Pullblox
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3DS
| Pullblox

Pullblox, also known as Pushmo in the US, is the very definition of a Christmas miracle.

Up to this point, the Nintendo 3DS eShop has looked the part but it hasn't actually had any decent content to back it up.

With the eShop release of cute-as-a-button puzzler Pullblox from WarioWare and Advance Wars developer Intelligent Systems, that's all changed. Suddenly, and quite out of the blue, the eShop is somewhere you need to get down to right away.

Nice pull

You play as Mallo, a chubby, nappy-wearing ball of redness who has to help his mentor Papa Blox to free lots of children who've become trapped inside Pullblox's climbing frames.

The idea is to grab walls of blocks and yank them out, creating staircases and holes to jump into. From there, you can pull even more walls out higher up, slowly ascending until you reach the trapped kiddy at the top.

There are plenty of clever tricks to contend with. You can't pull a block out any more if you run out of floor, but you can grab a block from the side and pull it out to its maximum length that way instead.

While it's quite tame to begin with, it all gets seriously, insanely clever after an hour or so - especially when new elements are added, from buttons to manholes.

Pullblox somehow manages never to get repetitive. Every new puzzle is fresh and exciting, and when new elements are introduced there's no filler whatsoever.

You've got levels that have clearly been crafted to perfection; you've got levels that are in the shape of a pig's face and a NES controller; you've got levels that purposely feature elements that throw you off the scent. It's a pure, devious, incredibly exciting experience throughout.

It rox

Pullblox also knows how to treat you properly, without being patronising or restrictive.

Tutorials explain each element in a simple and sometimes hilarious manner. They do go on for a little too long to begin with, but this is arguably necessary in order for you fully to appreciate how special the game's mechanic can be.

Accidentally messed up a puzzle? Simply jump on the 'reset' button and start over, or hold L to rewind time as far back as you want. Can't figure out the solution? The game will let you skip a level once it knows you've probably had enough of that one.

Not that you'll be running out of levels to play through any time soon - with over 250 puzzles available, and over eight hours of gameplay, this is a seriously beefy digital release.

In fact, it's hard to believe this isn't a full retail release. Pullblox features more content than the majority of 3DS retail games.

Pull-itzer prize

It doesn't stop there, either. If 250 puzzles aren't enough for you, you can have a crack at making your own Pullblox levels and then share them with friends via QR codes.

The Pullblox editor is stupidly easy to use, and a whole ton of fun. We've found ourselves spending nearly as much time making levels as we have playing the game.

The bottom line is this: Pullblox is not just the best eShop game available for the Nintendo 3DS - it's now the best game on the entire system.

If this were a full price retail release, we'd be recommending you pick it up at your earliest convenience. Thankfully for you, the fact that it's a cut price downloadable game means your earliest convenience is right now.

Pullblox

Move over Minesweeper, ta ta Tetris, leave it out Lemmings - Pullblox is the new puzzling gaming god in town
Score
Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.