Chocolate and peanut butter. Cookies and cream. Bacon and onions. Sometimes there are combinations that are great alone but even better together. The first person shooter/building game Block N Load brings together familiar concepts to create an experience unlike any other.
Published and developed by Jagex Games Studio, Block N Load combines the addictive building of Minecraft with the frantic FPS action of Team Fortress. Each online multiplayer battle sees teams of five going against one another in an effort to destroy the opposition’s cube core and claim victory. While simple in theory, the fun comes in carrying out said objective.
There are six heroes to choose from when you begin a Block N Load match, each with their own weapon and abilities. Juan Shinobi, for example, wields massive katana claws to get in close whereas Cogwheel the robot uses a rotary canon and mortars to keep others at bay. Each character presents a different combat option, each suited to a playstyle that complements other team members in conquest. What all the characters do have in common, and what sets good players from great ones, is the ability to strategically manipulate the blocks on the battlefield.
Running and gunning may be sufficient enough to survive in most other FPS games, but Block N Load sets itself apart by giving gamers the ability to change the very terrain they fight on. Think of all the intricate structures you’ve built in Minecraft before, but consider using them in a tactical manner to direct enemy forces right into a series of traps or turrets you’ve got set up near your team’s base. There’s not nearly enough time to build something as complicated as a starship, but there’s more than enough time to set up a few towers or build a few walls for terrain advantage. The trick isn’t simply knowing what to build, but how your enemies will potentially react to your structures and reacting to that.
Above, below, or through, there are multiple routes to take it to your enemies in Block N Load. Headshots and exploding mines may be enough to overcome the odds in other virtual battlefields, but you’d be a blockhead to run blindly into the fight this time around. Take a breath, create the proper defenses, and you’ll have a fine time in this colorful hybrid of a game.
Block N Load is now available on Steam.