Previews

Hands-on with Nitrome's roly-poly puzzle platformer Gunbrick

Bricking it

Hands-on with Nitrome's roly-poly puzzle platformer Gunbrick
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Nitrome is sitting on a treasure trove of smash-hit games. A whole bunch of quirky and inventive games with vintage graphics and retro sensibilities. And they're all stashed on the studio's site, as creaky old Flash games.

But over the last few years the studio has been revamping those games and bringing them to iOS and Android as must-have apps like Roller Poller and Icebreaker.

The next game to get the treatment is a silly little puzzler called Gunbrick.

Gunbrick

You play as the pilot of a crazy new mode of transport called the Gunbrick. This is a cube that can clunkily roll about, and has a metallic shield on one side and a powerful shotgun on the other.

That's all you need to explore these levels: you'll roll about the stages, use the shield to evade bullets and fire, and use the gun to blast blocks and lift yourself up into the air.

And that super simple set-up is used to dole out some seriously tricky stages. You'll need to get yourself in the right position so you'll roll into the exact right spot, and you'll always need to be wary of enemies and traps.

01

Soon you'll face buttons that open gates, turrets that shoot bullets, and patrolling guards that will break your brick if you don't use your shield. There are even boss fights that really put you to the test.

But because the controls are so smart - just swipe and tap to roll and shoot - the only thing stopping your journey is your brain box.

Some will certainly find the game frustrating. You can never actually get stuck, but sometimes you'll feel like you simply can't do anything to get your Gunbrick lined up. But that's just a good time to give the game to a friend for a fresh perspective.

03 The original Gunbrick

Of all Nitrome's games so far, Gunbrick has definitely needed the most work to make the transition from Flash to mobile. The original game was rendered in about 20 pixels and just didn't have much personality.

But for this new version it's been dolled up to look like a gorgeous Game Boy Advance game, and the world has been filled with charming little characters.

The game's also packed with content with multiple chapters to work through. Definitely one for puzzle game fans to check out when it hits iOS and Android early next year. We'll let you know when it's live.

Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer