Crawlco Block Knockers Review

Now and again you become interested in a videogame for one reason only to end up enjoying it for another. That was very much the case with Crawlco Block Knockers, a ‘90s-inspired puzzle title that I was initially drawn to because of the promise of ‘lovely ladies’. Always curious to see how the gameplay of these titles would hold up I fired up the Switch and quickly found myself spending hours playing not for the lovely ladies, but for the attentive gameplay I was experiencing. Shame on me for judging a book by its cover, but just how good is Crawlco Block Knockers, you might ask.

The core gameplay loop here is to push, pull, and even kick blocks around a stage in order to match three or more of the same colour together. While it’s a simple goal, the blocks spawn in random places and those you match ‘lock in’ and reduce the overall size of the play space. While you are able to climb on top of these blocks, you won’t be able to bring new blocks with you so careful planning is needed if you are going to succeed. New blocks will also keep spawning in random places so being quick on your feet will be a key part of ensuring you stay on top of everything.

That won’t be the only challenge you face however, as alongside the new blocks spawning into the stage a number of enemies will also appear. Should you come into contact with one of these or their projectiles then you can say goodbye to one of your lifes. Thankfully, if you manage to fling a block into one of these enemies it will be killed and be one less headache to deal with. If these do however prove to be too much of a challenge, worry not because, much like many other elements of Crawlco Block Knockers, you can turn them off without any penalty allowing you to enjoy the title however you wish.

Now, each stage requires you match a certain number of blocks in order to progress but you also have another, optional goal that is compiling the silhouette. You will find one in every stage and when blocks match inside the silhouette it will slowly reveal the artwork of a pinup model awaiting below. You don’t need to complete these silhouettes to clear each stage, but doing so rewards you with bonus points and a nice image, if that’s what you are after.

Speaking of these images, it’s worth mentioning that unlike many other games the artwork in Crawlco Block Knockers is actually quite tasteful and feels more like a pinup model than say hardcore lewd content. They keep in line with the games ‘90s inspired aesthetic and are quite well drawn. For those who are not too keen on them however, the title includes the option to censor these images along with turning them off completely. This is a nice addition as doing so puts the focus on the gameplay which does not disappoint.

Where things start to get a bit hectic is in the games’ boss battle stages. You’ll encounter one of these every few stages and they do away with the requirement to match blocks and instead, ask you to fling said blocks directly into the boss to do damage. While that sounds simple enough the boss themselves are actually quite challenging and have much more mobility than you do. While not impossible they do have a steep difficulty spike that might turn some players away.

Thankfully the game includes the option to skip these boss battles altogether which is a nice option to have. As you complete levels you will earn stars based on how you do and with enough of these you earn the right to skip over a boss fight. It creates a nice reason to replay levels and improve your performance while also still letting you go up against the boss if you want a real challenge. Likewise, the option to turn off the enemies in the standard stages is a nice addition which ends up making Crawlco Block Knockers quite accessible as a puzzle title.

All of this is packaged in a visual and audio treat that really nails that 90s aesthetic from start to end. The visuals are full of colour and animation with sound effects to really help sell the experience. Add on top the funky soundtrack and you have yourself a solid all round package that is sure to keep players entertained for hours. While it’s not going to be to everyone's taste, given the ‘lovely ladies’ for those who are looking for an addictive and challenging puzzle experience, look no further than Crawlco Block Knockers.