I first discovered Blockflow a few days ago. It was one of many games that arrived in my inbox around Steam Next Fest, and as a Tetris fan, I was keen to take the demo out for a quick T-spin.
My first impression of Blockflow was a positive one, and that’s broadly how I feel now. Designer Dad Games has done a good job bringing a fresh twist to Tetris, and while it’s not revolutionary and lacks a bit of polish, I do think that Blockflow is a clever little game.
Blockflow borrows a lot of mechanisms from Tetris, but it also does a couple of things differently. The first is the core gameplay change, and that is the placement of static pieces, rather than the usual drop-and-sort of the original. It’s a smart change because it completely alters how you view the play space, both in the main campaign and in the classic mode (where you can’t rotate pieces).
The other major change is the roguelite-inspired progression loop. It’s a little crude in how it unlocks, but the results speak for themselves. You start off learning the basics and working with fewer shapes, but eventually you have access to the tools needed for extended survival.
As you unlock more shapes, often bigger ones, and you get into the zone, you can build up your multiplier via consecutive line clears. This is easier said than done, but once you get the knack, you can string together a steady stream of clears and collect a good score.
Keeping your multiplier is the game, so protecting it is your number one priority. Reaching milestones gives you special new powers or abilities. This includes boosting the value of shapes or even giving your multiplier a shield – always recommended.
Your current tools will only get you so far before you run out of steam and fail to meet your target. This is how the roguelite structure comes into play, as each failure gives you credits to spend on new shapes. Once you’ve unlocked all of the shapes, you can buy upgrades. These, in turn, help you advance further and unlock new abilities.
Crucially, along the way, I’ve enjoyed the process of discovery and failure. The roguelite loop has been used to deliver an escalating puzzle challenge with Tetris mechanics sitting at its core. The core changes are simple in theory, but their clever implementation has kept me thoroughly engaged.
Blockflow is out now on PC (Win), and I played via access kindly provided by the developer.
