Axiallis

[b]edit:[/b] the game became free in may 2022, guess it was easier than patching it up. [b]axiallis[/b] is a mouse-based tetris-like that has you placing tetrominoes, but [b]creating lines only awards extra points, doesn't remove the lines themselves[/b]. the goal is to prolong filling the board for as long as possible, but you can fill areas blocked from the top, since pieces aren't falling from the sky. the current and next shape are visible, leaderboards available for some optional competition. click any available spot to place the current tetromino, keep clicking the arrow to rotate, then place with right click anywhere, left click on the big button on the bottom or space. [b]no reason to omit keyboard controls[/b], wasd/arrows and something to rotate would work just fine, but sadly [b]space is the only key that does anything[/b] (and enter to confirm your name). interestingly, [b]pivot segments where pieces are rotated remain available after placement[/b], and that's where the big money is. placing a tetromino's rotaty bit over another's pivot awards more points, doing it a third time is even more beneficial. the latter also creates a so-called super axis, which lets you place another tetromino on top of it. no points for doing so, but it can be used to get rid of an ill-fitting (or non-fitting) piece or plug a nearby hole. reaching a certain amount of points unlocks the next level, meaning you can potentially fill multiple boards in a single run. the numerical requirement is only shown on the game over screen, but you can ballpark it based on the lines filling up on both sides of the board. even if the goal is reached, the current board has to be finished, then come the stats, then instead of a new game you get to carry over your score and time to the next level. [b]no time limit, but playing quickly is advised if you care about points.[/b] really nice presentation, loved the music, too bad [b]it's lacking in functionality[/b]. no settings in the main menu, a single audio on/off toggle in the pause menu while playing. you can also change the music there. no windowed mode or resolutions, alt+enter only makes a non-resizable window, so it's useless, gotta edit the registry for such things. [b]no toggle for the timer[/b] either, but it's not that intrusive, and the [b]tutorial[/b] is only available from the main menu, not while playing. [b]it's pretty good overall[/b], if not as good as some other point & click tetris-likes, and since it could be better in certain areas, I'm glad I picked it up at 75% off when it cost $4 at full price. half price would've been still reasonable, but instead of patching it, the developer made it free, so it's a moot point.