Block Buster Billy

《Block Buster Billy》是一款颇有创意的类推箱解谜游戏。 如果你玩过《Baba Is You》，那么本作的核心机制就非常好描述，就是把《Baba Is You》中的“语句拼接”机制转移到了“算式”上。具体来说，本作中每个可以推的方块上都写着一个数字或数学符号，当这些方块横向或纵向排列在一起时，就可以从左到右或者从上到下读出一个算式。在《Baba Is You》中，拼出一个合法的语句后，该语句就会作为一条新的规则在关卡中产生效果，而在本作中，拼出一个合法的算式也会产生特殊的效果：参与合法算式的所有块会连接成一个块，可以一起被推动，相当于一种特殊的“粘块”机制。而如果在移动的过程中，由于新的块的加入，使得整个算式连起来看不再合法，那么之前建立的连接又会断开。 可以看出，比起《Baba Is You》，本作的核心机制显得针对性很强，毕竟《Baba Is You》中，所有的东西都是“规则”可以控制的对象，而本作中，通过拼式子可以控制的对象就仅限于这些带有数字和符号的块本身了。然而，虽然本作的扩展性不可能有它的灵感来源那么强，但它这个核心机制也很巧妙，结合了数学这种抽象的概念，和推箱子这种具有明确空间和几何意义的机制。本作对该机制进行了十分深入的探索，包括了三种算术符号（加、减、乘），等号和[spoiler]不等号[/spoiler]，甚至还考虑到了[spoiler]变量[/spoiler]。最终，在涉及的机制集不大（相比《Baba Is You》中的“极致堆料”，简直可以说是“极简”了）的情况下，本作的设计师设计出了约100个不重样的有趣谜题，已经很厉害了。接下来就重点聊一聊本作的谜题设计。 前面我描述机制的时候，说到“合法的算式”这个概念，其实比较模糊，什么样的算式算是合法的算式呢（这句话要是念出来的话真有点拗口）？在本作中，只有[b]正确的等式和[spoiler]正确的不等式[/spoiler][/b]能算作合法的算式。正确的等式必须包含一个等号，而且等号两边的计算结果必须相等，比如“1+4=2+3”。如果两边计算结果不等（如“1+4=2+2”），或者某一边格式不对（如“1=2+”），那就不能算是正确的等式。[spoiler]正确的不等式[/spoiler]也类似。 在很多时候，本作谜题的关键点其实都是“构造”：给定一堆可以随意排列的数字和符号，玩家要做的是构造出一个有用的连接结构，而既然只有合法才能连接，所以这个过程就同时包含了数学上的推理和空间上的推理。在实际关卡中，我发现这两种推理确实可以互相结合，来共同排除纷繁复杂的可能解，特别是很多时候，用空间上的限制来反推某些算式无法构造，是一个比较重要的排除手段。一次构造是如此，在很多的谜题中，也需要进行多次构造，因此，计划多次让算式在合法和不合法之间切换，不断合并、拆开，再重新合并成别的算式，也是十分重要的。 本作还包含了一种尤为特殊的谜题设计。在本作中，经常可以看到一系列长相相似，但由于布局的细微变化，导致解法会完全不同的关卡。在其它解谜游戏中我就很喜欢这种关卡，一般有那么一两对这样互相照应的关卡已经挺不错了，如《Bean and Nothingness》中的“Sandy Balloon”和“Tiled Balloon”，而本作居然有很多这样的关卡，而且不仅仅成对，都成“系列”了，同一个系列就可以包含2到5个相似但解法各不相同的关卡，同时质量还很高，思路也确实各不相同。有时，前面的一系列关卡甚至都是“红鲱鱼”（Red Herring，用来形容“错误引导”），就为了让玩家形成思维定式，从而在整个系列的最后一两道谜题中实现奇妙的反转。 说到错误引导，有趣的是，除了在上面所说的整个“系列”的层面上，本作在单个关卡中也有不少这样的设计。有不少关卡的布局都会多多少少给玩家一种错误的、先入为主的想法，比如一进关卡，有些块已经用合法等式的形式给出，那玩家就有可能潜移默化地觉得在最终的解法中，这些块应该也需要这么连。当然，最容易把人引进坑里的肯定还是长相相似的其它谜题了，就算你知道解法肯定会有所不同，但是一个既定的解法已经在你的脑中形成，这是很难能完全消除的。在游玩的过程中，乍一看觉得可以用十分简单的方法解决，但实操起来才发现有问题，最后才发现自己被隐性地误导了，这个过程如果设计得合理，不仅不会让我感到愤怒，反而会激发出Eureka（顿悟）时刻。本作做得就十分不错，这还是得归功于“清晰”，本作本身就是一个纯逻辑的解谜游戏，而且本作将错误的解法为什么错表现得十分清晰，没有任何模糊的余地，所以玩家也能很快反应和推断出自己原先方向的错误。 上面阐述了本作谜题设计优秀的地方，接下来，我还是必须承认，本作并不是所有的谜题都能达到我心目中“优雅”的标准。部分谜题的关键矛盾比较模糊，或者由于空间太小而导致整个解法充满诡异的挪移，但这种谜题并不多，所以也没有很影响到我的游戏体验。在“构造”类谜题中，有时可以用来拼接的块数很多，不容易看出或者推出正解，只能靠直觉去试，还好在这种情况下，具体的等式并不是十分难试，有很多可行解，不然就非常折磨了。 总的来说，本作仍然是一个机制很有创意，并且设计了一些很有意思的谜题的作品，个人认为非常优秀。难度中等，个别谜题很难，难度曲线比较奇怪，可能是由于关卡解锁结构十分开放的缘故，但位置相近的谜题在难度上应该也差不多。 结论：[b]强烈推荐[/b]。 彩蛋时刻：说说本作中我最喜欢的关卡。如果是单个关卡的话，[spoiler]Mamma Mia[/spoiler]这关非常有趣，而系列关卡中比较后面的关卡通常也都十分神奇，我也很喜欢，虽然有些也非常复杂，比如[spoiler]How the sausage gets made 3[/spoiler]和[spoiler]Chain Reaction IV[/spoiler]，但最终解出来的成就感也很高。

