Overview
Booty Blocks is a puzzle game that requires you to stack similar blocks together. When you get a group of five or more, you can destroy the crates by double-tapping on them. They’ll explode and you’ll collect the sweet, shiny booty. Oh, and sometimes metal crates will appear and get in your way. And there’s dynamite that can be used to blow up neighboring crates, or diffused in order to get even more booty. And who doesn’t like getting more booty?
Features
I only point this out because there really is a difference between them. The developer feels that easy is for beginners and medium would be for the casual gamer. (While hard would be for hardcore gamers.) I think that medium may start off as a game for the casual player- but once the pace speeds up- forget about it. (Or maybe I’m just getting old and I’m not as good at video games as I once was. But that can’t be the case, can it?! I mean, I can still beat Battletoads! I don’t know anyone who can even make it past level three!) Easy starts easy and after a good long while of playing, it does get a little harder.
As with most puzzle games of this nature, the game starts slow and increases to a frenzy. If you’re not taking advantage of the advanced moves, like tilting the screen to fill in the gaps in between your crates, then you’ll find yourself losing pretty quickly. Yes, you’ll need to tilt your phone to the side to slide the crates from one side of the screen to another. That’s if you want to break up a set of crates for some reason. Otherwise you could just pick up a group of crates with your finger and move them wherever you want. Either way, you’ll have precious little time to organize your crates, so you better be able to think on your toes. As evidence by the photo below- I was not able to for very long.
Breakdown
The Good:
It’s easy to play- not to say that it’s an easy game. You can pick it up and play right away. The tutorials that pop up are helpful- the first time. I’d suggest turning them off, because they can be kind of jarring. The game is enjoyable for awhile, especially the first time you play it. I can see this being the type of game I’d play while waiting in line- but not something I’d want to spend a lot of time with.
A quick note too. The blocks aren’t only different colors, but they have different textures. Why is that important? It means that colorblind people can still play this game. A game like Cubes could learn a thing or two from that.
The Bad:
The most notable problem I had with this game was the crashes. And there were many- even after I powered down my phone. The most frustrating crash was the one that happened immediately after the insufferable load screen finally finished. The developer says they’re working on fixing those for the next update. I hope so. Because it sucks to lose your game when you’re in “the zone.”
I know this is going to sound redundant, but the game gets really repetitive. (Obviously, since the point of the game is stacking the blocks, it’s going to get a little repetitive.) But there’s not much more to it. You get “combos” for breaking the blocks of all the same kind- but you can’t get a multiple combo, like breaking other kinds of crates at the same time. The reason for that is that you decide when you want to break the crates. If you don’t double-tap, then you’ll never get that booty.
I feel like I want more. Or something different. I noticed that damn near every “review” on iTunes compared this game to Tetris. I’m not seeing it. I mean sure, there are blocks that fall from the top of the screen, but that’s about where the comparisons end. Tetris requires a lot more strategy than Booty Blocks, because once the pieces have landed, that’s it. That’s where they’re staying. But in this game, you can move them around freely. It almost feels like cheating. Plus, you can destroy your crates at your convenience, rather than being at the mercy of the game’s rules- like creating a solid, horizontal row across the screen. Oh, Tetris… how I miss you…
Verdict
The more I played Booty Blocks, the less I liked it. It’s not a bad game, but it’s also by no means a great game. It’s just a game. Very average. For the price, it’s not bad, but I would still expect something like this to be a dollar or even free. If there’s ever a lite version, I would suggest picking that up first to see what you’re getting yourself into. You know what would have sold me on this thing? If the game had featured random pirate sayings while you’re playing. Seriously, a little “Yar, matey, pass the rum!” would have gone a long way. Planet Moon, if you’re going with a pirate theme, then run with it!
