloskey/PR/blocko03.gif)
Metal Theme (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/thomas.mccloskey/PR/blocko04.gif)
Pod Theme (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/thomas.mccloskey/PR/blocko05.gif)
Snow Theme (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/thomas.mccloskey/PR/blocko06.gif)

DOWNLOAD

http://perfectrun.net/download.php?d=mrblocko.rar

MORE INFO

The controls are customisable.
2 players can play with 1 keyboard.
You can create your own themes and accessories.

[MingooX]

I've played it before and i have to say i enjoyed it quite a bit. Very addictive and lovely retro. However, getting caught under blocks too many times in a row gets irritating because it takes forever to get back down (but i understand that was the intention). The major problem i had with it was that it would "game over" me for being over the line even if i the blocks that were landed on to take it over the line were falling at the time.

:)

[dntoll]

I luv it!

I die alot, maybe the first level could be a bit easier!:o

If I click on the X in windowed mode it does not quit...

[Grindie]

Thanks for the replies guys.

MingooX, I've noticed that problem too. I'll bash our coder over the head until he fixes it.

Dntoll, there's only 1 level. It's an endurance game.

[Coach]

I like it. A bit too fast and confusing at first, though. There ought to be some in-game instructions. I haven't had a chance to try the 2-player game but I can see how it should be a lot of fun. I also like the simple retro graphics and music.

How would it play if the undermined blocks wouldn’t kill but instead temporarily rest on the player? That would also allow you to hide from falling blocks.

Mr Blocko is somehow similar to a Game Boy Advance demo, The Old Well, we did a few years ago. Both games have falling blocks that the player must avoid and the resting blocks can be pushed and jumped upon. Also, the block should be aligned to form complete rows. There are notable differences: In our game you can only push one free block at a time (a la Sokoban) but you can also destroy the blocks by smashing them. Analogously, you can only jump the height of one block in our game while Mr. Blocko allows much higher jumps (3 blocks). The blocks also always fall at or just beside the player and this leads to a more tactical gameplay which is also facilitated by the slower tempo of The Old Well. Also, the color change from pushing is a critical factor in Mr Blocko that is absent in our game.

Despite the similarities, the feel of the games are very different from each other. The Old Well is just a demo and as such the current gameplay does not really stand on its own. The finished game was supposed to have non player characters. This could allow for some very intricate gameplay. I hope to return to it some day. My current game, which is almost finished, has one level that is very much like the Old Well demo.

You can download The Old Well at http://www.athleticdesign.se/theoldwell/ and run it through a GBA emulator.

The Old Well was actually inspired by a magazine review of a Vic 20 game, Bricks, that I, at the time, hadn’t played. The review explained the premise of the gameplay which sounded so ingenious and obvious, I couldn't understand that later games hadn't picked up on it (as far as I know). Thanks to emulation I now have played Bricks and the feel of it is rather similar to the demo it inspired. In Bricks the goal is not to form lines but to get from the bottom to the top with aid from the bricks/blocks. Check a pic of Bricks at http://www.timsplace.plus.com/tapescans/screenshots/bricks.png (you can also download the tape image from the same site).

[Fost]

Scaling on windowed mode would be nice - even if it's just 2x,3x,4x.

[RohoMech]

interesting game, something that kinda bugged me was, once things get to the wall, and theres no space to push them, they can build up and you can't really do much about them (other then clearing lines, but pieces fall randomly, so then its just pure luck)

Anyways, the music, graphics, it was all an awesome retro experiance