Blocks Hurt! 1.0 for iOS – Drop, Explode, Aim, Match, and Stack Blocks

Pistoia, Italy – Indie developer Luca Giusti today is pleased to introduce Blocks Hurt! 1.0 for iOS, his new action/puzzle Game that defies normal expectations about using blocks in gameplay. Combining elements from falling block, tower defense, and color matching arcade games, Blocks Hurt! lets players use blocks in multiple ways, for building or destroying. There are 90 battles with four goals each: Collect Blocks, Build the Wall, Survive Time, and Kill the Boss. Played in landscape orientation, players must prevent monsters from crossing from the far right to the far left of the screen. Any monster successfully reaching the left edge of the screen defeats the player and the battle ends.

Blocks Hurt! is always aware of its roots, and can be seen as a satire of many popular games. Its monsters go over the top in their evilness, whether they are a fruit, vegetable, straw man, or malevolent dictator. Monsters morph during gameplay, turning red as they get angrier and translucent when they return as ghosts. Ghoulish cries are heard as they advance, and a narrator occasionally comments in a deep voice “Hurry up,” or “You lose.”

There are three different battle locales: Windy Plains (gently rolling hills populated by Dutch windmills), Empty Desert (sand-filled expanse in the Middle East hosting caravans of camels and some nasty scorpions), and Mushrooms Vale (a wonderland of multi-colored fungi). There are 30 battles in each of the three locations, and each is scored individually.

There are four goals to each battle, and besides accomplishing the goals of that level, the player must prevent any monsters from successfully exiting on the left side of the screen. In the Collect Blocks part of each level players are given a task, e.g., 4 red blocks and 4 blue blocks, and must color match and stack blocks. This is not easy. A conveyor belt of blocks at the top of the screen is constantly bringing in new blocks, and touching any block causes it to fall. However, a horizontal or vertical stack of four matching blocks can have no gaps. Since many blocks do not perfectly align after being dropped, they must be removed (they explode on being touched) and replaced. Of course, as the player is attempting to create an orderly stack of blue blocks, demonic jack-o-lanterns are hopping across the screen, creating havoc.

During the Build the Wall goal players are given an outline of a wall of blocks that they must fill, and well-placed blocks display a rotating star. Care must be taken not to create a four-block color match, because that causes the blocks to disappear. Again, monsters are attempting to crash through the wall and reach the other side of the screen, so players must play defense and offense simultaneously, aiming blocks to build the wall or kill a monster.

Feature Highlights:
* 3 Fanciful scenarios
* 90 Challenging battles
* 4 Different kind of battle
* 5 Huge bosses to defeat
* Many destructive powers & special blocks
* Amusing high quality soundtrack
* 36 Game Center Achievements
* Optimized for older devices

Survive Time is pure defense as a timer counts down the seconds during a protracted and massive monster attack. Finally, the Kill the Boss goal requires skill and ingenuity to plan attacks that will be successful against giant-size monsters. During gameplay, the player does have access to special abilities and weapons, requiring Monster Juice, which is accumulated on his Juice Bar at the bottom of the screen. Powers include: electrocute, freeze, disintegrate, and slow down the enemy. A post-modern, action-puzzle, arcade-iDevice, matching-destroying, game filled with humor and the sounds of fruits and vegetables dropped from great heights, Blocks Hurt! is challenging, entertaining, and filled with surprises.

“Blocks Hurt! includes some very innovative game mechanics,” stated Game Artisan Luca Giusti. “You must stack and match blocks while annoying creatures struggle to thwart your efforts. Blocks Hurt! gameplay requires the player to balance their efforts between puzzle solving and fast-paced smashing action.”

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
* Requires iOS 4.2 or later
* 78.6 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Blocks Hurt! 1.0 is $0.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.

 

 

Based in Pistoia, Italy, indie developer and Computer Science teacher Luca Giusti is the creator of the Windows games Tony Tough and the night of roasted moths. Luca is best defined as a Game Artisan! Copyright (C) 2012 Luca Giusti. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.