Block Buster Billy is another small indie puzzle game with a really neat-sounding idea that unfortunately turns out to be not particularly fun in practice. The game's fundamental flaw is that it's a sokoban math game. So you interact with the math by pushing blocks which contain individual math symbols, and there are *a lot* of math symbols in the game. As a result, a significant fraction of the block-pushing in the game is not about making interesting moves in puzzles, but just tedious unchallenging busywork to rearrange math formulas. As an analogy, imagine if you had to solve highschool math exercises, but rather than getting to write down math formulas however you want, instead your teacher gave you Scrabble tiles and demanded you rearrange them into math formulas. For this game design to work, the game would've needed to make the block-pushing part more interesting (which would've also necessitated making fewer, smaller levels). Alternatively, the dev would've needed to make it easier and quicker to do the boring block-pushing. The latter could've e.g. been done by implementing an autopilot feature for boring moves, like auto exploration in Brogue: basically, give me an autopilot for the drudgery (i.e. let me click a block and its destination, and then the player character automatically moves it there), until I reach a point the autopilot can't complete, which is presumably where the puzzle actually gets interesting. [strike]The game even contains a level which parodies the drudgery of the block-pushing design ("Monday"), by placing number blocks in particularly obnoxious spots. So the dev was aware of this problem of the design but didn't fix it. Ffs.[/strike] (This paragraph was a misunderstanding on my part.) Regarding the levels themselves, the sheer number of blocks in them just evokes tedium and dread, rather than excitement and delight. It's nice that the game is generous in the number of levels, but I unfortunately didn't enjoy this generosity. Also, this is a small indie puzzle game, and hence there are no walkthroughs. So good luck if you get stuck on a level. After the initial island, the game opens up a lot and gives you a ton of levels to try, but to finish the game one must eventually complete most or all of them to proceed. The game has a neat overworld design where each level you solve unlocks a block on the corresponding overworld island, which can then be used to solve puzzles in said overworld. I did however encounter at least one case where it took effort to reach a level on the overworld, and then if you quit that level without managing to solve it, I think you would have to re-solve the overworld puzzle to reach it again. So that's not ideal. The game's aesthetics also disappoint: the tileset is exceptionally boring and unvaried, all levels look roughly identical except for the blocks themselves, and music and sound effects are repetitive. The UX itself is okay. There's an infinite undo (yay) which can't undo past level reset (boo). And movement speed is fast, though this just underscores how tedious the block-pushing is. Not recommended.

What an odd little game! Editing review at 36 Chests which is 1/3 of the game (but it gets harder) I did the tutorial island, and still felt like I'd barely learnt anything. It needs a clearer bit of hand holding (like in the conceptually familiar BABA) so I know what order I'm supposed to be attempting to progress through A+Z=? and learning as I go instead of hitting walls three layers deep! Some of the hardest levels so far have looked the easiest so it's often confusing. Conceptually it's a mix between the stellar Denki Blocks and the old school Sokoban games - but with maths! I've been following other players stream progress to see how they have tackled things and get a feel for just HOW you are supposed to approach stuck blocks and what is realistic and what isn't. To help with this it might be good to have levels that are shiny because they introduce a new concept or skill. Worth the price, and worth persevering with if you like spatial puzzles using numbers and signs, but be aware that this is certainly a tough game where you might spend ages on a single screen just trying to figure out if you've already made the puzzle impossible or not! I'm not giving up yet - but I fear that there are an overwhelming amount of puzzles that I'll get stuck on and have to seek for help in my future.

Wow, what a gem. The math-sokoban formula ends up working out in clever and creative ways. If you enjoy either, you're in for a pleasant surprise. The puzzles are well-designed and require precision while giving you room to experiment. Tons of "eureka" moments, the coveted golden seal of great puzzle games. About medium difficulty.

