It’s refreshing to see a different type of game that takes the whole “Tetris concept” and changes it up. There are quite a few freeware titles out there that are essentially Tetris clones or change very little from the original idea. In this game however, you will experience a new way of playing Tetris and how fun it is to play. In Mr. Blocko, you get great music, customizable options for your little character (including the ability to completely design the way your character looks using templates in the game, and even creating your own), a challenging game and of course the opportunity to face off against a friend, and see who will emerge as champion. In addition, on top of all that, you still have the option to completely design the game mechanics any way that you want to.

The basic idea of this game is that you control a little character whose job is to move the Tetris blocks, as they fall from the top of the screen and align them to complete a row. You do not have control over the Tetris blocks, you are only able to move them, once they land and then you can maneuver them, by pushing them to complete your goal. Be careful though, if a block falls on you, or you push a block and get trapped, you will die, but you will respawn after bouncing around the screen for a bit, then you can continue once again. If however, you allow the blocks to stack up high enough that they reach the red line, the game is over and you will have to try again.

The general idea of having to push blocks around, while trying to not get crushed, and making sure that the blocks don’t reach a high level is just very addicting. If you’re a fan of these types of games, you will get a kick out of the challenge and attention you have to put in order to get that coveted high score. You have to be fast with your fingers, and think ahead to plan how to clear each row, and if necessary, plan it so you can clear 2 or 3 or more rows at a time through combos. It gets even crazier when you’re challenging someone else, and having to balance all the attention.

The game has an interesting look to it and the best part about it is that you can change it. That’s right, you can play in different areas, from an Egyptian backdrop, to a metal backdrop, these are just some of the ones you can choose in the options menu, should you grow tired of the default look. Plus, you can download more backgrounds and templates from the homepage to use that users have created, in case you wish to expand in this area.

The music and sound effects in this game is also top notch, which you can change to a certain track in the option menu, or just leave it to randomly choose a tune. Each track fits nicely and is not too crazy or distracting, which is necessary in this type of game, where concentration is key.

Other than the short length of the game as you would imagine in this type of game, the respawning and bouncing all over the room, is the only problem had with this game, it gets a bit uncontrollable at times, as your trying to fight your little character from ending up under another block, but with some practice you will get the hang of what to do.

Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable game, and had lots of fun trying it out, so do yourself a favour and check out Mr. Blocko.