Bloxiq review for PS Vita

Before I say anything else about Bloxiq, I should say this: I suck at visual and spatial reasoning. I always have. I’ll never forget taking one of those “gifted” tests when I was little, and discovering that I was profoundly average (at best) when it came to figuring out things like 3D puzzles and mental rotation tests. Quite frankly, I’d probably score even worse now.

This is relevant to Bloxiq because it’s essentially one mental rotation test after another. You need to twist around a multi-level Rubik’s Cube, setting it up so that colors match up and blocks fall away. There are occasionally additional obstacles like bombs and timers and locks and hidden blocks, but the core of the game is looking at a big 3D puzzle and figuring out how to rotate it in a way that gets rid of all the colors.

Needless to say, I’m terrible at it. I can get through the first dozen levels or so without too much difficulty, but when Bloxiq starts expecting you to be able to think about chain reactions…well, let’s just say that my progress slowed down. Way, way, waaaaaay down.

That said, if you’re the type who can look at a 3D puzzle and figure out which end goes where, this game should be right up your alley. It’s challenging, but only in the right ways — by which I mean you’re not going to spend your time here fighting with counterintuitive controls or wondering what you’re supposed to do next. Essentially, if you’re not befuddled by Rubik’s Cubes and you’re able to think spatially and hold down the shoulder buttons at the same time, you’ll do fine.

And if you can’t? Well, then you’re kind of screwed. But I’m not going to let my own shortcomings get in the way of recommending one of the better puzzle games to come out on the Vita in quite some time. It’s challenging, to be sure, but hey, what’s the point of a good puzzle game if not to challenge you?