A portion from the WiiWare World review of Groovin' Blocks for WiiWare....
It is safe to say that if you are a fan of puzzlers such as Lumines or Columns you will get a kick out of this. For the admission price of 800 Wii points it is pretty good value for money. Groovin' Blocks is not terribly original in many respects, but there are at least a few unique gameplay elements which help set it apart from the many music puzzlers which have preceded it. If you are not much of a puzzle game fan however, it is unlikely that Groovin' Blocks will be revolutionary enough to convert you.
Whilst it is understandable that online play was not included on this occasion from start-up developers, it is sadly a glaring omission for a game of this nature. The inclusive of more game modes might have boosted the longevity of the game, as it stands it is unlikely you will go back to this once you have met all the score targets. As it stands Groovin' Blocks is a welcome addition to the WiiWare service and a great first effort from Empty Clip Studios.
Released at the tail end of 2008 on Nintendo's WiiWare service, Groovin' Blocks has just recently found its way to PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Store. The debut game from Empty Clip Studios might seem like your standard color matching puzzler merged with catchy, beat-driven music, but it takes the concept pioneered by Lumines and actually makes it a vital gameplay element. The result is a fun, quirky puzzle game that has plenty of content for $10.
Given the sheer number of puzzle games available now, it's really hard to decide that you want to purchase yet another one. They really need to come up with something to make them unique and new. Groovin' Blocks is a new puzzle game that definitely has that twist to make it different!
For $9 Groovin Blocks is an enjoyable game despite the somewhat steep learning curve. The game may not be as accessible as other puzzle games but hey, not all puzzle games need to be for your 75 year-old grandma. It would've nice if the game flowed better in regard to the combos and the beat mechanics given the potential it had. It's also a tad disappointing that there's no online play, just two local modes and that's it. Groovin' Blocks is far from being perfect and a completely addicting puzzle game but for $9 it's worth checking out if you have some free time you want to kill.
