Full Review

Out of all the possible ideas for creating a match three game, turning colored boxes into juice to feed animal mascots is something we just didn't see coming. That's exactly the premise of  Blockolicious, and what's more is you only have a couple minutes to try and get the highest score possible.

Where Blockolicious excels is in its disposal of one the main conventions of its genre. Match 3 games always have you selecting which set of three or more blocks or gems you'd like to remove from the gameboard, and while this creates a greater sense of purpose for the player, it can result in missed opportunities for moves. Here if three or more blocks are next to each, a single tap on the screen creates the greatest combo of blocks possible. What this does is create a faster pace with a heavier reliance on chaining combos by tapping on new possibilities one after the other. That the blocks don't immediately disappear either helps this work. Upon tapping on a group of blocks, they fill up with juice and start to slowly drain. Only when they are empty will they disappear from the game board. Creating a new set of juice blocks next to them will refill the juice and increase the combo meter. What this sometimes means is that after exhausting all board possibilities, you find yourself waiting around for all the blocks to drain as your precious time ticks away, but that's where the animals come in.

Before the game, you can select three mascots, all with different powers to help you in your game. Three are available right away, with the others needing to be unlocked. This can be done with coins you earn yourself through playing, or an in-app purchase of phoney currency. Use of coins can also front load your mascot so their powers are able to be used immediately instead of having to wait for their juice bars to fill up in game.

Blockolicious is a lot of fun, mainly due to its take on the match three genre. By the time the game is up, you'll not only choose to play again, but wish there were more modes to explore. The menu screen at the time of this review teases a marathon mode arriving soon, but till then using a combination of power-ups and wiles, chasing that elusive high score should keep you busy. A definite recommend.

App Store Info