Blocks Mania HD by Spokko

[goiMot]

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blocks-mania-hd/id385254190?mt=8

[ataloss]

I'm wondering if there is any difference between this and the iPhone version? It just seems like an up-scaled version of the same...

[MikeSz_spokko]

It's an HD update

However I must honestly say that after developing the iPad version going back to my iPod felt like a gigantic step down. This game feels like it's intended for the bigger screen

[ataloss]

It's an HD update

However I must honestly say that after developing the iPad version going back to my iPod felt like a gigantic step down. This game feels like it's intended for the bigger screen

heh... I know exactly what you mean - ever since picking up the iPad, my iPhone's screen has left me wanting. :o However, if there are no differences between the two (regular & HD) then I feel more inclined to pick up the cheaper of the two... :cool: I love this genre, one of my favourites, delightfully cerebral... but... well... just not sure...

[MikeSz_spokko]

10 promos waiting for first posters ! All we want in return is an honest review :)

[ataloss]

Would love to try this! Ever since it appeared, it's becoming an itch I just need to scratch! :o

[JoeAverage]

Be happy to try the app and leave a review.

- Joe

[cloudcastles]

I'd love to try and will write a review.

[goiMot]

I would love to try it, thanks.

[jchampl]

Man, this is one sweet game on the iPhone I can only imagine it on the bigger real estate.I hope this finally starts getting the respect it deserves now.

[pluto6]

I like the iPhone version. I would love a promo to try it out in HD As with the other posters, generally the bigger screen real estate makes everything nicer.

Thanks for the offer.

Hmmm.... Maybe size does matter. :eek:

[ataloss]

Hmmm.... Maybe size does matter. :eek:

...and thus sends a shiver down the spine of every hot-blooded male there is... :o

[LordVader]

I would also like to try out Blocks Mania HD. It would play great on the iPad, what with the extra screen space and all.

[Finandir]

I would love to try this out and will rate/review it for the iTunes store.

[mikewake]

I'd like to try this game as well.

Thanks!

[CzarCastic]

Ataloss is on the list twice. Does that make me the tenth poster?

If so, I'd love to try in return for feedback and a review. Looks cool!

[MikeSz_spokko]

Well, guess that's around 10 ;) not counting, everyone above this post will get one

Unfortunately iTunes Connect is awfully slow now, so not sure if I can generate and send codes tonight

[MikeSz_spokko]

Made it :)

Everyone got a promo. Now please write your honest opinions here and drop a review on iTunes. We need them ! ;)

[pluto6]

So, I am one of the lucky people that got a promo code for Blocks Mania HD - Thanks to the dev for that.

I own Blocks Mania Premium for the iPhone, and I did a side by side comparison for those of you that wonder what the difference is. I played through Pack 1 (10 levels).

The gameplay, music, UI are all identical. What makes the HD version so attractive is the animation and the space of the iPad.

You can see the block making faces as it scoots along - hits a box, gets lit on fire, collect a star, end the level - all of this, while present on the iPhone version is totally lost due to the size of the blocks. And this animation makes the puzzle game a lot more fun. You can really appreciate a lot of the graphics that have gone into the game - the trail of the block for instance gives a nice sense of speed to the block moving along.

I already really liked the UI of the original, the music while repetitive is not annoying, and I like it on at a soft level just to keep a little tenseness going. One of the things that I really like is that time is NOT a factor in getting the puzzle solved. You can look down the paths, and figure out the most efficient route without ever touching your block if you want. Or you can try things out, and restarting a level is simplicity. If I was going to do anything to the information, I would put a little notation somewhere of the the minimum number of moves necessary to solve the level is for people that like to know these things :p.

Blocks Mania does a nice job distiguishing itself from all the other sliding blocks puzzles out there with different achievements, having to collect stars (which is almost never the most efficient number of moves, but makes you find another way through the maze), different powerups, and different mechanics such as tunnels, and corners that all add to fun, and complexity.

