Wii Rhythm Puzzler "Groovin' Blocks" Heads to the iPhone
posted October 4th, 2009 8:26 PM EDT by Blake Patterson in Exclusives, Puzzle, Upcoming Games, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Empty Clip Studios' rhythm puzzle game Groovin' Blocks, which debuted a year ago as a WiiWare download title and has recently seen retail release on the Wii, will soon be available for download in the App Store. The iPhone version is a conversion of the larger, Wii retail release.
Groovin' Blocks, which GameSpot calls "a music-based game like no other" (in reference to the Wii release), is, at it's core, a match-three puzzle game. Now, there's no shortage of match-three puzzlers in the App Store — there are too many to count, really — but what sets Groovin' Blocks apart is its musical / rhythm component.
Each level — and there are over 50 in all — is played to a pumping techno soundtrack with scrolling beat-indicators on either side of the screen. Block clusters slide onto the playfield in a Tetris-like fashion, and will ultimately come to rest at the bottom of the screen. A tap on the 'drop' button will quickly drop the piece into place — but if you "hit a beat" (tapping the drop button during a beat of the soundtrack) the blocks will be bigger, brighter, and worth more points. Hitting consecutive beats without a miss increases your score multiplier — but miss a beat and it drops back to zero. Hitting the occasional Superbeat, shown brighter in the scrolling beat display, will double your current score multiplier.
Certain blocks contain power-ups that can be collected only if you hit a beat when placing said block. Power-ups are unleashed when the successfully placed block is destroyed by a match-three scenario.
Empty Clip Studios was kind enough to give us an exclusive preview of the upcoming iPhone title. We've spent some time with it and find it to be one of the most enjoyable match-three puzzlers in the App Store. And there's really more to playing the game than screenshots reveal. iPhone gamers who enjoy a solid puzzle and/or rhythm game should keep an eye on this one.
Have a look at our very brief gameplay video showing action early-on in the game.
[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]
Groovin' Blocks for the iPhone should arrive in the App Store very shortly.
I love how there is quite a few wii games coming to the iphone, really shows how unpowerful the wii must be. For example saw toystory mania for 30 quid the back of it shows what looks to be exactly the same as the £3 iphone app
In really rough terms I've heard devs say the Wii is only 25% more powerful – at best – than the GameCube.
Not that the GC was weak…
I think you are looking past what is really the driving force here: money. The game sold on Wii and now it will sell on the iphone. Don't try to complicate things!
i think we have enough Tetris games, give me Rayman Raving Rabbids!
These are the controls Lumines need.
Looks alright. But I'm still holding out for someone to bring KLAX (old-schoolers remember) to the iPhone!
YES!!!
I have been asking for Klax since the app store opened!
One of my all time favorites.
I used to play it on my Atari Lynx (1st gen)
I am 33, so I know those classics when thats all there was.
Another game I would love to see for the iphone (newer game) is TiQal
Have you checked out Danny's Dishes? A cute spin on KLAX to be sure.
The article headline had me really confused for a second – why is the first letter of 'Heads' captitalized? Unless it's part of the game title, it shouldn't be capitalized.
Yes, it should be. That's how you capitalize titles. All words except for insignificant ones such as "to" or "the" are capitalized. If you notice, "Heads" isn't the only word not in the game name capitalized.
I suppose that makes sense. On my computer it looks fine. My first impression was probably influenced by the fact that I was browsing using my iPod Touch, not a larger screen.
I like the music but the gameplay looks really boring and the graphics are pretty bad for something that was on the Wii.
it's a wiiware game , not a full retail disc
it's both
http://verticalwire.com/releases/1421–i-groovin-blocks-i-boogies-into-stores