Blockitect Game playable preview

Click this link for an in-browser playable preview version of my Anker Stein based physics game:

Play Blockitect

I will have a downloadable version available soon as well with music and better graphics (and full screen capability).


I hope you find it as enjoyable to play with as it has been working on it.  I'm extremely pleased at how it has gone from a simple idea in my head to a tangible, even beautiful, interactive toy.

I know that it's not yet capable of being a true building game, because while it's possible to stack the blocks on top of one another within the game, the level of finesse and control is severely lacking to enable you to actually build something (it's far too easy to knock it all over).

That said, there's still a lot of merit to this even in it's current form.  If for no other purpose, I think it's a very unique and surreal experience to simply walk around among life-sized structures that you've constructed from simple blocks.  It's something I've done before of course playing minecraft, but these blocks are very different, and the buildings have the potential for far more interesting details.

The physics element is a continual wonder to me.  You can simply tear everything down around you, or you can challenge yourself to a game of Anker Jenga.  Or you can try throwing the various stones to knock the buildings over if you like.  The stones have different mass values according to their size, so some can be thrown very fast and far, and others are heavy and thud to the floor quickly.  I've even managed on multiple occasions to "wedge" thrown blocks into crevices between other blocks.  This is something you'd never want to do with your Anker blocks in the real world.

Another feature that I've incorporated into the "game" is that when you get close to a block, you can see the block's identifying number.  This led me to explore the potential as an alternative to the traditional, sometimes hard to follow building plans.  In the preview version I not only included the packing arrangement and one building for set #6, I've also laid out the complete layer by layer building plan.

While I know this simple game doesn't replace the physical enjoyment of building with actual Anchor stones, there are some benefits besides just messing about.  For one thing, there's no limit to the number or type of stones that I can build with.  I simply need take the time to create them.  And in addition, I can make stones/blocks that don't exist, not limited by the traditional colors.