Welcome to Blockara, a head-to-head action puzzle game where you, one of the best alchemists in the world, must compete in the World Alchemy Tournament for a chance to have your wish granted by the September Dragon! Do you have what it takes to rise to the top?
Your progress is saved automatically whenever you finish matches or puzzles. You can view information that has been saved in the "Player Data" section on the Title Screen.
To delete all game data, select "Clear Data" from the Options Menu.
The following controls apply to the default configuration. You can customize these controls in the Options Menu.
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Navigate Menu | Arrow Keys |
| Confirm Selection | Space Bar |
| Cancel Selection | Backspace |
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move Cursor | Arrow Keys |
| Launch Tiles | Space Bar |
| Shift Current Row | Z/X |
| Shift Everything | A/S |
| Pause/Unpause | Return |
| Call Medic | E |
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Select Tile | Arrow Keys |
| Recover/Repair | Space Bar |
| Return to Game | Return |
You may navigate menus and play the game with the mouse (In-Game Mouse Controls must be turned on in the Options Menu). You can shift a row by clicking a tile in it and dragging left or right. Clicking and dragging above your tiles will shift everything. Click a tile and drag up to launch that column.
Blockara has a Tutorial built right into the game, but if you prefer reading, we've got you covered! The in-game Tutorial is explained in the Game Modes Section.
As an Alchemist, it is your goal to use your elemental tiles to destroy your opponents tiles, drilling a hole through an entire column to win! You have three elements: Fire beats Plant, Plant beats Water, and Water beats Fire. Make sure you know these strengths and weaknesses, as they're what'll keep you safe and keep your opponent losing!
To conquer your foes, you will have three basic moves at your disposal: moving your cursor, shifting rows, and launching columns. For information about how to perform these actions, see the Controls Section.
By lining up two tiles of the same element in a column, you can knock out a tile on your opponent's field. But wait! After you've dug halfway through their field, you'll need THREE or more tiles of the same element in a column to go any further! Once you've cleared an entire column, launch one more column of ANY element through the empty column to win! But of course, if you have an empty column, you'll lose the match.
If you see a + sign on a gap between some tiles on your board, you can recover a tile! But be careful, if you try recovering too many tiles at once, some of the upper tiles may have an × sign on them, which means they'll be lost in the recovery process! Once you lose an entire row of tiles, there's no way to get those tiles back, so be careful when recovering!
If you can launch multiple times in a short time period, you'll get more points than usual! Make sure you have multiple columns ready for quick attacks!
If you really want to avoid losing tiles, you can mash the Shift All keys (A/S by default) repeatedly to jiggle your tiles around, making them harder to hit! You can't fight back while doing this, though, but it might give you a quick moment to figure out your next strategy!
When playing 2P Versus Mode, the game doesn't just end with your computer! A clever way to psyche out your opponent is to scream loudly in their ear. This might lower their guard enough for you to launch a long-overdue finishing move!
The Character Select Screen is usually the first thing you see after you select a game mode on the Title Screen. After selecting your character, you will be able to select different options for the game, such as difficulty. See the Mode Options Section for more information. After setting the Mode Options, you can begin the game!
If you select Puzzle Mode, then instead of the Character Select Screen you will be taken to the Puzzle Select Screen. All of the Puzzle Mode levels are shown here. Move to the one you want to play and press the Space Bar to start the puzzle. Completed levels will have crowns displayed next to them. On the right side of the screen are a preview of what the currently highlighted level looks like and rules for the currently highlighted level along with information about how many rows you and the target will have. Completed levels will have high scores listed here, too.
The Game Screen is where alchemy matches and puzzles take place! In the center is the Playing Field; this is where all the action happens. On the bottom are your tiles, and on the top are your opponent's tiles. Your goal is to empty an entire column of your opponent's tiles! In the upper corner, information such as your score and the amount of time elapsed are shown, as well as a quick reference showing what each element is strong and weak against. Additional information is displayed here in Endless Mode and Puzzle Mode. In the bottom corner, upcoming tiles are shown. All tiles that are marked with a grey "+" icon are the tiles that will appear in the current column when you launch.
Quick Play allows you to quickly get into a match against a computer-controlled opponent without anything else getting in your way.
Versus Mode allows you to play against a friend locally. Once at the Character Select screen, press the Player 2 confirm/launch key to get them started.
Fight your way through the World Alchemy Tournament for a chance to have your wish granted! Fight several opponents in a row, each stronger than the last, with short character dialogues between each match. Completing Story Mode will unlock character biographies in the Player Data menu.
Battle as long as you can in a match that only ends when you lose! After you clear a column, you will have time to boost up shields and buy back lost tiles with money earned throughout the match.
Complete 32 pre-made challenges with restrictions on how many shifts or launches you may perform to win! See the Puzzle Screen Section for more information.
Practice your skills in a safe environment with no risk of being attacked by an opponent!
Below are the Mode Options that appear on the Character Select Screen.
These are special tiles that can be seen when Special Tiles are enabled in Mode Options, or in Endless and Puzzle Modes.
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Pause Sign | Temporarily prevents the opponent from moving their cursor, shifting, launching, or being happy. |
| Tile Shield | Gives you a shield that can block one or more launches. |
| Eye See | Causes a large number of eyeballs to open up and stare at your opponent, obstructing their view of the field. The graphic is changed if Scopophobia Mode is enabled in the Accessibility Options menu. |
| Row Bomb | When destroyed, it will take out all of the other tiles in the row it was in, too. |
| Precious Monies | (Endless Mode Only) Instantly gives you some Gold, which can be used to buy lost tiles and shield repairs. |
| Arrow Tiles | (Puzzle Mode Only) Destroying one of these will shift all of the other tiles in the row to the left or right. |
| Anti-Tile | (Puzzle Mode Only) These tiles cannot be destroyed. Period. Sorry. |
You can also access the Player Data and Options Menus from the Title Screen.
The Player Data Menu shows you information about your save file, as well as a few bonus items!
The Options Menu lets you change settings!
© 2014-2016 Sean Finch - Haunted Bees Productions
DOTween Engine © 2014 Daniele Giardini - Demigiant
Nevis Font © 2007-2013 Ed Merritt
Press Start 2P Font © 2011-2012 Cody Boisclair
Voice of MODE created with eSpeak. eSpeak © 2006-2014 Jonathan Duddington
"applause_13sec_2" by Mirko Horstmann is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"applause" by daenerys is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"FEMALES REJOICING CLOSE" by sandyrb is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"some people applauding" by Maarten Wez is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"awww than applause and cheering" by xtrgamr is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"ding30603-spedup" by theta4 is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"Fire Ball Release" by CTCollab is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"tape_slow11" by zerolagtime is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"8-bit explosion" by timgormly is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"wooden01" by Erdie is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"Projectile Shoot" by unfa is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"Menu Interface - Confirm 003" by D W is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
"sf3-sfx-menu-select" by broumbroum is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
This program was created using Unity. Portions of this program © 2005-2012 Unity Technologies.
Sean Finch (blockara@hauntedbees.com)