Bluk review - The next Monument Valley?
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iOS
| BLUK

Bluk has garnered a bit of a following in the build up to its release, and now, two delays later, it's here for your platforming pleasure.

This is a physics-based game in which you sling a block from pillar to pillar with care and precision. That may sound pretty bare bones, but the game's pretty, Monument Valley-esque minimalist aesthetic makes Bluk a charmer.

Though this is a level-based game in which you progress through different worlds, it's a high score chaser at heart - which is a boon to some and a deal breaker to others. With its high level of polish and luster, will Bluk leave you rapt or disappointed? Let's find out, together!

Minimalist delight BLUK

The first thing you’ll notice about Bluk is its lovely graphics and excellent sound design. Pixel Ape Studios opted to keep things simple, but that's what really makes Bluk pop. The game looks to draw inspiration from popular puzzler Monument Valley, but it's more of an homage than a cheap copy.

Each time your block lands, a beautiful ringing sound resonates from the pillar giving you a nice tactile audio cue when jumping. The background music, too, is quite pleasant, with its etherial vibe that matches Bluk's glowy, colourful backgrounds.

Given the game's simple (but difficult) gameplay, style is key here, and it helps Bluk stand out in a crowd of games boasting the same shtick.

A leap of faith

Underneath that shiny exterior, Bluk is pretty standard for its kind. You jump your block from pillar to pillar, carefully considering the laws of physics before making your next move.

The game provides you with a trusty little dotted line that predicts your trajectory to an extent. You can expand, retract, or rotate the guide by sliding your finger around the screen.

You get a point for landing on the pillar, but if you manage to sneak your block into the sweet spot (a white square), you earn extra, and that bonus stacks if you keep the chain going.

The game takes a deal of learning and memorisation to truly master the art of platform hopping. The levels are procedurally generated, so you're presented with a new challenge each time you die. This makes it impossible to memorise a level, but you will eventually get a feel for the ups and downs from pillar to pillar.

It's still difficult, but it won’t break your soul with frustration.

BLUK

There's a nice bit of progression thrown into the mix, too, with a series of worlds to unlock that present you with progressively more difficult challenges, like pillars that start to fall over after you jump off of them. You'll need to find fresh ways to surmount these fresh obstacles, keeping the game from growing too stale. You can also unlock runes which grant you new abilities to help you jump better.

There are a few design oversights that make the game a bit tiresome at times. If your block lands close to the edge of a pillar, the next target pillar might be hidden off camera. There's no way to get the camera to adjust, so you're blindly guessing where your block might land, which can be quite troublesome - especially if you're chasing a high score.

Bluk is a game designed with care and love. It might be a bit taxing for folks not interested in the genre, but it is trying fresh and interesting things, so it's well worth a shot.

Bluk review - The next Monument Valley?

Bluk is a pretty platformer that is sure to keep you entertained on lunch breaks or during your commute.
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