Sunday Spotlight: Blek
Blek is a simple game that rewards creativity, visualization, and out-of-the-box efforts. Blek isn’t trying to be the next AAA franchise. Instead, it’s just trying to be Blek.
Kunabi Brother, the developer for Blek, is actually two brothers from Austria. Both having degrees in computer programming, they decided to delve into the gaming industry. Blek is their first game ever developed.
Blek has no story nor plot. The game simply displays the title of the game then immediately goes into the first level. With this, there is no tutorial per se, but several levels that allow you to explore the mechanics of the game. To play, you simply use your finger to create a line. This line repeats over and over until you’ve hit all the colored circles. However, if you hit a black circle, the line will get sucked up and you’ll have to try again. Sounds simple right? Luckily, if you make an error line is erased and you can quickly and creatively try again.
The levels naturally increase in difficulty, but they progress in a way where you’re not scratching your head for hours on end. One example of this comes after quite a few levels. Eventually, you’ll see larger colored circles with smaller white circles in them. Once you hit the large circle, the small circle will begin moving. Logically, the first time you see this, there won’t be any major difficulty determining how this can be utilized. But now that you’ve been exposed to it, you’ll be challenged to use this technique in a more meaningful way. The simplicity in the language to form puzzles reminded me of the Witness, which is an incredibly high-bar to match and happily Blek is holding its own.
Just as the gameplay is very minimalist, so is the music. Simple chimes and bounces from the actions is all that’s necessary from this game. If there was anything more, then it would just get in the way of the gameplay and mechanics.
Blek is an enjoyably simple game. The quick start allows players to get immersed in the puzzles to progress onto more elaborate challenges. The game allows you to challenge your creativity without making you feel inferior. If you’re getting annoyed and frustrated by this game, then you might be over analyzing and just need to take a breath and try another method.
Blek is available on iOS, Android, and Wii U.
Spotlit by Harry Loizides