If you are a fan of sliding block puzzles there is a lot of content, and the dev has been very good about supporting the iPhone version with additional levels, and general support.

[ataloss]

Posted on the App Store:

It has be said that once you go "iPad", you never go back :-P Games just seem to burst off the screen in vibrancy and colour and, having just spent a good time playing Blocks Mania HD on the iPad, I can say that this is an excellent example of what a well-implemented game should be on this device.

True, this genre on an iDevice is nothing new, it's hard to find a game that actually does it well, keeps it simple, and subtly persuades the player to come back and try again. Blocks Mania does that through two channels; firstly, presenting the simple objective of getting to the exit in the lowest number of moves - but be warned, this isn't as simple as it seems as the levels increase in difficulty! On top of this is a secondary objective, collecting the stars that are sprinkled around the level in seemingly unreachable locations. What makes me come back to this game is that trying to achieve the two goals... that feeling of 100% is ever-so satisfying!

It adds more to the traditional mix too, one-way channels, conveyor belts, doors that need to be unlocked by collecting keys, teleports, setting yourself on fire to break through blocks (kids, don't try this one at home) and mines that always positioned in just the most irritating of positions. It doesn't add more than that and, to be honest, it doesn't need too - it's just about perfect the way it is! :-)

Controls are swipe only, meaning there's no d-pad, but that's all you're going to need and it works even better on the iPad's screen. Coupled with a very fast load time, beautifully presented and a developer that's committed to add more, I know this is one puzzle game that's going to linger on my device for a long time to come. Now, just need to get 100% on every level dammit!!!

Highly recommended. :D

[MikeSz_spokko]

Posted on the App Store:

Thanks !

[Finandir]

I'm one of the people that got a promo code for this great little game. Here's the review I just posted on iTunes:

This is a great puzzle game on the iPad, similar to the classic game Sokoban in that you have to move along various paths to reach your goal in each level. You start the block sliding in one direction and it keeps going until it hits a box and stops. You then push the block in another direction, etc. until it reaches the goal. The trick for each level is to figure out the shortest possible path to reach the goal without accidentally sliding off the screen or into one of the obstacles. Extra items such as stars that you can collect and fireballs that allow you to destroy some boxes and even more surprises open up as you progress through the levels.

A level is considered 100% completed when you have both collected all of the stars and reached the goal in the shortest possible path. It might take multiple plays through a level to achieve both. Once you have completed 50% of the 10 levels in a game pack, you unlock the next pack. There are 6 packs and 2 extra bonus packs provided with the game.

I've really enjoyed my play so far and hope to see more levels released over time in updates to extend the fun even farther. Overall, I highly recommend this game for puzzle fans.

-----

In addition to what I stated in the review, I have found one non-critical bug. The OpenFeint integration (which is always appreciated) only seems to work in one orientation. I rotated my iPad to have the volume control on the top edge and the speaker on the top right so I wouldn't cover it. The game rotated with no problem but the OpenFeint achievement dialogs and other OF UI elements were upside down. As I said, not a critical issue but hopefully it will get fixed in an update.

[MikeSz_spokko]

In addition to what I stated in the review, I have found one non-critical bug. The OpenFeint integration (which is always appreciated) only seems to work in one orientation. I rotated my iPad to have the volume control on the top edge and the speaker on the top right so I wouldn't cover it. The game rotated with no problem but the OpenFeint achievement dialogs and other OF UI elements were upside down. As I said, not a critical issue but hopefully it will get fixed in an update.

Thanks for the review :)

About OF - it should rotate just fine, but not during the launch of the app. We're not sure why it's that way, but it seems to us something is wrong within OF itself. If you start the game and OF is upside down - turn off orientation lock, rotate the device so OF shows up correctly and rotate back to the orientation you want to use. That worked for us

Unfortunately, I don't have iPad at hand to test it myself...

