I had plans for a highly productive evening yesterday, then I discovered Blockoban [App Store], a simple block sliding game that not only is a ton of fun but also serves as an excellent example of a free trial that is upgraded to the full version via an in-app purchase. Blockoban is the latest game to make its way to the iPhone from developer BonusLevel.org’s array of free flash games, the first of which was Moonlights [$1.99 / Free], a structure building physics game we enjoyed in our review.
Like any good puzzle game for the iPhone, the core gameplay elements are both simple and approachable. Controls are implemented well utilizing standard swiping gestures to move pieces around along with pinching gestures to zoom in and out for more precise control– A feature which becomes vital in the later levels which are much larger than the easier ones.
An in-game tutorial walks you through the concept behind the game. On the simplest levels, you need to slide blocks of different colors in to the spaces on the game board with corresponding colors. When you slide a block, it moves until it collides with something, and levels often require quite a bit of planning as you figure out where everything needs to be moved and in what order to end up in the correct positions.
As you progress through the game, new block types are introduced that behave differently and require new strategies to deal with. Meanwhile, every move you make is tracked and optionally uploaded to the Plus+ powered online leaderboards along with whatever achievements you managed to earn along the way.
A solid puzzle game with colorful graphics, good music, and fun gameplay would usually be a slam dunk alone, but Blockoban takes things a step further with the implementation of many more small features which combine in to a game which far exceeded my expectations.
First of all, Blockoban is completely free to try. There is only one version of the game to download that includes both the tutorial and a pack of 100 free levels. If you make it through that and want more, a pack of an additional 820 levels can be purchased inside of the game for $1.99. Optionally, if you’re stuck on a hard level you can buy the solutions pack for another $1.99 to watch levels get solved move by move.
You have unlimited undos, and I’ve yet to find myself in a situation where I just need to completely start a level over as I can quickly undo to before things started to go pear shaped. Blockoban also saves exactly where you are when you quit the game (a feature more games need to have) and if you use Plus+, your game state is also saved online, synchronizing your saved game across any device of yours that is also logged in to your Plus+ account– Another particularly handy feature especially if you own both an iPhone and iPod touch.
If you somehow manage to make it through the 920 different puzzles, each of the five difficulty levels also include a “map generator" which whips up a randomly created puzzle for you to solve. There’s even an online level editor where you can submit levels that are then reviewed by the Blockoban team for potential inclusion in to “official" level packs.
Blockoban is a lot of fun, and the single free version that is unlockable to the full version does a great job at making sure you enjoy it and know what you’re getting in to before you buy it– In fact, you aren’t even given the option to upgrade until you’ve completed the tutorial. If you like puzzle games, you need to give Blockoban a shot. If you’re a developer, it’s also worth a peek to see a really great implementation of a free to paid in-game microtransaction system.
App Store Link: Blockoban, Free
(Fully unlocked game, $1.99 or $3.98 with optional solutions pack.)
> The worst part about the difficulty is that all the levels in a world
> location must be completed before players can move on to any
> other level in the game.
I was on my way to buy it when I saw this.
What is it with developers who think that people want to be tortured in this way?
So many good games have been ruined by this. "Oh, you cant do puzzle 5, well then I guess you just got a game with only 5 puzzles in it."
Totally agree. With a puzzler like this you should be able to dip in wherever and whenever you like imo. I have been completely hooked on Blockoban recently which has got the right idea.
I promise I wasn't trying to torture you. This is certainly something that I can fix in an update. I do want to make sure the player goes through the first couple of locations because those show you all the various puzzle elements and show you how they work. Do you mind if the first locations have to be completed before the rest unlocks?
@ JefArmstrong
That seems like some sort of tutorial, I wouldn't mind that.
And if you fix this issue in an update, than the game would be an instant buy for me. ;)
I like puzzlers on my iPod.
Yup, that sounds like a great idea: ) Looking forward to getting my hands on it, as this does look like a fantastic and stylish game.
I just bought it, I love the app icon. I hope you update it to be able to bypass levels you can't beat just in case I suck at it. heh.
Great. I will make that change and get an update out soon. Thank you so much for the comments. It's really helpful.
It's always pleasing to see a developer who is willing to listen to his customers and make the necessary changes to give them the best possible experience :) Kudos, Jef
Jeff, because of your response here, I am buying this app tonight. I trust that at some point you'll release the update you mentioned.
Besides, I love supporting indie developers :)
Thanks. Yes, I'm working on it. I'll post on the forum when it's submitted.
Is that a timer at the bottom? Or a move counter?
If it's the timer is there a way to not time, to have that disabled?
That's a timer. There is no time limit, but it does use that to determine part of your final score (ie - faster = better)
I think with games that use time as a hard limit "You have 60 seconds to dig and find the jewels" then you are honing your gameplay within that set time. I have a problem with games that just count up.
For instance Nurikabe Full has a timer that goes up. Not entirely sure why in that game but the act is the time becomes the focus, the higher it gets the stupider I feel for not solving the puzzle already. When I go to play a level again I remember that I quit it before because of the timer. I would rather tackle the puzzle than the timer and the puzzle.
With Nurikabe I also do not want the timer because it's just me playing it. Score is immaterial. If score was going to be something to beat friends with I would play, remember what I could then delete and reinstall the game. Well maybe I wouldn't but I know someone who would. Same applies to this I imagine.
I hear you. Let me think about it. Given that a lot of people are finding the puzzles hard, maybe the timer in that context is a bad idea. I was using as way to get a larger variation of final scores. What's the best way to alert people like yourself when I release a new update?
Can the number of moves be used? Ivory Tiles - there are others - have a set number of moves it can be done in but if you take more it doesn't matter. I will always try and do the best set of moves.
Updates - I'd post to the forum thread for your game and we can keep the conversation going there.
Mm.. Looks very neat. I'll go buy it!
I just wanted to say that having played through to almost the end of Brazil now, I find this a brilliant game. Really hard, and therefore thoroughly rewarding when you DO actually beat a level. And I (strangely) love it when I am busting with pride at having beaten a level and good old Piet says words to the effect of 'Well done, but actually you're cr*p. I could do better than that, and I'm dead'. Lol! And then tells you that a level can be achieved in 24 moves instead of the barely achieved 44 that I used: / This is one cocky ghost, and I will have my vengeance!
Also, I am assuming that the levels are going to get harder from here on, so to have countries unlocked in an up-date is all well and good, but if I can't beat earlier levels, then I will surely have no chance with the later ones. Slightly contradicting my earlier post, but just musing out load really. Humour me; )
MrMuesli - Glad your having fun! The update is ready - I'm just testing now - and it allows you to continue to play just like you are now. The levels are still "locked" but you can unlock them just by touching a location and confirming. Oh, and that "cocky ghost" does have something to say when you want to unlock a level!
I'm so glad your having a great time. That makes my day! Thanks.