Aloof

For a brief moment in the early 1990s, falling blocks were everywhere. Thanks to the seismic success of Tetris, we started to see store shelves packed with all kinds of similar titles, including Dr. Mario, Columns, Hatris and even Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. Unfortunately, aside from the release of Lumines back in 2005, we haven't seen a lot of variations on the formula in recent years. But that's about to change, thanks to the new game Aloof. By taking all of the best ideas from the most iconic block-dropping games and adding a few adventure elements to the mix, this one-on-one puzzler from first-time developer ButtonX somehow manages to feel fresh and familiar at the same time. But will it be the next Puzzle Fighter? Let's hit the high seas to find out.

An overly cynical person may look at Aloof and see nothing but echoes of Tetris and Puyo Puyo. It is, after all, a game where blocks fall from the sky and we're asked to match five or more colors, all while chaining together combos that can be used to attack the other opponent. But while that's certainly the jumping off point, there are some fun twists on the formula that really go a long way to shake up this style of competitive puzzler.

Aloof follows the journey of a bunny rabbit who sets sail through a fantasy world in his wooden boat. Through a series of challenges in the Voyage mode, we're taught to raise islands and buildings by creating the specific shapes the level calls for. This just seems like a fun teaching tool at first, but you'll quickly discover that raising these islands will have strategic value when going head-to-head with the game's many opponents. The more land you control in a match, the harder it will be to defeat our adorable bunny. This creates an intense dynamic where both players are rushing to control the most islands, while simultaneously trying to chain combos together to get the upper hand and eventually win.

There's a reason I keep mentioning how you'll need to chain combos together, and that's because simply connecting five blocks together won't be enough to defeat your opponents. Every enemy that gets in your way will have a shield, so you'll first need to remove their defenses before striking for real damage. Sometimes you can do this by creating a specific shape the other player is vulnerable to, but the best (and most consistent) way to take down the life bar is to link combos together. This means that you'll have to think in advance, setting up chain reactions that will send big waves at the other player. Do this enough and you'll win the fight and sail on to the next challenge.

Beyond creating shapes and raising defensive islands, there are a few more things that make the gameplay stand out. For one thing, you're in full control over the falling blocks. That means that you can not only control how fast they drop, but also move them back up the well at any time. You can also attach them to the side of same-colored tiles without the blocks hitting the ground, which allows for a level of strategy you don't normally see in these types of puzzle games. What's more, you can flip the entire playfield around at any time to create even more shapes and chains. And don't worry about losing because you hit the top of the well, because you can completely flush each side independently without even missing a step. All of this helps to make Aloof feel fresh and different from the typical block-dropping puzzle game.

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You'll also find that not every stop on your voyage has you battling enemies. Sometimes you'll need to create a complicated shape or raising islands in a certain order. The most challenging levels involve you trying to rescue rabbits that are stuck inside tall towers. What makes these stages especially difficult is that we're only allowed to create the requested shape, anything else will sink the tower and send them into the dangerous waters. It's surprisingly easy to accidentally link five colors together or create the wrong shape, so you'll need to pay close attention to where you set each block and make use of the other side of the well. If you're able to complete enough of these challenges, you'll go up against a series of tough boss fights, which will really put your shape-building skills to the test.

This voyage may be fun, but just like Puyo Puyo and Puzzle Fighter, it's the multiplayer modes that will keep you coming back to Aloof. There's a separate online adventure mode that will have you competing against other real players, which is where you'll finally be able to use the skills you've learned from the voyage. Speaking of the campaign mode, you can also set sail with a second co-op player, though right now that's strictly limited to local play. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find very many online opponents to go head-to-head with, but hopefully that will change as more people discover how good Aloof is. One thing I really like is that you can go back to playing through the single-player modes while you wait for the matchmaking to find a new challenger, which is the kind of thing I wish more developers would include in their multiplayer games.

While I like a lot of the innovations made to the formula, I do wish there was more to the voyage mode. It's set up like an adventure, so it would have been fun to see some sort of story attached to each stop. I also wish you could skip levels or play them out of order, since getting stuck on one particularly tough stage means that the progression grinds to a halt. Beyond the single-player mode, the multiplayer content will need to be fleshed out a bit more if it hopes to compete with the greats of the one-on-one puzzle genre, such as Puyo Puyo and Puzzle Fighter. Fighting over land and summoning waves by creating different shapes is a great first step, but there's still so much that can be done with these ingredients. This is the kind of game that will hopefully grow and evolve as more people discover its unique charm. It's a bit on the barebones side right now, but Aloof is a great puzzle game with a lot of potential.