[bLiNdSiDe]

Hey mike, I'd love to review blocks mania HD on iTunes. I have reviewed and purchased tiki totems, tiki totems HD, blocks mania, and geofighter. If you can spare a code I'd love to review this too.

Thanks dude, Spokko is quickly becoming one of my favorite devs.

[MikeSz_spokko]

Just wanted to say that we're very excited to see Blocks Mania HD in the New & Noteworthy list :)

[ataloss]

Just wanted to say that we're very excited to see Blocks Mania HD in the New & Noteworthy list :)

That's excellent news! Well done! So, does this mean new levels? ;)

[LordVader]

That's excellent news! Well done! So, does this mean new levels? ;)

Not very subtle, are you?

[ataloss]

Not very subtle, are you?

lol... and the problem is?

[LordVader]

lol... and the problem is?

No problem. Was just saying that it was funny how you congratulated the dev and then asked if there were any plans for extra levels.

[ataloss]

No problem. Was just saying that it was funny how you congratulated the dev and then asked if there were any plans for extra levels.

Not sure that I'm getting your point. Sorry to be obtuse here... :confused: Just lovin' the game. So much so after getting a code for the HD version, I bought the iPhone version because it will support the dev :D

Can't wait to see more for this game - I've tried a few of this genre but this is the only one I've wanted to play right through to the end...

[MikeSz_spokko]

There will be more but unfortunately - not this month...

There's a few reasons - holidays being the biggest ;) but a burnt nvidia GPU on one of our dev machines doesn't really help either ;)

But you can surely expect to see more levels in September

[ataloss]

ouch... but if it's any consolation, that just happened to me - my GPU just went kaput and now fills the screen with horrible artifacts... :'( Weird thing though, they're only visible on the desktop, not any of the windows in front. Ugh...

Anyway, keep up the great work - and thanks for creating a game that I actually played through to completion. It's quite a feat if you knew how many games I had... ahem... ^^ ...! Hope that's not too subtle! :P

[Finandir]

Just wanted to say that we're very excited to see Blocks Mania HD in the New & Noteworthy list :)

Congratulations. The game definitely deserves it. Hopefully the sales will reflect that and you will make some money for your efforts.

[CzarCastic]

This is a great game. So great, in fact, that I played through all of the content in two sittings. I'd love to see more puzzles!

[MikeSz_spokko]

It's been a while ;) We're very busy working on the next creation (actually 3 creations) of ours. Details will follow soon, but for the time being...

10 promos for BM HD :) Please post a review !

WYFYH9A7R9PF
JWMLAKLMHJFM
FANTTL7LK4JJ
KHYJNR9N99A4
7W3LWRWEKNEH
LH9XFTWMKKW7
X3K4YY7YP9KT
YLWNX3ET7FMT
NFPW63HHY7NK
XKPANJ4947EJ

[Rocketball]

X3K4YY7YP9KT

I will post a review in Itunes after getting a chance to give it a run through today.

[tochan]

YLWNX3ET7FMT is taken by me! :)

I'd leave a review, but please be patient, I'm a bit swarmed with the immigration to take care of my visa :D

[djflippy]

Thrilled to nab NFPW63HHY7NK.

[cthibault]

I got FANTTL7LK4JJ. I already bought the iPhone version and was happy to get a code for the iPad version. I'll be sure to leave a review. Thanks!

[vassteel]

I used XKPANJ4947EJ Thanks! I will try it and leave a review.

[Daldaris]

Used KHYJNR9N99A4. Thanks!

[warcrack]

It's been a while ;) We're very busy working on the next creation (actually 3 creations) of ours. Details will follow soon, but for the time being...

10 promos for BM HD :) Please post a review !

WYFYH9A7R9PF
JWMLAKLMHJFM
FANTTL7LK4JJ
KHYJNR9N99A4
7W3LWRWEKNEH
LH9XFTWMKKW7
X3K4YY7YP9KT
YLWNX3ET7FMT
NFPW63HHY7NK
XKPANJ4947EJ

All its gone:(