14 DAY TRIAL // Blocks that Matter is a puzzle adventure game that is built for people with lots of free time and have a huge brain that remains largely unused during the day. Gamers need to be relaxed and on top of their game, in oder to play Blocks that Matter.
It's not a really hard game, bu the nature of the puzzles means that there is a lot of trial and error involved. Some level will present an immediate solution, other make the Youtube finger each for a solution that in most cases is a lot simple than you could've imagined.
Blocks that Matter seems to be a simple puzzle title, but the truth is that William David and Guillaume Martin, the developers of this amazing game, have done more than build a Minecraft look-alike game. They've built something that will be remembered even a few years from now, just like we remember the old games from our childhood.
Installation
Blocks that Matter is a Linux game that costs money. Maybe some of you won't agree with this kind of product, but when in comes to quality I don't mind spending a few dollars for this kind of experience.
The developers will provide, to anyone that purchases the game, both 32-bit and 64-bit Debian files, 32-bit and 64-bit RPM files and of course, the binary version for 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, in a tar.gz archive. Howevere, they also offer a demo version!
We've installed Blocks that Matter on Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot). Just open a terminal and type the following (it might differ if you get a different version):
sudo dpkg -i blocks-matter_1.0.0.8_i386.deb
Users might get an error message which states that there is no corresponding entry in the Software Catalog, but you can feel free to ignore it.
Gameplay and Story
Surprisingly, this game has a story. Maybe a silly one, but still, it's there. There are three protagonists, but the users will only get to play only with one of them.
In short, two amazing programmers from Sweden announce an amazing game that will be simply amazing. Before they get to launch the game, they are kidnapped by some mysterious foe and taken away to a cabin in the woods.
It turns out they weren't working on a game after all, but on a highly advanced robot called Tetrobot. It's his task now to rescue his friends and this is the goal of the game.
Tetrobot is a simple robot that can recycle certain kinds of materials and repurpose them, only by groups of four. There are several types of materials, such as sand, rock, obsidian, sand and so on. Each material acts differently and in concordance with the environment. For example, sand is unstable and can't be place everywhere. The obsidian on the other hand, can't be recycled and is very heavy.
All these parameters and the freedom to place blocks anywhere on the map (with few restrictions and only in groups of four), combined with some icky creatures that can zap you or otherwise ruin your day and other similar enemies, makes Blocks that Matter a hard and fun game to play.
The game also features hidden bonuses. It matters with how many blocks you finish a level or if you can reach a difficult place where a small treasure is hidden.
Blocks that Matter has even a level editor which comes in handy when your trying to mess with your friends and dare them to finish one of your levels. Unlike more complicated titles and given the fact this is a 2D game, the editor can be used by anyone that possesses an imagination.
The Bad
Usually, in this kind of games, the levels become increasingly hard and hard, but in Blocks that Matter I had to look up some solutions to a relatively simple level, but I had no problems at a later time. It's not really a bad thing, maybe is just how my brain is built.
The Good
This is not the case with Blocks that Matter. I find it to be strangely attractive and it was a pleasure to torment myself, trying to find solutions to seemingly impossible levels. Maybe it's the idea behind it or the design, but I can't stop playing it.
