Ookibloks (PC) Review

Ookibloks, like most of the best games, takes a simple premise and finds really interesting ways to exploit it. The concept this time around is that you must hit every block with a banana on it. The catch is that you can only move in one direction at a time. If you hit left, you will move across the board to the left until an adjacent block appears in your way. As the game progresses, the board layout changes, enemies litter the board, and special blocks change how your monkey moves.

Graphically, the game can only be described as cute. Every enemy, and your monkey included, looks like they were stolen from a baby's onesie. It's impressive that, with such an adorable graphic style, it's easy to get lost in the game so effortlessly. Because you can't technically lose, it becomes a matter of tenacity to see each level to the end. The childish characters make each defeat seem more and more painless.

This is continued in the music, which feels like something ripped straight from an old English children's show. It's charming, uplifting, and keeps the overall light pace the game is striving for. Ookibloks is a game that strives on keeping everything lighthearted, and it succeeds in spades. It's nice, in an age where games are a very serious endeavour, that one would try and be so gentle and lighthearted.

The game even includes boss fights that are fantastically integrated into everything else that is done well. While some of the level design seems to fringe on tight difficulty, everything feels well balanced enough that these levels feel weak, but not like deal breakers. It's distressful when a game with such a high level of precision has the occasional dud, but it's still a lot of fun.

It occasionally feels repetitive, and it seems like the idea only goes for so long, but it's still a novel and exciting experience. While the idea may grow boring over time, it's a lot of fun while it lasts. Ookibloks is enjoyable in short doses, and it's obvious it works best on mobile devices where you can pull it out and play for a bit. Even if it doesn't withstand longer play sessions and the levels become weathered over time, it's absolutely worth every penny.