Just a heads up, I received a key from the developer before the game's release and my playtime is from before full release and longer than a typical playthrough due to changes throughout testing! Baba is number was how it was pitched to me and I think Baba meets Math is a pretty apt descriptor for this game! Throughout the game you'll be solving puzzles, doing and breaking math, and attempting to execute well thought out plans only to abruptly have a 0 come along and ruin it. But I did find the difficulty curve to be well paced, the game starts off simple and sweet teaching new mechanics as you go along, leading up to some grand challenges in the finals of the game. And by grand challenges I mean we spent 2 hours trying to solve one of the final levels of the game, it was a good time albeit a frustrating one as all puzzle finales should be! If you would like to take a peek at some gameplay we have a playlist of our entire playthrough of the game over here, but keep in mind the game has gone through some massive changes so quite a few of the levels may not be the same now: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrjdRAKaPjnLtS_vwwtxqd8MjU50BPUw2 And finally final comments from my chat: arklathesnail: oh my comment for BBB: Never have I found the days of the week so terrifying as in Block Buster Billy EnnyRose: Remember how your math teacher tried to make a point about why you needed to know how to calculate in your head, and not rely on that smartphone he swears you won't always have at your side? Well, grab your calculator and chuck it out the window, it's not gonna help you here. Neither would the head math. Prepare for a rousing bout of That should work! Snelstar94: but i can feel 0 around every corner

Игра хорошая, но сложная. Зато даже почти в самом начале (после часа игры всего) даёт иногда такие задачи, что сперва сидишь и ничего не понимаешь, а потом — бац! — озарение, и от этого так кайфово. Но сомневаюсь, что пройду до конца, я тупой.

Block Buster Billy, developed by Bigosaur, is a challenging puzzle game that tasks players with solving a variety of math-based conundrums. As the titular character Billy, your objective is to clear a path to the treasure chest by manipulating blocks containing numbers and mathematical operators. The game features a diverse range of levels, each requiring strategic thinking and problem-solving skills to overcome. At its core, Block Buster Billy's gameplay involves sliding blocks horizontally or vertically to create equations that equal the target number. Equations can involve basic arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Once an equation is formed, the blocks involved merge into a larger block, which can be moved out of the way to create a path to the treasure chest. The game's difficulty curve is well-balanced, introducing new elements and complexities at a comfortable pace. As you progress through the levels, you'll encounter various obstacles and mechanics that add depth to the gameplay, such as teleportation tiles, ice blocks, and even more advanced math concepts. One of Block Buster Billy's features is its robust level editor. This powerful tool allows players to create and share their own custom levels, offering endless possibilities for puzzle-solving challenges. With the ability to upload and download levels, the game's community can continuously create and enjoy fresh content, keeping the experience enjoyable for players of all skill levels. Block Buster Billy's charming pixel art graphics and catchy soundtrack complement the gameplay well, creating an overall enjoyable and immersive experience. The game's simplicity makes it easy to pick up, while its depth ensures that players remain engaged for hours as they work their way through increasingly challenging puzzles. In conclusion, Block Buster Billy is recommended for fans of puzzle games and anyone seeking a unique mathematical challenge. Its accessible gameplay, coupled with a level editor and vibrant visuals, offers a unique experience that is sure to delight players of all ages. [quote]For more puzzle game reviews, news and everything puzzle-related, follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25928931-Puzzle-Lovers/]Puzzle Lovers[/url] and check out our [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/puzzlelovers]Steam group[/url].[/quote]

Brilliant puzzle game! Combining and breaking apart blocks creates a lot of unique sokoban challenges, and I thought it was a satisfying way to refresh my math skills. You're able to click to instantly go to any accessible tile, which is a big time-saver, but I think it needs to be indicated better in-game. I was only aware of it because I saw an update post on the game's page. The game could also benefit from a way to track your progress. It has 101 puzzles to complete and I managed to do them all, but it would be nice to have a star next to the save file when you've done them all, or maybe make (xx/101) show up after you've completed the "last" puzzle. [Edit: When I first played it, the game had art that was likely done with AI, and I mentioned that in the original version of this review. The dev commissioned the art and was unaware that it was AI-generated. Once I brought it up, the developer personally redid the cutscene graphics. The new ones are pretty simple and a bit goofy, but I find them endearing. I wholeheartedly recommend supporting the dev and this game!]

总共101关，构造性的关卡很好，但也有一些纯腾挪的关卡，总体来说还不错

Good ideas dragged down by inelegant design. I don't like how many unuseful pieces are laying around in every level. I understand good puzzle design as having only elements with a hidden purpose that surprises us for its ingenuity. I don't get any of that here. You just need to exhaust possible calculations in your mind and disregard the pieces that are just in the way. It is not a bad game, but there are many others that I would recommend over this one. Only play it if you are so into puzzles that you would play anything and everything.