History Main / BlockPuzzle

[[caption-width-right:240:[-"Where's 'Strength' when you need it most?"-]]]

** Block puzzles rarely turn up to block progress in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', typically being reserved for optional Heart Pieces and rewards, or to screw you out of mid-dungeon refills. There's also the Cane of Somaria in this game and in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'', an item whose purpose is to actually create blocks.

** The gravity-twisting room in Stone Tower Temple, in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', where Link has to move a block through the floor as well as through the ceiling (the gravity can be changed by shooting at an emblem with the Light Arrows).
** Block puzzles in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' have different characteristics that change depending on where they are. The floating crate puzzles in the Tower of the Gods have water whose level rises and lowers periodically. The lowest floor of the Earth Temple combines this with LightAndMirrorsPuzzle in order to get the key to the boss' room, as the "blocks" are huge mirrors. In the last room of the Wind Temple, there are blocks that can only be moved while wearing Iron Boots, as there's a strong wind blowing from huge fans. And in the optional Angular Isles, there's an underground cave with a pile of blocks Link has to climb by pulling some of them; but if he pulls one too many his Mirror Shield won't be able to catch and reflect the light that activates the treasure chest (luckily, the puzzle can be resetted by exiting and re-entering).
** The blocks on ice in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', where the low friction makes the puzzles more difficult.

* ''VideoGame/IttleDew'' consists primarily of these. The items you obtain can be combined in various ways to assist with the puzzles.

* Every dungeon in ''VideoGame/GoldenSun2001'' has at least one of these. In fact, there's more than one spell in-game dedicated to aiding one in solving block puzzles. In the sequel, ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'', has one that is random by cartridge leaving most {{Walkthrough}}s saying, "yeah, sorry, can't help you here" on the off-chance you get stuck on the circuit board.

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* Double subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}''. There is a great big boulder in the way, and you need to give it some ''Encouraging Words''. Turns out that the ''Encouraging Words'' was a bottle literally containing words. Then, it says the boulder ''feels much better about itself'' and moves out of the way. The real block puzzle is behind it.

* The ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'' games have a few of these. Being an AffectionateParody, the characters naturally comment on how much they dislike them.

** The giant granite blocks in the Spirit Temple of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', as well as the picture block puzzle in the Forest Temple of the same game.

* ''VideoGame/{{Gift|2001}}'': Appears frequently.

* Block puzzles are very rare in the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series, as many of the puzzles revolve around either working around other gimmicks or dodging the always-deadly F.O.E. (each species of which has to be evaded depending on how it moves and behaves), but they exist. The Frozen Grounds adds ice blocks in ''The Fafnir Knight'', and they have to be pushed across their icy ponds in order to reach key places; they're also present in the ''Nexus'' version of Golden Lair (neither the original Frozen Grounds from ''II'' nor the original Golden Lair from ''IV'' have them), as well as that game's penultimate MiniDungeon (Frigid Lake, accessible during the PlayableEpilogue). Also in ''Nexus'', the Western and [[BonusDungeon Abyssal]] Shrines feature F.O.E. which can be safely pushed up to twice (a third time will prompt them to chase you, so beware), and have to be pushed onto certain positions so you can then walk over them once you climb onto the walls.

* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain: Soul Reaver'' was stuffed liberally with these. For a vampire/ghost being, Raziel spent a remarkable amount of time shoving blocks around. Legend has it that the developers were told to come in with a different puzzle design each week or so. Everyone happened to show up with some kind of block puzzle, and the rest is history.

* These make up about a third of ''VideoGame/ChipsChallenge'', the other two-thirds being [[TheMaze mazes]] and avoid-the-monster levels, or combinations of all three. The {{Fan Sequel}}s and custom levelsets have even more and they're formidable.

* The ''Private Garden'' series are block-puzzle echi/hentai games.

* Block puzzles are very rare in the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series, as many of the puzzles revolve around either working around other gimmicks or dodging the always-deadly F.O.E. (each species of which has to be evaded depending on how it moves and behaves), but they exist. The Frozen Grounds adds ice blocks in ''The Fafnir Knight'', and they have to be pushed across their icy ponds in order to reach key places; they're also present in the ''Nexus'' version of Golden Lair (neither the original Frozen Grounds from ''II'' nor the original Golden Lair from ''IV'' have them). In ''Nexus'', the Western and [[BonusDungeon Abyssal]] Shrines freatures F.O.E. which can be safely pushed up to twice (a third time will prompt them to chase you, so beware), and have to be pushed onto certain positions so you can then walk over them once you climb onto the walls.

