Everyone loves a good little puzzle game, don’t they? So does TiQal fit that description well enough? It’s a puzzle game, that much is true. It’s time to run it through the review mill and find out whether the “good” part is accurate.

Developed by SlapDash Games, TiQal is an Xbox Live Arcade game available for you to download for the princely sum of 800 Microsoft Points. With a Mayan theme, the overall principle of this rising block puzzler isn’t something you’re likely to be unfamiliar with. Think Tetris, but only instead of making rows or columns, you’re aiming for blocks of 2x2 or more. Blocks of different colours and shapes rise from the ground level and the aim is to drop blocks from above to explode the ever rising wall and keep it from reaching the top. By rotating the blocks with the X or B buttons before dropping them with the A button, you attempt to build large block formations of one colour in order to proceed to the next level. The blocks glow for a few seconds when you’ve built an explodable formation, where if you’re quick enough in adding another block of the same colour to it you can create a bigger block which will blow up when you stop adding to it.

Big block formations mean chains, which release one or more Hearts of Ix Chel , twenty of which gain you another life. A life is lost when the wall of rising blocks hit’s the top of the screen, but instead of having to start the whole level from the beginning, the wall retreats and providing you haven’t run out of lives, you continue along with that level. There’s lots of Power Ups to be had along the way, too. With both the Hearts of Ix Chel and the power ups, you need to “catch” them with your dropping thingy to use them. Once you’ve scrolled left or right to gain the power up, it’s automatically assigned to your next droppable block, if it’s a block changing power up, or it takes it’s instant effect out on the wall. Whatever type of power up it is, they’re pretty frequent and the level of difficulty here is low. Unless you’re actually trying to lose a life, it happens rarely. As the game proceeds, you unlock different shaped blocks and more power ups become available to you. The level ends when you completely fill the progress meter at the bottom of the screen.

Graphically, TiQal isn’t bad. The blocks explode in a nice way and there’s not so much going on that you can’t keep track. It’s bright, clear and attractive. The music fits in well with the theme of the game and doesn’t irritate like some. There’s also a story in the single player mode, but to be honest with you, I found myself not wanting to read it. I suppose it’s nice to have a story of sorts, but I’m not overly convinced these type of games need it. Personal opinion though.

As previously, albeit briefly mentioned, the game is not exactly overly difficult. I can’t say I noticed it get particularly much harder as it progressed either. Losing lives was infrequent and gaining them wasn’t hard. I’m a fan of puzzle games, but I don’t think this has turned out to be as challenging as it could have been. As the levels progressed, a distinct amount of tedium was apparent and I can’t help but blame that on the game’s overall level of difficulty. What I’m saying is that I didn’t exactly break out in a sweat as my wall of blocks rose. Sure, it sounds nice to play a game where you’re not screaming obscenities at the screen, but in reality, without a big challenge, the achievement of completion is lost.

Sounds straight forward enough? Yeah, I thought so. Like I said, it’s not likely that you will be unfamiliar with this concept. However, the decision is down to whether being familiar with it is what whets your appetite, or whether it completely puts you off. One on One Multiplayer doesn’t particularly excite me either. For that previously mentioned princely sum of 800 Microsoft points? I’d probably spend them elsewhere.>>