Reviews

IGN.com, 4/4/2008
8/10
"I'm a sucker for fun addicting games and Blastdown! has both categories covered."

How to play

Starting the game
First, highlight the "Blastdown!" icon in the game menu on your phone. Once the game is highlighted, press the "OK" button to start the game. After the splash screens, the game's main menu will appear.

Game Objectives

Blastdown! is a puzzle game where the player's objective is to score the highest number of points by clearing as many blocks as possible. The primary activity is to select adjacent blocks that are the same color. If there are blocks above the ones cleared they will "fall" as if gravity affects all blocks. Players use this trait to set up future clears. The more cleared at a time, the higher the score. Use special blocks to maximize the score.

Game Modes:

• Speed: In Speed mode, try to reach the score goal before the timer runs out. The timer resets once the target score has been reached. Whenever there are no more plays, the playfield will refill with falling blocks. Try to score as many points as possible without letting the timer expire.
• Marathon: In Marathon mode, try to eliminate the playfield so there are no remaining blocks. If there are no more moves, the level is over and the player will lose one heart for each leftover block. The game ends when the player has no hearts left. Try to score as many points as possible before you run out of hearts.

Main Menu

• Play: Select either Speed more or Marathon mode and begin a new game, or continue a game already in progress.
• Options: Options to toggle sound, vibration, and tutorial text.
• Help: Information on controls and game-play for both Speed and Marathon modes.
• Scoreboard: View top scores and best records for both Speed and Marathon modes.
• About: Customer support information and Legal Information.
• Exit: The selection will exit the game and return the user to the phone's menu.

How to Play

CONTROLS
Up = D-Up/2
Down = D-Down/8
Left = D-Left/4
Right = D-Right/6
OK / 5 key = Clear selected blocks
1 key = Place Wild Block
CLR key = Pause game

Tips and Hints

Speed:

• To get through early levels, try clearing from the bottom left. This will not maximize score but is a good way of clearing the level quickly.
• Remember that different colors earn different special blocks. Focus on green blocks to earn multipliers for higher scores and yellow blocks to earn lightning blocks to help expand the size of your clears.
• Clear out one color at a time, to try to maximize the last color cleared into as large a group as possible.

Marathon:

• Use wild blocks in Marathon mode to connect large groups of blocks including multipliers and booster blocks. Set up large clears to earn more wilds.
• Conserve your wild blocks for later levels when it gets harder to make groups.

FAQ

What are the various game modes?
Blastdown! has two distinct modes of game play; Spped & Marathon. In Speed mode you have a specific amount of time to reach the point goal displayed. Marathon mode allows the user to play the game at their own pace, but be careful as each block remaining at the end of the level will decrease your total heart count. Run out of hearts and the game is over.

Can I save my game?
Yes. Exiting to the main menu will save your progress in the current game until the next time you play. When next attempting to start a game in that mode of play, the option to Continue will be present.

How do I use a wild block?
Wild blocks are only used in Marathon mode. A wild block can be placed by moving the cursor to the desired location on the board and pressing the '1' key. Once the wild block is placed it will connect the surrounding colors into the same clear, thus expanding the selection size for that clear.