East’s newest mobile game obsession Block Blast has taken over screens across the building. Currently placed second on Apple’s app store “Top Games” list, the free block puzzle game by Hungry Studio has taken the world and East by storm. Students can be seen blasting away through the hallways, trying to beat their high scores before their next class.
Inspired by the games “Pentamino” and “Tetris,” Block Blast is a puzzle-based game that challenges players to fit miscellaneous shaped blocks into an 8×8 grid. The goal is to eliminate rows and columns of blocks to increase your score. If you fail to fit them in correctly, you start over, though the opportunity to watch an ad to revive yourself is available. In the app’s adventure game mode, players can complete various block-like tasks to create a pixel image. Players typically have a few days to finish the image.
With weekly updates keeping the game fresh and interesting, it’s no wonder the schoolwide craze has lasted as long as it has. While mobile games such as Hayday, MonopolyGO and Clash of Clans have all been downloaded on our phones at some point, they have all been either erased from our devices or sit in the dark corners of our games folder. However, Block Blast has prevailed through it all.
With the craze starting in mid-September of 2024, students have been playing this game for almost seven months. Though its long-lasting popularity is partially due to its simplistic yet exciting game design, the minimal ads and ability to play without Wi-Fi keep its fan base entertained.
When one student sees another student playing Block Blast, they’ll often be asked the question, “What’s your high score?” Whether you are anxious to reveal your high score to your peers or proud to boast about your achievement, it doesn’t matter all that much; however, if you are looking to increase it, several tips and tricks can help you achieve this goal.
It may take days or even weeks to beat your high score, yet there are still ways in which you can achieve even greater success. When the beating heart pops up just behind the score, aim to get as many combos as possible. By doing this, you will double the points you receive for the combo, thus increasing your score.
While this next approach may be playing dirty, if you somehow find that the game is giving you the same blocks over and over again, make sure to keep on placing them in the same spot. Not only will you continue to receive combos, but your score will also multiply by a significant amount. Though this is a glitch that is constantly being patched, players still find ways to use it. Junior Addison Schilb found this technique to be the key to her impressive high score of 2,033,726.
Although puzzle and brain teaser games can be distracting while trying to accomplish homework or performing other tasks, they have been shown to improve one’s cognitive function. According to the National Library of Medicine (NIH), “Puzzle games enhance the function of the prefrontal cortex, which plays an important role in cognitive abilities, such as thinking, decision making, concentration and problem-solving.” Playing games like Block Blast challenges you to use critical thinking skills and amplify your hand-eye coordination.
Going into the final stretch of the school year, Block Blast, reigning as the number one mobile game of the school year, seems to be safe. With students constantly playing in and outside of school, it doesn’t seem like it will go away any time soon.
