Puzzle games are great ways to pass the time and pMyn Games hopes their latest Windows Phone release will catch your eye. Block Slider Star is a Tetris-style matching game where you have a collection of blocks you have to slide and sort into solid rows. When you do, the blocks disappear and you earn a few points.
Block Slider Star has three gaming modes that includes a 140 level adventure. Block Slider Star is one of those Windows Phone games that is easy to pick up but difficult to master. You will have to measure your move carefully to avoid filling the screen too quickly with blocks. If you do, the game is over. In playing Block Slider Star over the past couple of days, it comes across as a fun way to pass the time.
Your primary menu for Block Slider Star offers up all your gaming options, access to a help section, access to the game's leaderboard and an option to visit the game's Facebook page. The only setting for Block Slider Star is a mute button that is also present on the main menu.
The three gaming modes include:
- Classic Mode: A level based game with 140 gaming levels spread across five chapters. Each level has an objective to reach before you are allowed to advance to the next level. These objectives are based on scoring, rows destroyed or specific colored blocks destroyed.
- Infinitive Mode: A more relaxed gaming mode where you control the pace at which the blocks drop.
- Survival Mode: How long can you survive until the screen fills with blocks? The longer you survive, the faster the blocks fall.
The game screen layout for all three modes is consistent. You have a collection of blocks at the bottom of the screen with more falling from the top. At the very top of the gaming screen is your gaming stats that includes your scoring summary, level goals and diamond count (more on this in a second).
The mechanics of the game are fairly consistent throughout the different game modes. Block Slider Star does a decent job of covering things in tutorial fashion at the beginning of each game mode or when a new gaming feature comes into play.
You are faced with a collection of blocks that line the bottom of the screen and periodically additional blocks will fall from the top of the screen to add to the pile. Your job is to slide the blocks around to create a solid row of blocks. When you do so, they vaporize and earn you points.
Blocks located on the pile at the bottom of the screen can be tapped/held and moved into vacant spots to create this match in all three modes. Blocks can only be slid horizontally and can jump other blocks as long as a vacant spot is available for that block. The blocks fall in groups and the droppings are spaced out slightly to give you a chance clear out the bottom of the screen to make room for the new blocks.
Along with the ability to slide the blocks around the bottom of the screen to create the matches or solid rows, you can also slide what few blocks are visible at the top of the screen. With the Classic and Survival Modes, the block drop frequency occurs automatically and will increase as you progress through the game. With the Infinitive Mode, you control the rate of drops by swiping down at the screen when you are ready for more blocks.
Along with sorting the blocks and creating solid rows, Block Slider Star also includes a handful of bonus blocks that will help eliminate larger groupings of blocks when included in a row. For example, there is a block with what appears to be a bear claw symbol. When that block is included in a matched row, it explodes and takes out additional blocks. Unlike the blocks, these power-ups cannot be moved.
Lastly, you earn diamonds with each successfully completed level that can be used as a power-up during game play as well. Tap the diamond icon on the gaming screen and then an area on the gaming screen and several rows of blocks will explode.
There is a lot to Block Slider Star but it is not an overly complicated game to start playing. It will keep you challenged but will not give you fits trying to sort out how to play the game. In the playing the Windows Phone game over the past few days, it comes across as a fun time waster of a game with appealing graphics and plenty of gaming to be had.
Block Slider Star is a free, ad-supported game available in the Windows Phone Store. You can opt out of the ad-support with a $1.99 in-app purchase. Please note that the game ran fine from the Lumia 830 but when played from the Lumia 950, I encountered a few rendering issues that cut off the bottom of the screen. It does not affect game play but is noticeable. Hopefully, it is an easy fix for the developer to push out.
If you give Block Slider Star a try, let us know what you think of the game in the comments below.
Download Block Slider Star from the Windows Phone Store
