Gameplay

Chock A Block (CAB) is a puzzle game. There is a grid with different coloured blocks and to clear the blocks from the grid you must flick them into groups of three. The block won't stop once you move it so there is the puzzle element of moving them around other blocks to get them to the spot to get the most points. If you're good enough, you'll be able to build up combo blocks to get even higher scores. While the rules for each mode in CAB are simple enough to follow, it is still a difficult game to be good at unless you have the mind for sliding block puzzles. After a fair amount of play I still sucked, but it was never the fault of the game.

There are five different modes in CAB; Classic, Challenge, Survival, Beat the Clock and Zen.

Classic involves clearing each grid while leaving as few blocks as possible as you lose a life for each block left at the end. When you run out it's game over. Challenge is the play a round and challenge a friend with the game to beat you. Survival has you facing down rising rows of blocks that need clearing before they reach the top. Beat the Clock is a race against time and Zen is for when you just want to play without penalties.

It isn't all just about matching 3 or more blocks at once, you level up what colour blocks you have by matching the lower level colours until you earn an unmoveable multiplier block. This system is deeper than you might expect and it adds more strategy to what is already a surprisingly challenging puzzler.

Visuals & Sound

CAB looks sleek and is colourful. It's about matching colours it has to be! It's hard to discuss visuals for puzzle games of this sort, it's easy to see everything and that's what's important.

The music is nice and atmospheric. Slower paced modes have more chilled music to suit the relaxed nature. The time based mode music picks up the pace and helps with the feeling of trying to beat the clock.

Control

After an update since I started playing, the responsiveness of the controls have improved a lot. There's still times where blocks don't respond to flicking, and every now and then the blocks don't respond at all. The lack of response doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the game, but it can make time based modes frustrating when time is running low and that one block didn't move.

Conclusion

Chock A Block is a fun puzzler, there are a variety of ways to set yourself a challenge depending on the pace you prefer. The game is deeper than you might expect for a matching game, and mastering the systems that set this game apart will take some puzzle skills and a bit of practice. There is still some minor touch responsiveness issues, but the rest of the game is good fun and has plenty of gameplay for those who stick with it.