In the beginning, there was the Flash game. It had simple objects and its players clicked the mouse to solve puzzles. And it was good. Soon this new Flash puzzle game became fruitful and multiplied. And lo, programmers added physics to these shape games, making geometric objects fall and bounce realistically. Developers saw that these new games were good and said "Hark, we need exploding, physics-based collapsible structures." This begat many exploding physics puzzle games. Then Metreen-Games said "let there be mouse-directed, launched explosions, causing blocks to realistically fly through the air and fall down towards green om-nom monsters in the clouds." And yea, Kamikaze Blocks was born.

Kamikaze Blocks is a new multi-level casual physics puzzle, one that has no doubt been influenced by its physics puzzle predecessors. Like Sieger, you control a crosshair with your mouse and click to fire explosive projectiles at objects on the screen. Instead of hurling heavy boulders or bombs at destructible buildings however, in this game you launch green dudes with sticks of dynamite strapped to their backs towards a series of colored squares and rectangles. Your goal is to target your kamikaze guys in such a way that their blasts knock the colored blocks towards the clouds below. These clouds are inhabited by hungry om-nom monsters who gratefully accept their geometric offerings with happy munching and crunching sounds.

While this title may seem simple at first, Kamikaze Blocks' gameplay gets a bit deeper and requires more strategy as you get through its later levels. Eventually you encounter a series of special blocks and platforms. These include explosive blocks that help send shapes flying, toxic blocks that must be avoided, and web blocks which, when burst, cause nearby shapes to stick to it. Some levels even have breakable chains holding up platforms, while other stages include swinging pendulums that can help or hinder the flight of a falling block. Most levels require careful and skillful precision of shot placement, and others require you to act quickly to fire multiple shots in just the right place. Some stages require considerable trial and error, which thankfully isn't too frustrating thanks to a quick level reset button.

In addition to 53 levels of gameplay, Metreen-Games took great pains to add welcome replayability features to Kamikaze Blocks. The title boasts a plethora of unlockable achievements, as well as two game modes. In Puzzle mode, you have to try to pass all 53 levels using a limited number of shots per level. The easier Arcade mode takes the Sieger approach, giving you unlimited shots but only awarding gold, silver, and bronze medals if you fire as few times as possible.

I enjoyed the challenge of Kamikaze Blocks, with its nice mix of easy and seemingly impossible stages. Adding to my enjoyment was the satisfaction of seeing and hearing the green monsters chomp up all the falling blocks. The music gets a little repetitive, and unfortunately it is tied to the sound effects, so if you want to hear the crunches, you have to endure the tune. Still, the game overall has a nice personality to it, and is a fun break activity you can keep coming back to. Are you up to the challenge? Fire off those green dudes and find out!

Play Kamikaze Blocks