Blocks That Matter

About

Blocks That Matter is a single player casual platformer game with a comedy theme. It was developed by Swing Swing Submarine and was released on August 19, 2011. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

When indie game developers Alexey and Markus are in trouble, their only hope comes from their creation. You are the Tetrobot: a tiny robot that can drill blocks of matter one by one, collect them, and recycle them into new pieces of 4 blocks. You also have the possibility to destroy lines of 8+ blocks in a very «retro russian» game style. Sand, wood, stone, obsidian, iron, diamond: each matter ha…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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75%

Audience ScoreBased on 534 reviews

gameplay25 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

Unique and clever puzzle-platformer combining Minecraft and Tetris mechanics.
Engaging puzzles that become challenging and rewarding to solve, with good difficulty progression.
Includes additional content: bonus levels, collectibles, and community-created levels via an integrated level editor and Steam Workshop.
Simple, charming art style and pleasant soundtrack enhance the experience.
Controls and gameplay mechanics are generally solid, with good keyboard and controller support.
High replay value due to extra challenges and collectibles that require re-playing levels with new abilities.
Short and accessible levels keep the pacing steady and manageable.
References and homages to classic games add a fun nostalgic dimension.

No undo or rewind function forces restarting entire levels after a single mistake, causing frustration especially in longer or more complex stages.
Platforming sections, particularly timed or 'big boss' chase levels, feel clunky and out of place, sometimes requiring precise timing beyond the core puzzle gameplay.
Controls can be finicky or unintuitive, with issues such as overlapping run and drill buttons and poor default keybindings.
Occasional technical issues such as poor modern system compatibility, resolution scaling problems, and problematic controller support.
The story and narrative are generally considered weak, cheesy, or intrusive without adding meaningful value.
Repetitive puzzles and lack of variety can diminish engagement over time, especially in later levels.
Level design sometimes punishes minor mistakes heavily, leading to tedious repetition and trial-and-error gameplay.
The level editor interface feels unfinished and unintuitive, limiting user-created content creation.
Graphics and presentation are basic and may feel dated compared to modern puzzle-platformers.

