Block Puzzle

How to play

You are given three shapes at a time. Tap a shape to pick it up, then tap the grid where you want its top left cell to land. Fill a whole row or a whole column and it clears, freeing space. Shapes cannot be rotated, so you have to plan around the ones you are given. There is no timer and no falling blocks. The game ends only when none of your three shapes will fit anywhere, which makes leaving room the whole skill.

Tips

• Work from the edges inward and keep the middle open. The middle is where awkward shapes have to go.
• Never leave single empty cells. One orphaned square can block a row for the rest of the game.
• Check all three shapes before placing any of them. The order you play them in decides whether the third one fits.
• Clearing two lines at once scores more than clearing them one after the other, so set up doubles when the space is cheap.
• The long straight pieces are the dangerous ones. Keep a clear row or column in reserve for them.

Tetris without the clock

Block Puzzle keeps the shapes and the line clears of Tetris and removes everything that made Tetris stressful: nothing falls, nothing speeds up, and there is no timer. You are given three shapes at a time, you place them wherever they fit, and the game ends only when none of your three shapes fits anywhere. That makes it a planning game rather than a reflex one, and the plan is entirely about leaving room.

Shapes cannot be rotated. That single restriction is what gives the game its difficulty, because a long bar only fits where a long gap already is, and the order you play your three pieces in decides whether the third has a home.

Not running out of room

• Look at all three pieces before placing one. The third piece is the one that gets stranded.
• Keep the centre open and fill from the edges. The centre is where the awkward shapes need to go.
• Never leave a single empty cell. One isolated square can block a line in both directions for the rest of the game.
• Two lines cleared at once score more than two cleared separately, so set up doubles when the space is cheap.
• Reserve a full row or column for the long bars. They are the pieces that end games.

Common questions

Is there a timer?

No. Nothing falls and nothing rushes you. The game ends only when none of your three shapes will fit.

Can I rotate a shape?

No. You play each shape exactly as dealt, which is what makes the order you place them in matter.

When do I get new shapes?

When all three have been placed. A fresh set of three then appears.