Breezeblox is a puzzler built around successful navigation. It has you determining how to guide a cube to various sections of a platform, without falling off said platform. There’s a good amount of challenging content here, yet it doesn’t feel like a fully developed console game. This is a title that’s fun, but flawed.

Game_IconThe game can get difficult, yet it’s not always for the right reasons. There are no enemies or optional time limits to test you for example. Instead sometimes the camera isn’t always ideal, obscuring views of the playing area. Other times the landing area will blend with the background due to poor coloring. This reflects level design that could use some fine tuning, and detracts slightly from the more favorable and fun aspects of the game.

In fairness, there are mechanics to challenge you. Falling blocks, teleports, and switches that alter paths are a few. The problem is there’s just not enough to sustain the entire game. There are 150 smaller sized levels, but a shortage of new elements to spread out among them. This can lead to tedium setting in, and makes the game feel more repetitive than it should. The linear nature certainly doesn’t help either. It’s best played in small bursts to maximize your fun.

A rather colorful game, Breezeblox presents a perfectly serviceable but very unambitious presentation. The same lightly animated pixel background is used for each level, meaning visual diversity comes up well short. Similar can be said for the music. A single looping tune during gameplay will get annoying before long. A real shame there is no soundtrack!

Replay value is perhaps the biggest area where Breezeblox fails – it’s almost nonexistent. Once you beat a level there’s no compelling reasons to return. Things you’d expect (and things that would fit well) are absent. There’s no grading or scoring system, nothing to collect, no hidden routes, no two player mode, no stars to earn, no statistics recorded etc. At $9.99, these are the sort of inclusions we’re right to wonder about, especially when more budget friendly titles have them.  Any of these things would’ve added value to the game.

Breezeblox is not a bad title by any means. Puzzle fans that can overlook the many areas it’s lacking in will certainly get some entertainment. We enjoyed playing it, and it proved to be a mild hit for with my non-gaming friend for some short-term fun. It’s a hard sell at its launch pricing though. This is a game that’s bare bones in many ways, and a modest effort should reflect a more modest price. I hope Pugsley can look to other eShop puzzlers in terms of pricing and features, and I’ll look forward to their next release.  Until then, I give Breezeblox a recommendation once it goes on sale.

TitleScreen