How to play › ARCADE
BLOCKFALL
Seven shapes fall into one well. Blockfall is a falling-block puzzle with modern comforts (a ghost piece, a hold slot, a three-piece preview, proper lock delay and rotation both ways) and seven different ways to play.
PLAY NOW ▶The goal
Slide and rotate the falling pieces to fill complete horizontal rows. A full row clears and everything above drops down. If the stack reaches the top of the well, the game is over.
How a run plays
Clearing more rows with one piece pays much more: one, two, three and four lines score 100, 300, 500 and 800 times the level. Clearing on consecutive pieces builds a combo, a quad straight after another quad pays back-to-back, and emptying the well completely is a perfect clear.
Every quad (and every perfect clear) charges a SPARK. Press C to spend one and burn away the bottom row when you need it most. You can hold two at most.
Controls
| Keyboard | Pad | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left / Right | Stick / d-pad | Move (hold to repeat) |
| Up / E | Stick up / R | Rotate right |
| Q | L | Rotate left |
| Down | Stick / d-pad | Soft drop |
| Space / Z | A | Hard drop |
| X | B | Hold a piece |
| C | C | Spend a SPARK to burn the bottom row |
On a phone or tablet, a see-through joystick and A, B, C, L, R and SPACE buttons appear over the game and do the same as the keys above.
Gamepad: the stick or d-pad moves and the buttons follow the Pad column (Start is START). Esc, P or Back pauses, and the HOW TO PLAY button over the game shows the basics any time.
Modes
- MARATHON: 150 lines. The well tightens past level 10.
- SPRINT: clear 40 lines against the clock.
- ULTRA: two minutes, highest score.
- EXCAVATE: ten hand-built wells buried in stone, each with a piece budget. Clear every grey row to dig one out; finishing with pieces to spare earns more stars. Your progress through the wells is kept.
- SURGE: the floor keeps rising under you. See how long you last.
- DAILY: the daily challenge, below.
- DUEL: your well against a rival's, with stone rows sent both ways when you clear lines. Climb a league of six diggers, from PEBBLE and TALLY up to THE UNDERSTONE.
Mastery stars
Each star pays tickets the first time you earn it.
- Bronze: Score 5,000.
- Silver: Four at Once: clear four lines with one piece.
- Gold: The Well Yields: finish the 150-line MARATHON.
Daily challenge
Yes. DAILY mode is two minutes on one bag of pieces a day, the same for everyone.
Beginner tips
- Watch the ghost piece. It shows exactly where the piece will land, so you can line up a hard drop (Space) without guessing.
- Keep the stack flat and leave one column open at the side. When a long straight piece comes, drop it into the gap for a quad.
- Use hold (X). If a piece does not fit anywhere good, park it and take the next one, or save a long piece for your open column.
- Look at the three-piece preview and plan the next move while the current piece is still falling.
- Save a SPARK for emergencies. Burning the bottom row can clear a buried hole you could not otherwise reach.