BlockOn!

The Good
BlockOn! probably has the least interesting title of any of Jonatan 'cactus' Söderström's games. Also, if you look at screenshots, you will notice there are no crazy exploding things or creepy TV-headed doctors. But behind this unassuming façade lies a highly inventive design and quite possibly my favorite cactus game so far!

Mechanically, it's a simple platformer, but with a twist: The game will provide the obstacles, if you draw in the platforms.

When you start a level, you have a blank canvas. All that's onscreen, floating in space, are your character, the items you need to pick up and the exit door. Using the mouse, you draw in blocks wherever you want them. Then you press 'Space' to play your level, but with the game's surprise addition of randomly-placed enemies and traps. So the level ends up being a collaborative design between you and the game itself.

And of course, it's an antagonistic design: You've tried to place platforms in a way that will allow you to reach the items you need. The 'computer' (as I'll call your co-designer/opponent from now on) has done its random best to mess that up.

And it usually does. If you have a single block that you planned on jumping on, you may find the jump impossible because the computer decided to put a spike trap there. Suddenly, your carefully planned level has a fatal flaw.

That's okay, though, because you get the chance to make edits, whenever you die or press the 'R' key. So you make tweaks, and try again, either because of some insurmountable obstacle the computer has put in your path or because of your own design errors (e.g. A platform too high to get up to). The only thing with making edits is that the computer may then make some edits of its own, so you solve one problem and create another.

It's up to you how you play the game. You can try to give yourself the easiest possible time (though there are no guarantees) or you can challenge yourself by making something intentionally difficult. You can make small changes to hone your design, or you can start the whole thing over. Whatever you do, the level won't end up playing exactly as you imagined.

The interplay between human and machine is interesting, as is the one between designer and player. There's a unique satisfaction that comes from making your own level, having the game add its touches, then struggling to beat the thing you created. BlockOn! is also a good level design tutor - You learn what's fun, what works and what doesn't.

The fun actually comes from several things: There are the platform mechanics, which enable your character to make large, arcing jumps and manoeuvre nicely in the air. They feel 'right.' There is the perfect soundtrack; a single looping tune by 'Nagz,' which is supremely relaxing and really helps to set a mood. And the graphics, while simple, do a great job and have a unique look to them. As your character flies through the air, his arms seem to wheel around him. The jumps somehow make me think of parkour.

Of course, this is a quickly made game - It's more of a concept than a fully-developed product. There's no real intelligence behind the computer's design work. It's random, so of course levels get (temporarily) broken, and of course they are sometimes hard and sometimes disappointingly easy. The breaking of a level is actually a good thing, of course, as it forces you to re-think and re-design. One other good feature is that the computer seems to switch between two different random setups of traps for each level. So if you don't like one, just restart a few times until the other pops up.

BlockOn! is a very short game but I found myself totally drawn into the experience, particularly on the last couple of levels. The first time I played through, I had no idea when it would end. I was having a great time trying to beat what turned out to be the final level, as the collaborative effort that the computer and I had come up with was damn tricky. When I finally jumped through the exit door, I found myself going "Yes!" and doing a double thumbs up sign (which would've looked pretty ridiculous to anyone watching). It was a real feeling of achievement. But, simultaneously, I saw the ending screen appear and I was shocked and surprised. I was all ready for the next level, and that was it. The End. Once the shock and surprise wore off, they were replaced with satisfaction. This little game had given me a great amount of fun and now, if I wanted, I could play it again and build some different levels.

The Bad
What can I complain about here? Nothing. I could say I wish there were more enemy and trap types, but you know what? This game was made in three hours. Three hours! And I had more fun with it than with many big-budget games that took years to make and that I dutifully slogged through.

I suppose I wish there were more levels in the game. But all a 'level' in BlockOn! really means is a certain number and placement of items in an empty space. You supply the rest. The game is very short. But it's highly replayable and has as many levels as you can come up with (That sounds kinda cheesy, but there ya go). Besides, as it stands right now, the game is perfect for a quick playthrough. If it had 20 levels before that 'end' screen, would it really have the same feeling of satisfaction, or would it become boring?

The Bottom Line
I've now played and completed BlockOn! three times. I've also written this review. That means I've spent a lot more time playing and writing about the game than cactus spent making it. That's impressive.

Each time I played, it was surprising, engrossing and fun. In fact, it's one of the most enjoyable games I've played this year.

It's creative, it's different, it's short and it's free. So why not try it out?