gameplay
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
63%
5%
The gameplay of "Blocks That Matter" is praised for its unique tetromino-based puzzle mechanics, clever level design, and challenging platforming elements that require thoughtful resource and spatial management. While some find the mechanics innovative and engaging, others criticize the lack of an undo feature and punishing difficulty, which can lead to frustration and tedium. Overall, it offers an intriguing and rewarding puzzle-platform experience for those who appreciate careful strategy and skill, though it may feel slow or repetitive to some players.
- “I opened "Blocks That Matter" again today and I am just fascinated by all the clever mechanics and amusing references throughout the whole game.”
- “The controls are fluent, the graphics are simple and effective, the music is good, and the gameplay challenges you to think not only about minimal use of the resources on hand, but also where they should go so that you'll be able to recollect them later.”
- “With the simple tetromino-based puzzle aspect, Swing Swing Submarine made Blocks That Matter with an innovative yet surprisingly intricate gameplay mechanic.”
- “Pretty bland and overly punishing, with many contrived gameplay mechanics.”
- “The game isn't even merciful enough to have an undo mechanic - if you make one mistake, you have to restart the whole level.”
- “This makes every problem you're faced with stale and the introduction of new mechanics does not affect how you play the game as experimentation is punished and trying to learn on the go is a waste of time.”
story
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
52%
8%
The story of the game is generally seen as cute, lighthearted, and occasionally humorous, fitting the puzzle-platformer genre without being overly serious or complex. However, many reviewers found it predictable, repetitive, and sometimes unnecessary, with some criticism aimed at dialogue pacing and lack of depth. Overall, the story is considered a minor element that neither strongly enhances nor detracts significantly from the gameplay experience.
- “I put around 6-8 hours in the main story line to beat it, and there are more levels and challenges available to players for increased replay value.”
- “I love this game, it's a funny, sweet game with a nice story and lots of fun.”
- “A very nice platformer with head-breaking puzzles that has a beautiful story featuring Markus Persson (the Minecraft guy) & Alexey Pajintov (the creator of Tetris)!”
- “The story is pathetic and not worth mentioning.”
- “Poor music, bad writing, and a terrible story sapped any desire I had to play this game.”
- “The story is boring, irrelevant to the gameplay, and relentlessly unfunny.”
graphics
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
40%
7%
The graphics are generally described as charming, cute, and featuring a clean, simple pixel-art style that fits the game's tone well, balancing retro and modern aesthetics. While some find the art style appealing and effective, a few note it as overly simplistic or even childish, with limited animation. Overall, visuals are pleasant and functional, complementing the gameplay without being overly remarkable.
- “The graphics are amazing, 10/10.”
- “The artstyle is a very clean pixel-art that matches the tone of the game perfectly.”
- “The cartoony graphics are great, and all the different blocks and terrains you will be exploring are interesting.”
- “While the art style may be considered 'cute' by some, in my opinion, it is childish and hurts my eyes.”
- “The menu control scheme is awkward and the game's resolution cannot be changed without graphics corruption (Radeon HD6950), rendering the display useless.”
- “The art style is much more basic and cartoon-like than the titles I mentioned too.”
music
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
24%
13%
The music in the game is generally praised as catchy, engaging, and well-suited to the puzzle atmosphere, with some describing it as cute or ambient chiptune. While a few find it repetitive or mildly annoying at times, most reviews highlight the soundtrack as a strong and enjoyable aspect that complements the gameplay and art style.
- “Fantastic puzzle game with great music.”
- “The soundtrack is great, too!”
- “The music and even the sound effects are great.”
- “The soundtrack is awful and repetitive.”
- “Poor music, bad writing, and a terrible story sapped any desire I had to play this game.”
- “The story is a bit underwhelming and the soundtrack rather generic.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding in the game is widely criticized for being tedious, repetitive, and frustrating, often requiring exact timing and precise sequences without forgiveness. Long levels with weak platforming mechanics and repeated puzzles exacerbate the sense of monotony, making progression feel more like a chore than an enjoyable challenge. While some appreciate the replay value, many find the lack of checkpoints and unresponsive controls contribute to a maddening experience.
- “Levels that could be a lot of fun end up being frustrating and tedious as they don't require logic but an exact order of events with zero forgiveness.”
- “A checkpointing system would've also helped on some of the longer levels, as accidentally getting yourself killed several minutes into a complex puzzle and being forced to restart can get tedious.”
- “Later levels are long and tedious, often including puzzles you've previously solved.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
94%
6%
The humor in the game has received mixed feedback: many players find it funny, charming, and full of clever references that enhance the experience, while others feel the comedic attempts fall flat or are overly reliant on game clichés. Overall, the humor is often seen as enjoyable but occasionally hit-or-miss depending on the player's taste.
- “Amazing game, great artwork and soundtrack, lots of funny references and overall great gameplay.”
- “It has plenty of challenges, a funny sidestory, and lots of homage to all the other 'blocks' games out there!”
- “No faults whatsoever... funny humor and really entertaining puzzles... feels really European, in a refreshing kinda way!!!”
- “The story is boring, irrelevant to the gameplay, and relentlessly unfunny.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game offers strong replayability through extra challenges, hidden collectibles, and unlockable content that extend playtime beyond the main story. Its varied objectives and progression-based access to new sections keep players engaged without feeling like a grind. Overall, replay value is highlighted as a key positive aspect.
- “Extra challenges like getting the hidden cubes and stars add good replayability.”
- “I put around 6-8 hours in the main storyline to beat it, and there are more levels and challenges available to players for increased replay value.”
- “This is a fun little puzzle platformer with a good complexity and difficulty curve, and also replayability—as you gain skills progressing through the levels, you sometimes gain access to extra sections of earlier levels to get extra bonuses.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users praise the atmosphere for being engaging and immersive, complementing the enjoyable story and puzzles. The game's environment encourages exploration, enhancing the overall experience.
- “I've been enjoying Q.U.B.E. recently; it has nice puzzles with a great atmosphere and encourages exploration.”
- “Even the story and atmosphere are enjoyable.”

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76h Median play time

76h Average play time

76-76h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Blocks That Matter is a casual platformer game with comedy theme.

Blocks That Matter is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows, Linux and others.

On average players spend around 76 hours playing Blocks That Matter.

Blocks That Matter was released on August 19, 2011.

Blocks That Matter was developed by Swing Swing Submarine.

Blocks That Matter has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Blocks That Matter for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Blocks That Matter is a single player game.

Similar games include Tetrobot and Co., Adventures of Shuggy, The Bridge, Camera Obscura, Out There Somewhere and others.

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