From Schindler’s List to Saving
Private Ryan, to even the latest Indiana Jones movie, Steven Spielberg is a
prolific name in the movie industry. However, most big directors, including
Spielberg, have steered clear of video-game development for the most part –
until now. Released in the same month as his flick Indiana Jones, Spielberg has
teamed up with EA to create Boom Blox, a simple yet visceral experience of
knocking down blocks.
While the premise sounds
extraordinarily childish, be prepared for one of the most engaging and
innovative games ever released. On top of that, Boom Blox is a Wii exclusive,
built ground up to take advantage of the Nintendo’s motion-control technology.
Boom Blox is a physics-based puzzler that requires players to throw at, pull,
and shoot blocks, and the speed detection for throwing is spot on. Players hold
the Wii Mote like they would a baseball and throw towards the screen, and. . .
BOOM! – blocks explode and there’s no need for cleanup.
Going into Boom Blox, I was afraid
it would be fun for a few minutes and then quickly become a gimmick. I couldn’t
have been more wrong. Not only does the block-bustin’ gameplay withstand hours
upon hours of playtime, there are tons of other things to do besides break down
blocks, including a story mode, near perfect Jenga clone, shooting gallery,
creation mode, and an elaborate multiplayer – both cooperative and competitive.
The physics in this are impressive even by next-gen standards and prove that the
Wii is capable of many technical feats.
“TIMBERRRRrrrrrr!!!!!!”
The throwing levels are set up like
a Jenga puzzle in most cases and require players to think through the possible
results before letting that ball fly. Hazard blocks, like the bomb, chemical, or
vanishing blocks, make knocking down giant towers even harder. Some modes are
point based and have point blocks set up in intricately built puzzles, requiring
players to sometimes delicately pick off single blocks for tricky blocks or hurl
bowling balls at the base to bring down a tower. These modes become increasingly
complex when penalty blocks are introduced on top of the other hazards.
The Jenga mode was a complete
surprise and quickly became one of my favorite modes, especially in competitive
or cooperative play. The physics work great for this mode and blocks react
realistically by providing actual weight and structure to the towers. The
shooting gallery modes use a gun instead of ball throwing. While they help up
the variety, the simple shooting games weren’t my favorite.
The Adventure, or story, mode in
Boom Blox is likewise just more icing on the already content rich cake. The game
introduces block-shaped animal characters who have specific functions, like
gorillas that throw baseballs at other characters, beavers that set off bombs,
or sheep that just walk around sheepishly! While some might find the nursery
rhyme story-telling and cheesy characters to be unnecessary, I found them cute
and charming. The animals that were actually designed by Speilberg help give
Boom Blox some character. In the story mode, there becomes an actual plot for
your block destroying. In one storyline, a mother gorilla must get to her young,
and it’s up to you to solve the puzzle and clear a path. The gameplay throughout
the four storylines is constantly changing and it always stays challenging and
complex.
Multiplayer, however, is where Boom
Blox really shines. The majority of my many hours playing this game are all
dumped into the dozens upon dozens of varying levels for competitive or
cooperative play, allowing 2-4 players to participate, depending on the match.
The point towers or Jenga levels change completely when you are relying on a
friend to knock off a specific block. The amount of content – hundreds of levels
and varying gameplay – is staggering for a multiplayer mode and will keep
families entertained for literally hours. The lack of a Wi-fi mode can be
forgiven only because there is so much content and it’s much more fun to play
with others in the same room.
The best part of Boom Blox is its
creation mode. You can literally build anything in it and it’s simple enough for
relatively anyone to build a complex puzzle. The mode lets players construct
puzzles for throwing, shooting, or Jenga-pulling and even allows rules to be set
so you can play your levels with friends. On top of that, dozens of prefab sets
have already been made, so players can jump in, drop some animals into the mix,
and lay out already constructed towers, ships, or mechanisms to just play around
with! While creation mode exponentially increases the game’s replay mode, there
are a few complaints to name. First, you cannot share your levels online nor
download other people’s levels – other than send or receive a level to a friend.
Second, the rules are pretty vague sometimes and don’t provide the same polish
as in real levels. Third, the camera will not focus on a specific block as
swivel point, thus letting it circle way out away from the puzzle when actually
playing, making it impossible to see.
Aside from these complaints, players
of all ages will have a blast creating their own levels in creation mode, not to
mention the hours upon hours spent playing the real modes. Everything in
creation mode is unlocked through the single player experience, so as you play,
you are constantly being rewarded, which makes for a gratifying experience. Even
after you think you have beaten all the modes, more Master and Expert challenge
modes will appear – so start working on that throwing arm now!
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Gameplay: 10
The throwing mechanic realistically detects the speed of your throw and the
varying game modes are constantly reinventing themselves.
Graphics: 8.0
The game doesn’t look as good as Super Mario Galaxy, but the design is vibrant
and has a great sense of humor. The frame rate will start to chug, however, when
a lot of action is onscreen.
Sound: 8.5
Every surface has a distinct sound and the music in this game is as engaging and
diverse as the game modes.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 9.0
A simple design with exponential complexity — In other words, an awesome gaming
concept.
Multiplayer: 10
Grab a friend with a strong throwing arm and prepare for many hours of fun in
either competitive or cooperative modes.
Overall: 9.0
Spielberg’s inspiration for Boom Blox came from his pondering on “creation and
destruction,” and what came of it is one of the most engaging and visceral games
on Wii to date.
