QbQbQb

With all the falling block games out there, it's rare that one will really stand out, but somehow, QbQbQb does. The basic game is simple. Blocks fall from outer space towards a small planet, and it's your job to rotate the planet so that the falling blocks will match the onest that have already hit the ground. If the blocks stack too high, you will lose one of your three hearts, and losing all three hearts means a game over. There are also meteorites which will instantly destroy whatever stack they happen to hit, which adds another layer of strategy. The game has several variations on its basic premise, which helps to keep it fresh. You have a match three mode in which any three touching blocks of the same color will disappear, a stacking mode, in which you must stack three blocks vertically, and finally, a mirror mode in which you must match two blocks on opposite sides of the planet, a truly unique and clever game mode that I have never seen.

The game is good enough on its own to be worth a look, but the greatest virtues of QBQBQB are its aesthetics. Although the graphics are simple, they are extremely colorful, and they are yet another distinguishing feature. Best of all is the quirky electronic music. The game is ushered in by a "karaoke" singing robot who explains the rules with a funny little song. The humor is downplayed through most of the rest of the game, but each stage has its own background music, and the compositions are excellent, both fitting the action and visuals of the game and also serving as memorable pieces of music on their own. I cannot recommend the soundtrack highly enough, and even if you normally don't like electronic music, I think the soundtrack will grow on you as you play the game.

On a final note, the game is extremely adaptable to the player. At the beginning of the stages, the game will be breezily easy, but after you have been playing for a while, the music becomes more frantic, and the blocks start falling faster. This makes it easy enough to draw in less skilled players, but if you are more experienced with puzzle games, you will still have some challenge.

QBQBQB is the rare puzzle game that people really ought to try. It may feel like everything has been done before, but this game is expertly crafted and has a few tricks up its sleeve that will feel entirely new. It's incredibly easy to pick up and play but also has depth if you're looking for it, and whether you enjoy playing or not, the audio and visuals are simply outstanding. Altogether, this may be the best puzzle game since Puzzle Bobble/Bust a Move.