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Do you remember “Tetris”? Well, of course you do. As the game is basically a part of our genetic Gamer makeup (well, at least for those of us who were born in the 80s and early 90s). You know, the game where you were slotting blocks into spaces, clearing lines and hearing that cracking theme tune that made so many people´s childhoods so special?(yes, that one). Well, as the years have gone by many developers have tried to replicate the success of “Tetris”. And that have resulted in various spin-offs and reboots (good and bad ones). And speaking of which, this month on PS Plus we get another nice addition in the shape of a “Tetris” spin-off known as “Tricky Towers”!

Building towers hasn’t been this much fun since Jenga.

So, what is the game all about then? Well, in “Tricky Towers” you use Tetris-like blocks to build towers. And it’s so simple done, that I’m surprised that it hasn’t been done more often in the past. Any ways, you basically pick one out of four avatars (Known as Magicians). And these little dudes then guide the blocks to create Towers. However, it´s easier said than done. As there are various spells that can affect your progress (such as bringing in giant blocks, pianos and clouding your visibility). And since “Tricky Towers” is a pretty deep strategic game where every move counts, there isn´t much room for mistakes (you better be really good at making fast and correct decisions on the fly, or else you will end up dead in the water in no time). And instead of clearing blocks you need to plan the build of your tower very carefully. Because if you don’t, then it will collapse like a bad game of Jenga.

The single player mode will keep players busy for a while with various challenges and game modes, but things get really interesting when you jump online. As you can battle it out with up to three other players, which can provide for a surprisingly fun experience. While racing to build a spectacular tower you can also cast spells to screw up your opponents, matches eventually devolve into spells and blocks flying all over the place. There are three modes available, Race, Survival and Puzzle.

Local Co-Op is also available in “Tricky Towers”.

Control wise things are great aside one little annoyance is that you can’t instantly drop blocks from afar, with this addition it would certainly increase the pacing of the game. Other than that there aren’t any glaring issues with the game, as it’s skill based. However, sometimes the difficulty can be a bit too much on modes such as “survival”, but it all comes with practice. Furthermore, there isn’t much of any explanation as to what each of the seventeen light and dark-magic spells does. For example, one causes plant life to grow around blocks; but what does that even mean? Well, let´s just say that a spell book in the menu would be most useful.

You better think and act fast if you want to become successful in “Tricky Towers”.

Nevertheless, I had a truly good time with “Tricky Towers”. And now I understand why so many people have tried and failed to create awesome “Tetris” clones in the past, because it takes a whole lot to create a really good Tetris-like kind of game. However, I would like to point out that “Tricky Towers” is not a “Tetris” clone per say. As it has a unique twist on a popular franchise, one that I hope is supported by the developer and its community. So don’t be quick to disregard this month’s PS Plus Offering, as “Tricky Towers” is a pretty darn good game.

Pros:
+ Addictive Gameplay
+ Refreshing take on “Tetris”
+ Great Multi-player

Cons:
– Could be faster
– Spell explanation would be nice
– Fluctuating difficulty.

Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound/music: 4/5
Controls: 4/5
Replay value: 5/5

tgg grade 4.5 out of 5

Verdict: 4.5/5
“Tricky Towers” is an addictive Puzzler that puts “Tetris” blocks to good use!

Title: Tricky Towers
Developer: Weird Beard
Format: PS4 and Steam
Genre: Puzzler
Resolution: 1080p
Release date: 2016-02-08
Difficulty: Easy to Hard
Spent time: 4 Hours
Average grade internationally: 71.00% Gamerankings.com
PEGI age rating: E
Price: Free on PS PLUS
Install Size: 1.9GB