Blocks That Matter
Blocks That Matter is a 2D puzzle-platform game developed by French independent studio Swing Swing Submarine. It was released on August 19, 2011 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Xbox 360. The game was inspired by one of the developer's earlier works, Tuper Tario Tros.
Blocks That Matter
Swing Swing Submarine · Capture d'écran de la version pour ordinateur du jeu vidéo Blocks That Matter · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Date
- 2011
- Publisher
- Swing Swing Submarine
- Language
- English · French
- Genre
- puzzle video game · platformer
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Documentary summary
Blocks That Matter is a 2D puzzle-platform game developed by French independent studio Swing Swing Submarine. It was released on August 19, 2011 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Xbox 360. The game was inspired by one of the developer's earlier works, Tuper Tario Tros.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1563815 · wikipedia · Blocks That Matter
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Blocks That Matter • Developer — Swing Swing Submarine • Publisher — Swing Swing Submarine • Release — 19 August 2011 • Genre — Puzzle-platform • Modes — Single-player • Platforms — Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Xbox 360
Gameplay
Gameplay
• Illustration — Gameplay screenshot The player takes the role of "Tetrobot", a robot which is able to collect blocks by hitting them from under (Mario reference) or drilling them, and can then construct shapes in a "puzzle mode" using four blocks at a time. Blocks That Matter heavily references the games Minecraft and Tetris through the main characters, in-game mechanics and concepts such as "Pajitnovian physics". The game's name comes from special blocks hidden in the story mode levels. They are unusable blocks that initially appear in levels as treasure chests, which serve no purpose other than to unlock bonus levels. The blocks are direct references to famous blocks in games that inspired the developers, such as a?-block from Super Mario Bros., an Aperture Science Weighted Companion Cube from Portal, Rubik's Cube, and a die, hence the "blocks that matter".
Release
Release
Blocks That Matter was made available as a bonus during the Voxatron Humble Indie Bundle along with The Binding of Isaac. In June 2018 the game was ported to the OpenPandora, an ARM processor-based Linux handheld.
History of the object
Dated record
History of the object
The full dated record · 2 entries
2011
Blocks That Matter published.
2011
Blocks That Matter is recorded as published in 2011.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- France
Reception
Reception
Blocks That Matter received generally favourable reviews, with an aggregated score of 76 on Metacritic. Blocks That Matter was the Dream Build Play 2011 Challenge "Grand Prize" Winner, earning $40,000 and the opportunity for an XBLA publishing contract.
Legacy
Legacy
The Tetrobot appears as a playable character in UFHO2, Cook, Serve, Delicious!, and Bounty Battle.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1563815: Blocks That Matter
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Blocks That Matter”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Derocher, J. Review: Blocks That Matter. destructoid.com.
- 2.Interview with William David and Guillaume Martin from Swing Swing Submarine (Blocks That Matter). Jeuxvideo. 18 November 2011.
- 3.Michael, J. Blocks That Matter Review.
- 4.Fletcher, JC. Humble Voxatron Debut sweetened with Blocks that Matter, Binding of Isaac.
- 5.blocks-that-matter on pyra-handheld.com
- 6.Derocher, Joshua. Review: Blocks That Matter. Destructoid. 12 September 2011.
- 7.Michael, Jon. Blocks That Matter Review - PC Review at IGN. IGN. 27 September 2011.
- 8.Metacritic. Blocks That Matter.
- 9.Winners, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2011-SEP-03
- 10.Jessica Conditt. Congratulations to the 2011 Dream Build Play winners!. Engadget.com. 28 August 2011.
- 11.The Tetrobot in UFHO2.
- 12.Dark Screen Games. Indie guests roster.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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- BloodWork
- Blood & MagicWork
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