TideRoll: Block Puzzle

TideRoll: Block Puzzle asks you to think about both the location and the orientation of a wooden block. Roll it across platforms floating above the ocean and bring it to the goal hole standing upright. Reaching the correct square is only part of the solution: if the block arrives lying down, you still need a route that turns it into the right position.

Plan the final position first

Before making a long sequence of moves, look at the goal and the neighbouring tiles. Consider the space needed for the block to stand upright there, then work out how you might approach that space from the current route. A move that looks like progress can leave the block facing an awkward direction, so keep track of its footprint as well as its distance from the exit.

The 150 levels introduce switches, bridges and fragile orange tiles, with sunny, rainy and snowy scenery. Orange tiles have a particularly important rule: an upright block breaks them, so approach these tiles with the wood lying horizontally. Check the block's orientation before you move onto one rather than discovering the problem after committing to the roll.

Rolling controls and route corrections

Roll in the required direction with the WASD keys or keyboard arrows. Touch-screen players can use the direction buttons shown by the game. The objective is the same with either input method: reach the hole in an upright position. The game also allows you to undo mistakes, giving you a way to reconsider a move without treating every wrong turn as a completely new puzzle.

When a bridge or switch is involved, think about the route after activating it. Opening a passage is useful only if you can still bring the block through it in a workable orientation. If you find yourself repeating a loop, pause and trace a different approach to the goal instead of rolling faster along the same path.

Players who enjoy arranging shapes and reasoning about space can also browse the Puzzleblock collection. TideRoll's particular challenge is the relationship between a block's changing position, its orientation and the tiles that can safely support it.