* ''VideoGame/LostInBlue'' and its sequel had a number of them, made all the more annoying for the fact that completing the puzzles take stamina, which is a [[WizardNeedsFoodBadly very precious commodity]] in those games. It's improved slight by the interesting twist: [[spoiler: some of the blocks will float when the player fills the room with water. The goal is to create platforms which can be jumped across (which, of course, also uses up stamina).]]

* Every dungeon in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheBrokenSeal'' has at least one of these. In fact, there's more than one spell in-game dedicated to aiding one in solving block puzzles. In the sequel, ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'', has one that is random by cartridge leaving most {{Walkthrough}}s saying, "yeah, sorry, can't help you here" on the off-chance you get stuck on the circuit board.

* [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] in ''Webcomic/LatchkeyKingdom'', where the giant stone blocks are far to heavy for a 13-year-old girl to budge, and she has to use the KeyUnderTheDoormat to get past it.

* ''Webcomic/AwkwardZombie'' [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on how absurd it is this [[http://www.awkwardzombie.com/index.php?page=0&comic=111212 sort of puzzle]] some how is effective at keeping Ganon away from anything.
->[[LightAndMirrorsPuzzle ... but you still have to arrange the mirrors so the beam touches the sun,]] [[{{Website/Cracked}} and to do that you're going to need to grab the fourth block from the left and-]]

* Every dungeon in ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' has at least one of these. In fact, there's more than one spell in-game dedicated to aiding one in solving block puzzles. In the sequel, ''Lost Age'', has one that is random by cartridge leaving most {{Walkthrough}}s saying, "yeah, sorry, can't help you here" on the off-chance you get stuck on the circuit board.

[[caption-width-right:240:[-"Where's '[[StatisticallySpeaking Strength]]' when you need it most?"-]]]

* Block puzzles are very rare in the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series, as many of the puzzles revolve around either working around other gimmicks or dodging the always-deadly F.O.E. (each species of which has to be evaded depending on how it moves and behaves), but they exist. The Frozen Grounds adds ice blocks in ''The Fafnir Knight'', and they have to be pushed across their icy ponds in order to reach key places; they're also present in the ''Nexus'' version of Golden Lair (neither the original Frozen Grounds from ''II'' nor the original Golden Lair from ''IV'' have them). In ''Nexus'', the Western and [[BonusDungeon Abyssal]] Shrines freatures F.O.E. which can be safely pushed up to twice (a third time will prompt them to chase you, so beware), and have to be pushed onto certain position so you can then walk over them once you climb onto the walls.

** There's [[FinalDungeon the very definitely last puzzle]] of Diabolical Box, which is named [[TitleDrop The Diabolical Box]]. It takes a whopping ''seventy-seven'' moves to complete at the very least.
** The final puzzle of Curious Village is a version of the Klotski, which takes ''eight-three'' moves to be completed.
** The final puzzle of Last Specter is a [[spoiler:two-part [[MarathonLevel Marathon Puzzle]] in which the goal is to get two blocks into two corners. Do it once, and Layton points out that the player isn't done yet, and the player is taken to a second puzzle to do it again, with no breaks and no extra hints.]] Altogether, under the best circumstances, the whole puzzle will take at minimum 178 moves to complete, but unless one looks at a guide, it will take more. Hope you didn't make any plans tonight, or you feel like keeping one DS plugged in and unable to play anything else until you finish it.
** In ''Miracle Mask'', chapter 6 is a long top-down view dungeon adventure, with plenty of rolling boulder puzzles, with possible goals ranging from making a bridge to destroying some crystals that are in your way to mowing down enemies.

* ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' had a few: On Yoshi Island, in order to clear a boulder, you had to push blocks around to cover holes that sprayed water until the pressure under the rock was big enough to force it out of the way. Some places within Mt. Lavalava had you push blocks around to form bridges over [[ConvectionSchmonvection lava]]. One has you make a partial bridge, and then you have to be flown the rest of the way.

''Remember that TropesAreTools''.

So you're storming the TempleOfDoom in search of the BigBad's CosmicKeystone that is the lynchpin to {{The Empire}}'s plan to TakeOverTheWorld. And then mightiest force that the [[{{Precursors}} Ancient Precursors]] and TheLegionsOfHell can produce shows up: ''Sliding blocks''.

That's right. Blocks.

Well, there's the whole "[[EverythingTryingToKillYou hordes of monsters]]" thing, but the real stumbling, um, ''blocks'' in your journey are roomfuls of fiendish Block Puzzles. In the course of many quests to save the world in a video game, you're going to run across a warehouse, a factory, or sometimes even a random nondescript cave full of [[CrateExpectations crates]], boxes, boulders, or featureless cubes which can only be negotiated by pushing them around until you push them into a slot or a door opens or you form a bridge or something. Sometimes you simply need to get them out of your way, because [[InsurmountableWaistHeightFence for some reason you can't climb over them]].

* The ability to ''[[YouHaveResearchedBreathing pull]]'' blocks as well as push them.

Block Puzzles will show up in {{Puzzle Game}}s too, of course. Also, in any game where you are accompanied by an ally (NPC or otherwise), you will almost ''always'' encounter [[BrokenBridge a block that won't budge]] unless you and your allies all shove away at it together. [[ArtificialStupidity If they can figure that out, of course]].

This occasionally crosses over with SolveTheSoupCans, when the block puzzles really don't make any sense, and coupled with a particular variety of UnexpectedGameplayChange. With the push towards realism in environments, the Block Puzzle does seem to be on the [[DiscreditedTrope decline]], but is far from [[DeadHorseTrope dead]] -- you never know when you'll find yourself near a ledge you can't quite reach, in a room filled with CrateExpectations. The advent of [[WreakingHavok physics engines]] have also given block puzzles a new lease on life, as they allow for more flexible manipulation of blocks.

Named after the infamous block puzzle mechanic in ''VideoGame/VagrantStory.'' Also see {{Klotski}}. Not to be confused with FallingBlocks.

* Some of the last few levels in ''[[VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight]]'', taking place in the Valley of the Jedi have a few of these, but these are implied to be part of what the ancient Jedi set behind themselves.

* ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror'' has instances of "use your allies to move a block". There are large, gray, stone blocks that need multiple Kirbys inhaling in unison to pull them out of the passage they're blocking. These same blocks can also be shaken out of position by using Stone or Hammer to shake the ground, but in some cases this moves the block in the wrong direction, hence the need to inhale. The ease of getting the CPU Kirbys to cooperate varies, though...

** There's [[FinalDungeon the very definitely last puzzle]] of Diabolical Box, which is named [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Diabolical Box]]. It takes a whopping ''seventy-seven'' moves to complete at the very least.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyMysticQuest'' has a few of these - which, since most ''Final Fantasy'' dungeons are [[NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom straightforward get-to-the-end kill-the-boss areas]], was rather innovative for the series.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' has one in almost every dungeon. Notably the first one, in which they're actually ''{{Golem}}s'', and so have to be beaten into submission before you can use them. In ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' the four most egregious were optional, albeit rewarded with one of the most useful titles in the game. In ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'', every dungeon has one, explained as malfunctioning transport systems that need to be fixed, but you can ask another party member to jump in and solve it for you if you don't want to bother. Solving them all on your own unlocks a pair of BraggingRightsReward titles for Senel.

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' had a few of them. One was basically an EscortMission where the escort was inanimate (and respawned if destroyed), one was a TimedMission to get it into the right spot before the floor killed you, and one was a genuine "complete the wall" puzzle.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Okage}}: Shadow King.'' You're presented with one with much fanfare and warning about how hard it is... then it's solved for you in a cutscene the moment you actually try to interact with one of the blocks.

So you're storming the TempleOfDoom in search of the BigBad's CosmicKeystone that is the lynchpin to {{The Empire}}'s WorldDomination plans. And then mightiest force that the [[{{Precursors}} Ancient Precursors]] and TheLegionsOfHell can produce shows up: ''Sliding blocks''.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/39_Boulder_Puzzles_8006.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Where's '[[StatisticallySpeaking Strength]]' when you need it most?"]]

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/strength.jpg]]]]

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